7 Healthcare Workflow Automation to Improve Patient Care

When the same old paperwork and manual operations eat up a huge chunk of the time spent by your healthcare staff, it is a marker that something needs to change.

You know the drill — processes like patient data collection, onboarding, prescribing, and billing dominate a healthcare organization’s daily operations. While essential, these tasks are efficiency drainers that offer little payoff for the time and effort you spend.

The growth in poorly designed digital health records and quality metrics has required that physicians spend more and more time on tasks that don’t directly benefit patients, contributing to a growing epidemic of physician burnout.

Ashish Jha, Veterans Administration physician and professor, Harvard Chan School. 

As you can imagine, this problem binds not just physicians but administrative staff as well. 
 
But things are changing for the better. 

Thanks to technology, you can now automate the same healthcare workflows that once robbed your staff of precious time and energy. 

For this reason and more, tools that offer workflow automation in healthcare are gaining their deserved popularity. In fact, according to a report, the healthcare industry avoided $193 billion in costs through automation in 2023, with the potential of saving another $18.3 billion through further automation. 

In this article, we’ll see how you can use the same automation tools to iron out the wrinkles in your operations and, by doing so, help grow your healthcare enterprise the way you envision it. 

What is Healthcare Workflow Automation? 

As we touched on earlier, it’s the use of technology to automate and streamline the countless workflows your healthcare organization manages daily — which includes everything from scheduling appointments to managing patient records, staff rosters, activities, billing, healthcare insurance, and more. 

In a nutshell, the aim is to automate the repetitive — to get things done faster, with less effort and fewer errors than manual processes typically cause. 

What Types of Technology Are Used in Healthcare Workflow Automation? 

Automation has taken over several domains of healthcare operations. Here are a few types of tools that are commonly used. 

1. Healthcare CRM

A healthcare CRM (customer relationship management system) helps organizations keep track of patient communication and outreach — not just clinical data, but all the touchpoints that happen around care: appointment history, follow-up messages, referrals, feedback, and more. 

Used well, a CRM can automate parts of this process. It might be able to automate patient intake, send reminders based on visit history, trigger follow-ups after a procedure, or flag patients who haven’t been seen in a while. Some systems also help track referral patterns, marketing campaigns, or population health outreach. 

2. Secure messaging platforms

Standard tools like texts and email aren’t built for handling patient data — they’re fast, but not secure. Messaging platforms designed for healthcare solve that by encrypting messages and keeping organizations compliant with HIPAA regulations. 

They can be used by staff to coordinate care or flag issues — but many also support two-way messaging with patients – which means patients can reply directly, and in doing so, reduce phone calls and help surface concerns earlier. 

Some platforms also integrate with EHRs/EMRs, route messages to the right person, and confirm when a message’s been read. These details add up to clearer and faster communication in healthcare settings. 

3. EHR integration

Most healthcare systems rely on several disconnected tools — one for scheduling, another for lab results, and yet another for patient communication. When these systems don’t talk to each other, information gets stuck or repeated, and people end up doing manual work to keep things moving. 

EHR integration tools help connect these systems. That might mean syncing a lab platform so results appear in the patient chart automatically or linking with a healthcare CRM so staff can see communication history alongside clinical data. 

4. Automation bots & healthcare workflow engines

Several tasks like checking in a patient or insurance verification follow the same steps every time. Automation bots are built to handle these kinds of repeatable workflows without needing constant oversight. 

Workflow engines can also coordinate larger processes, like routing a referral through the right approvals or updating multiple systems when a patient’s status changes. 

This also helps standardize how things get done, which reduces mistakes and makes training easier. 

5. Patient engagement tools

Patient engagement tools help keep patients involved in their care before, during, and after a visit. They’re often used to send appointment reminders, share pre-visit instructions, collect intake forms, or check in with the patient after a procedure. 

Some apps also let patients ask questions, confirm details, or reschedule without calling the office. That cuts down on phone traffic and helps prevent no-shows or confusion. 

For clinics, the benefit is twofold: patients are more informed and prepared, and front-desk teams spend less time chasing information or managing last-minute changes. 

6. Artificial intelligence & machine learning

AI and machine learning are most useful in places where there’s too much data for people to sort through efficiently — like diagnostic images, clinical notes, or large sets of patient records. These systems can flag patterns, prioritize what needs attention, or suggest next steps based on past cases. 

