Healthcare Workflow Automation: Overview and Best Practices

Healthcare workflow automation is the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and specialized software, to automatically execute and manage tasks. Healthcare providers can use these techniques to improve efficiency, reduce human error, enhance patient engagement, and ultimately provide better care to their patients.

Automation has traditionally been used in healthcare for administrative and operational tasks, like sending appointment reminders and tracking supplies. However, with AI, robotics, and other advances, a growing number of tasks can now be successfully and safely automated, including some aspects of clinical workflows. These technology gains have taken place alongside an industry-wide push to make healthcare information more accessible to patients, including legislation that gives patients the right to immediate access to their electronic health information.

We’ll take a look at how facility leaders can identify tasks that can be automated, and discuss the standards and policies that impact the use of these techniques. We’ll also provide three best practices for implementing automation techniques, along with practical examples to show what this might look like at your facility.

What Is Workflow Automation for Healthcare?

Automated processes are tasks or sequences of tasks that are streamlined by using technology and tools. Across industries, automated workflows have been used to increase productivity, save time, and pursue higher levels of quality. In healthcare, these goals are similar but tailored to the ultimate aim of providing safe and effective patient care.

What Are the Benefits of Workflow Automation in Healthcare?

The benefits of optimizing and streamlining work processes through automation can include:

• Fewer human errors.
• Reduced clinician and administrative burdens.
• More time for clinical staff to focus on direct patient care.
• Improved patient-provider relationships.
• Faster transmission of health information to patients.
• Increased revenue.

Healthcare Workflow Examples

With healthcare-specific goals in mind, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) led an effort to identify areas of healthcare operations that could benefit most from automation. Here are examples of the types of workflows that can be automated to some extent, according to their findings:

In-Depth Example of an Automated Workflow In Healthcare

Now that you have an idea of the wide variety of tasks that can benefit from automation, let’s take a closer look at how the strategy can be used to resolve workflow issues in healthcare settings.

Example: Nurses on a shared governance committee examined potential areas for improvement related to medication administration. The committee discovered that nurses frequently called the hospital pharmacy to check on the status of medications. The committee worked with hospital leadership and the information technology (IT) department to implement changes to the nurse-pharmacy communication system, including automated status notifications. This reduced the number of status-check calls made, which translated to better nursing efficiency and more time available for direct patient care.

Standards and Policies Impacting Workflow Automation in Healthcare

Healthcare workflows must adhere to many federal- and state-level regulations that impact automation techniques, including:

• Data security regulations (such as the HIPAA Security Rule).
• The HITECH Act.
• Informed consent standards.
• The No Surprises Act.

One such regulation that has a significant impact on workflow automation is the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. This legislation contains the Information Blocking Rule that requires providers to grant patients free and immediate access to their electronic protected health information (ePHI), with exceptions.

For many facilities that manage large volumes of ePHI, granting this access entails putting automated processes in place. One common example of this is the automatic communication of lab results as soon as they are available.

Prior to the Cures Act, it was standard for facilities to hold results for 24 to 72 hours (or more) until they could be reviewed by a clinician. Post Cures Act, facilities must balance federal mandates for timely information accessibility with state-level regulations about the responsible release of information. The shift toward immediate release of lab values represents a wider shift in the industry toward increased transparency and more patient involvement in treatment plans.

Levels of Automation

There are different levels for the automation of tasks, ranging from low to full. A task with a low level of automation requires a lot of input from human staff members. For example, a nurse may manually complete a patient’s admission note with minor support from an automated, software-generated reminder related to the patient’s socioeconomic status. This is a low level of workflow automation because for the most part, the nurse is completing the form.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are fully automated tasks. These are typically clear-cut, rule-based administrative tasks. For example, once a nurse completes an admission note, an automated workflow may extract data from the digital documentation and populate it into additional fields throughout the patient’s electronic health record (EHR). Even “fully automated” tasks typically involve a human-in-the-loop (HITL) safety net, meaning human input is integrated into the workflow in some capacity.

Best Practices For Workflow Automation In Healthcare

In the healthcare industry, leaders face the challenge of implementing new technology while maintaining compliance with regulations and providing excellent patient care. Though it’s important to keep up with advances in the industry, it’s equally important to do so in a responsible and thoughtful manner. Here are three key best practices to use as you implement automation strategies.

1. Select Tasks Carefully

The cautious selection of tasks that will be automated can prevent errors and problems down the line. This is crucial due to the importance of developing and maintaining trusting relationships with healthcare clients.

If the wrong tasks are selected and care is compromised, patients may become wary or upset. This can result in harm to the provider-patient relationship and lead to additional negative outcomes for the patient. The following criteria should be considered when selecting tasks to automate.

2. Use a Gradual and Planned Approach

Implementation of an automated workflow should be a slow, intentional process, with many checks and balances along the way. Perform rigorous testing before using new healthcare workflow automation tools with your patients. Once a specific workflow is implemented, have measures in place to monitor performance. Using an iterative process can help you make incremental improvements. Feedback from patients and staff is a valuable source of information about the success of automation.

3. Prioritize the Patient’s Experience

As you automate processes within your healthcare facility, keep the patient’s experience in mind. This can guide the way you tailor your strategies. By putting yourself in the patient’s shoes you can better understand how they’re experiencing automated processes.

For example, if your facility immediately releases lab results to a patient portal, consider putting policies in place for proactive education about what the results could mean. This may help to minimize anxiety when the patient receives automated communication about the results.

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