Coosa Valley Medical Center is situated in Sylacauga, Alabama and is an acute care hospital with both inpatient and outpatient services. 

Being in a rural area with limited resources and over 540 employees, giving people access to important and necessary information has been a challenge. 

Since becoming an airSlate customer in 2021, things have changed for the better.

We spoke with Christy Knowles, Chief Human Resources Officer of CV Medical Center, to learn more. 

Broadening access to information

“In a hospital, not everyone has access to email,” says Christy. “Maybe 60 percent of our staff is on email. Because of that, it’s been a challenge to communicate with everybody we employ.” 

For the CV Medical Center staff, it was increasingly important to find a way to allow people to get quick access to important information. That has become especially obvious as the healthcare industry continues to face staffing shortages spurred by the pandemic. 

“We were looking for a way for people to quickly communicate with HR and for HR to be able to communicate with employees,” says Christy. “Specifically, we wanted a solution that would allow us to build forms that we could send to people and they could quickly return. And airSlate has been that solution.” 

When the hospital’s IT team proposed airSlate as a solution, they presented it as a one-stop-shop, which to Christy sounded different from their experience using other document workflow software. 

“We had used DocuSign and Formsite previously,” says Christy. “They were good for what we needed them for, but as we grew, they just were not suitable enough. With airSlate, we see so much value for the price. We can do so much more with it – the sky’s the limit. It is a great tool.” 

QR codes and forms: a new way to communicate

At CV Medical Center, airSlate is mainly being used for employee-focused paperwork. As mentioned previously, not every employee has access to email. However, almost everyone has access to smartphones. So, for every airSlate workflow or form generated, a corresponding QR code is created. 

These QR codes are included on flyers all around the hospital, making it easy for anyone to quickly scan a code while they’re on the go and complete whatever task or document is needed.

airSlate document workflow automation is used for things like employee change forms, new hires, health forms that must be completed on a monthly basis, recruitment forms, incentive programs, and even housekeeping.

“It hasn’t always been easy for us to know when bathrooms need to be serviced or to communicate that to our staff,” says Christy. “Someone had the idea to put QR codes on mirror clings in the bathroom with a simple ‘yes/no this bathroom needs to be serviced’ prompt and it has significantly improved the cleanliness of our facilities. It sounds so simple but having a clean facility impacts many aspects of both the patient and employee experience.”  

airSlate has enabled Christy and her team to easily create workflows that seamlessly get information into the right hands. This fall, they plan to build a workflow that solves a problem they encounter year after year.

“We struggle with getting employees to tell us whether they’ve taken the flu shot or not, which is actually critical information for accreditation purposes,” says Christy. “This fall, we’ll create a QR code that we’ll place all around the hospital for employees to quickly answer yes or no in regards to having a flu shot.” 

The impact of having workflow automation software

Christy mentions that it is difficult yet imperative to connect with people, especially in healthcare. And that’s exactly what airSlate has allowed CV Medical Center to do. 

“airSlate allows our people to respond immediately,” says Christy. “Before that, it was pen and paper. It took too much time to stop what we were doing and complete some form by hand. Take our incentive program for example. If someone wants to recognize a colleague for going above and beyond, they’ll turn around and see a flyer, scan the QR code, and leave a quick anecdote. If they had to go to a physical nomination box, it wouldn’t get done. With airSlate, we get a level of responsiveness and accessibility that we wouldn’t otherwise have.” 

Christy believes that having such an accessible recognition program has increased retention of her staff. She’s also seeing working hours saved, specifically on the HR team, because employees are no longer spending time chasing people down. Patient satisfaction has gone up thanks to the hospital running more efficiently. And even the process of recruiting talent has improved.

“In rural hospitals like ours, resources are extremely limited,” says Christy. “I always recommend airSlate for document automation because it provides so much ability for the money. It’s one thing to connect with candidates who are coming on board, and it’s another thing to keep engaging with your staff over time. And airSlate’s automation software helps us do that. We’re just getting so much value in every way.”

The post How one hospital is using workflow automation to completely change the way they communicate with staff appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Efficient workflows in healthcare organizations require the use of automation to streamline tasks like appointments scheduling, medical records updates, generating reports, and more. Automation technology provides many benefits to the healthcare industry, including increased efficiency for healthcare providers, better patient care outcomes, and lower costs for patients. Here are the 5 examples of health care workflows you can automate:

1. Appointments scheduling and management 
2. Insurance pre-authorization
3. Medical coding and billing
4. Insurance claims processing
5. Revenue cycle management

The prerequisites of healthcare digitisation

While rates of COVID-19 infection may be declining, winter will eventually return and that will raise new concerns within the healthcare industry for keeping it at bay. However, beyond diseases and rates of infection, medical organizations have to address issues such as excessive paperwork, which consumes doctors’ time, data errors, missed appointments, and other small complications that affect the quality of patient care.

Within the past year, the demand for digital healthcare solutions and services has increased dramatically (e.g., in certain European countries, healthcare automation demand multiplied by a factor of 30). Meanwhile, the level of job resignations among healthcare workers increased by 35% because of the excessive pressure on the medical industry. Beyond this, medical workers were the first for whom a COVID-19 vaccine mandate became a necessity.