They also support administrative work: forecasting supply needs, spotting billing issues, helping optimize schedules, or sorting claims into the right categories.   

These tools are ideal for repetitive, data-intensive tasks, where speed and accuracy are critical.

Why Automating Healthcare Workflows Matter

The benefits of automation in healthcare are manifold. Let’s have a quick look at some of them.

1. Better accuracy 

In healthcare, even a small mistake can lead to dire consequences. Patient data entered manually always bears the risk of human error. Automation eliminates this risk by ensuring data is uploaded accurately, leaving no room for errors.

2. Easier patient interactions 

Proper communication between healthcare providers and patients leads to better outcomes. Automation helps ensure this is done by offering patients timely, reliable updates. 

Take appointment no-shows, for instance. Many patients miss appointments simply because they forget. By sending automated reminders ahead of time, you can reduce no-shows, hence saving both time and money lost from missed medical appointments. 

3. Cost savings

Automation improves a healthcare organization’s operational efficiency in ways that traditional methods can’t match, Automation improves a healthcare organization’s operational efficiency in ways that traditional methods can’t match, directly contributing to cost reduction. 

• By reducing the risk of medical errors, automation helps avoid expensive legal fees, insurance claims, and costly corrections. 
• Streamlining repetitive tasks like scheduling, billing, and patient onboarding eliminates the need for overtime and administrative burden, cutting operational costs. 
• It ensures that staff time and resources are allocated better, thereby improving productivity and cutting down unnecessary expenses. 

To sum up, cost savings result from the broad capabilities of workflow automation in healthcare.

4. Hassle-free data management

Patient data in healthcare is vital for delivering proper care. However, retrieving this data becomes tougher if stored physically and manually. With automation, you can manage and analyze large amounts of data on the go, which can then inform healthcare professionals in their decision-making by offering them valuable insights. Moreover, you can access the data instantly whenever it’s needed.

5. Safety and compliance

Healthcare workflow automation can strengthen both security and compliance. By handling tasks like data management, it reduces human errors that can lead to breaches. Every action is logged automatically, ensuring compliance with regulations in healthcare like HIPAA. Built-in security features and alert options in automation tools help prevent unauthorized access. In essence, automation protects sensitive data and keeps you on the right side of regulatory requirements. 

6. Improved communication through secure messaging 

Efficient care demands clear, timely communication. But in many healthcare settings, updates still move through slow or informal channels like phone calls, or in-person messages passed between shifts. 

This leaves too much room for delays and confusion. 

Secure messaging platforms for healthcare help you automate communication. With them, staff can send quick updates without stepping away from their work, and everything is documented as it happens. 

These tools can also be connected to core systems like the EHR or CRMs to reduce double entries, bring context into conversations, and ensure important updates are tied directly to patient records. 

Security is built in, adhering to regulations like HIPAA. So staff don’t have to stop and think about whether the platform is appropriate for sensitive updates.

7. Adapting to changing roles and terminations 

Healthcare teams rarely stay the same for long. People get promoted, move departments, or leave the organization altogether. Research shows that nearly one in three new hires in healthcare exits within the first year, contributing to over 40% of total workforce turnover in the industry. 

This constant change bought about by employees quitting and the need to hire replacements makes managing who has access to sensitive data tricky. 

Automation helps take some of that weight off your shoulders. 

With automated access controls, permissions update automatically as people change roles or leave the organization. You can also see who accessed what, when, and why. This makes it easier to spot issues and keeps you ready for audits.

8. Patient satisfaction

Everything adds to patient satisfaction — be it shorter wait times, simple onboarding, or a smooth patient discharge. Keeping such processes quick and straightforward is essential to keep patients happy. With workflow automation, you can improve patient experience in this regard. For instance, implementing automation to collect feedback will provide faster insights into what patients liked or disliked about the care delivered. An automated scheduling system allows patients to book appointments quickly. Moreover, tracking patient appointment cancellations and confirmations reduces hospital wait time.

7. More returns from your marketing campaigns

Automation helps you make the most of your marketing efforts by giving you deep insights into patient behaviors and preferences through real-time reports. With this data, you can craft campaigns that deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Automated tracking and analytics also let you measure which campaigns are driving the best results. This means you can focus on what works, refine what doesn’t, and make smarter, data-driven decisions to improve ROI.

10. Patient retention 

It is now easier to stay in touch with your patients and keep them engaged, thanks to automation. For instance, you can use date-based triggers to send reminders for recurring events like annual health checkups. This ensures patients don’t forget about their appointments in their busy lives. Also, even small gestures like automated birthday wishes can strengthen your relationship with the patient. So, through consistent communication with automation, you improve the chances of them returning to your practice for future treatments. 

Top 7 Healthcare Workflows to Automate

Without further ado, here are 7 examples of workflow automation in healthcare that your healthcare organization could benefit from.

1. Appointment scheduling process 

Patients are more likely to choose a healthcare provider that offers better online access to book, modify, or cancel appointments — simply because it’s more convenient. 

An online appointment booking system can help you automate the process. There are several ways to implement this: 

• You can start with the option to book an appointment on your website. 

• Installing chatbots can also help patients with the basic queries they may have before making any decision. 

• Nowadays, healthcare organizations are also spending money on developing separate patient portals to execute processes ranging from appointment booking to consultation.

Benefits of automation in the appointment scheduling process:

With online portals, patients can book appointments themselves. They need zero staff assistance- saving time for both patients and staff. Additionally, offering multiple appointments booking channels helps increase patient intake — meaning, an increase in revenue. 

Here’s an example of a workflow automation you can implement. 

2. Patient admission and discharge process 

The process of admitting or discharging a patient can be lengthy and frustrating, both for the patient and the healthcare provider, since the processes involve a lot of paperwork. So, collecting information through manual forms before a consultation costs you your precious time, which can then cause long wait times for other patients in queue. 

According to studies: 

• 44% of patients have switched doctors to avoid long wait times. 

• 43% of patients report longer wait times since the pandemic. 

• 1 in 3 Americans have skipped or delayed care due to long wait times or bad experiences. 

Doctors and staff also spend a lot of time collecting information. Since they do it manually and have no records for the next appointment, the same process gets repeated. 

At the same time, discharge billing is a time-consuming task in itself. The longer the patient stays at your facility, the longer the billing process will take. 

Approvals also increase discharge time, as the processes involved get entangled between multiple departments. 

However, with functions like e-signature capabilities that come with automation, patient admission and discharge processes can be accelerated.  

Benefits of automating patient admission and discharge process :

An efficient admission and discharge process is key to improving patient experience. Automation will save your staff from the manual work of filling out forms, creating bills, and getting approvals while reducing the chances of errors.  

3. Managing health records 

As we discussed earlier, the risk of errors is undeniable when healthcare providers manually enter important information into their electronic health records (EHR). A small error while entering data can lead to mistakes in the patient’s diagnosis. In worst-case scenarios, it can lead to the patient getting the wrong treatment. 

Along with an EHR, a healthcare organization’s workflow might benefit from automation. For instance, there is no potential for errors if your hospital automates the procedure across medical test labs and integrates the EHR platform. You can automatically transfer lab reports and other information into an EHR using automation software. This aids doctors in accurately diagnosing patients’ conditions and prescribing the right course of treatment.

Benefits of letting automation handle patient health records:

Automating health record management reduces human errors. So, you don’t have to think twice about potential mistakes as you take care of your patients.

4. Patient communication  

When selecting healthcare providers, 83% of patients consider the availability of digital communication channels to be a key factor.

Patients communicate with their healthcare provider at many stages of their healthcare journey. You can automate these interactions by installing bots to answer booking queries and help them secure appointments. You can also integrate the automation system with your IVR to resolve general questions while only passing the more nuanced ones to your staff. 

Along with that, you can also automate reminders for upcoming appointments and for taking medications post-consultations. Automation can also help you improve patient engagement by using call reminders, email automation, and text messages to share self-care tips and treatment options.

Benefits of automating patient communication:

Automated communication can reduce dependency on the staff and help resolve inquiries faster. Regular interaction also improves patient engagement. Of course, it also saves your staff more time.

5. Staff and doctor onboarding   

Hiring the right staff is challenging for most healthcare organizations. Also, once hired, you would like your staff to start as soon as possible. Instead, they end up spending their initial days filling out multiple forms and submitting various documents. 

Introducing an online portal for your staff onboarding can save you time and improve efficiency. You can automate the document collection process and also store records digitally. 

Similarly, your doctor’s onboarding process can also be automated to save them from the tedious form-filling process

Benefits of automating the staff onboarding process:

Automating the process reduces onboarding time. Since you will have the documents stored digitally, your staff or doctors will not have to share them again and again. Having an automated onboarding process also improves the overall experience of the staff and doctors.   

6. Managing staff activities and roster 

The healthcare industry runs 24/7 to ensure patients get the proper care. The staff works in shifts, and managing their activity and roster is an add-on task for the organization. The process can often be disrupted or delayed due to even a single person’s non-availability. 

There are many staff scheduling systems available that can help you automate your employees’ schedules. They can also help you get approvals for your schedules and notify staff immediately. 

You can also automate the distribution of tasks based on the roster. For example, automation will automatically distribute inquiries only to operational staff. 

Benefits of automating staff activities and roster:

You can inform your staff about their schedule without confusion. You can reduce response time on inquiries through automation to improve overall team efficiency. 

7. Insurance claim processes 

Healthcare organizations claim billions in insurance every year. The process requires collecting a large amount of information from patients and healthcare providers. Handling repetitive tasks, such as collecting patient data and managing claims, manually takes a lot of time and increases the chances of human errors. 

You can automate the insurance claim process using RPA tools. The tool will collect and arrange all the data to file your claim. 

Benefits of automating insurance claim processes:

Automating insurance claim processes can boost efficiency and lead to a 40% reduction in documentation time. You can also mitigate any chance of human error and prevent potential financial losses.

Use LeadSquared to Automate Healthcare Workflows

Workflow automation helps healthcare enterprises automate patient intake, communication, and many other workflows. 

Implementing LeadSquared’s HIPAA-compliant healthcare CRM can help you improve: 

1. Patient inquiry management 

You can assign tasks and notify your staff about new patient inquiries. Enable your teams to call, email, and message patients with LeadSquared’s healthcare CRM while complying with HIPAA guidelines. 

The CRM also helps you create multiple journeys and workflows for teams and functions like physician onboarding, intake, marketing, and operations.   

2. Patient intake automation 

Increase patient intake by automatically capturing their inquiries and distributing them to the correct department for follow-ups. Collect records through digital intake forms and self-serve patient portals to simplify the intake process.

3. Communications management 

Utilize LeadSquared’s healthcare CRM platform to use autoresponders for web inquiries and built-in dialers. 

Real Stories, Real Results: How Healthcare Teams Benefited from Our Automation

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear it from the people who’ve been there, struggling with age-old methods and legacy systems — that is before automation came in offering them a helping hand out of the endless manual grind.

2x the patient volume, without the hassle

“Before, we could not get in contact with over 30% of patient leads. That number has reduced to under 5% now. We’re now handling over 2x the number than we did before automation existed.”

Bree Castillo, Chief Operating Officer at Tandem Care

Tandem Care, a non-medical home care provider, sends small teams of 2-3 caregivers to help clients with their daily living needs across neighborhoods. As they grew, their old CRM system became a problem. It lacked efficiency in automation, reporting, and customization, and they needed something HIPAA-compliant to manage health records.

That’s when they switched to LeadSquared. The platform addressed their key needs, helping them streamline their operations. With LeadSquared in place, their processes turned smoother, and caregivers became better equipped to do their jobs.

More customers, smoother sales

“We could not have scaled the way we did without LeadSquared’s automation. We were able to connect with more customers, streamline our sales, even improve our support and fulfillment processes. LeadSquared turned things around!”

Adi Mordechai, CTO and Co-Founder at Wesper

Before adopting LeadSquared, Wesper relied on spreadsheets to manage customer data and other processes. While this worked in the beginning, it became inefficient and unwieldy as the company grew. They needed a CRM that could bring all their customer data together, streamline communication, and help manage tasks more effectively. 

That’s when LeadSquared entered the picture. With LeadSquared, Wesper was able to reach more customers, organize their sales process, and deliver personalized communication at every step of the customer journey. Beyond just sales and communication, LeadSquared also helped improve the efficiency of many other operational processes. 

So, one team solved the puzzle of patient outreach; while another found a way to grow their healthcare enterprise without breaking a sweat. Common thread? The right automation system to cut through the complexities. 

Wrapping Up!

Workflow automation is a game-changer for healthcare organizations. It takes the hassle out of administrative work, freeing up your staff to perform at their best. 

If you seek to cut down errors in your healthcare workflow and streamline it while creating a better experience for everyone involved, LeadSquared has you covered. 

Why not see us in action? Book your demo today! 

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