In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into the topic of document automation in the healthcare industry, why it is of critical importance in the upcoming year, and how your medical organization will benefit from implementing workflow automation.

So what’s wrong with paper-based hospital workflow processes?

When comparing an old-fashioned approach to a modern solution, paper-based workflows prove to be inefficient, time-consuming, and prone to error. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the inadequacies of our paper-based medical industry.

Healthcare automation statistics 2022

Take a look at a few statistics that highlight the necessity of implementing healthcare workflow management solutions:

• Before COVID, medical errors cost more than $20 billion and over 100,000 patient lives every year. Mixed-up tests, erroneous appointments, unsigned documents — all this can ruin a company’s reputation. During the pandemic, errors only compounded as 44% of healthcare workers were unable to handle electronic health record systems due to inadequate training for using technology at work.
• At the beginning of 2020, 50% of physicians suffered from burnout, primarily due to a load of non-clinical tasks (e.g., reporting, billing, document management, etc.). With the COVID-19 outbreak, the stress levels among medical workers increased by almost 11% and the burnout rate by 13%.
• Before the pandemic, 32% of healthcare workers used to spend over 20 hours per week on administrative tasks. Since 2020, with the exponential growth of patients and the number of documents to be processed, not only has the number of hours increased but physicians state that 38% of the paper-based administrative work is unnecessary.

According to McKinsey analysts, about 50% of the current healthcare activities will be fully automated by 2055 with the vast majority of them being paper-based processes.

So, how to improve workflow in healthcare organizations? When looking for an adequate solution, hospitals face many obstacles. The cornerstones of efficiency for the healthcare industry are streamlined workflows, compliance with the regulations, and patient care. Doubts still exist about whether automation can cover all these needs and facilitate hospital workflow processes rather than hinder them and waste an organization’s resources.

Benefits of implementing automated workflow in healthcare organizations

Enhanced patient experience

Waiting for hours, days, or even weeks until you get your doctor’s appointment can be frustrating, especially during a pandemic. Other than promptness, patient satisfaction depends on the attention and care they receive from healthcare organization staff, as well as how easy/difficult it is to schedule an appointment.

By automating medical document workflows, healthcare workers and patients get a win-win solution because:

• automatic document processing frees up administrative time on in-person communication with patients to make them feel more comfortable and cared for;
• automation in healthcare streamlines document workflows, which significantly reduces the waiting time for patients.

Improved medical establishment productivity

Clerical, repetitive tasks are intrinsically linked to every healthcare establishment’s daily routine. This is one of the main reasons for the level of healthcare worker fatigue and low employee morale, which currently stands at 52% increasing year over year. Luckily, the majority of these tasks do not require human involvement.

With a reliable automation solution, it only takes a few minutes to set up automated hospital workflow processes to:

• collect patient data (patient intake forms, medical history documents, hospital discharge forms, etc.);
• securely sign sensitive medical documentation with legally-binding eSignature;
• sort and store the collected documents for quick and convenient access;
• transfer data between patient forms and administrative documents, spreadsheets, etc.

Data confidentiality and security

Paper documents have no security guarantee unless they are safely locked. Stanford University research claims that 88% of data breaches are caused by employee mistakes (Cisomag, 2020).

With a reliable healthcare workflow automation solution, document access permissions are easily configured to allow or restrict users from editing or even viewing certain documents. Certain healthcare automation solutions also allow admins to assign roles that grant specific access permissions, not only for a certain workflow but within an organization in general. A reliable software solution for healthcare automation should be HIPAA-ready to ensure a sufficient level of patient data protection.

Detailed workflow analytics

With paper-based healthcare workflows, tracking the editing history within documents is nearly impossible. Even with digital documents, if they are sent the old-fashioned way (e.g., via email), it’s unlikely you’ll be able to track who opened a document and viewed its contents. Workflow automation software addresses this challenge with analytics tools.

For example, a healthcare automation solution allows for tracking:

• Who opened a document, when, and how many times 
• Who made changes to a document (with detailed information about these changes)
• Which automatic actions (data transfers, document archiving, etc.) were performed successfully and which were not.

Just to name a few.

Reduced risk of errors

Statistics show that approximately 86% of errors in medical organizations are administrative and primarily caused by manual healthcare workflow management.

In the healthcare industry, even the slightest error can result in loss of life. One small inaccuracy in a medical record can have unintended and sometimes tragic consequences. Automation software is aimed at eliminating such errors.

To prove this point, here’s what a diagnostic solutions provider — T2 Biosystems — had to say about using the airSlate workflow automation solution for their document processes.

“airSlate’s ability to seamlessly integrate with Salesforce allowed us to easily disseminate important forms to end-users. The flexibility of airSlate allowed us to design a workflow that works for us. The automation built into airSlate helped us remove many manual steps in our old process.”

Anthony Matero,
Operations at T2 Biosystems

Discover the entire story of T2’s successful automation implementation in the airSlate blog.

What is healthcare administration?

Like in any other industry, administration in healthcare deals with managing healthcare workflows within a medical establishment.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for healthcare administration workers between 2018 and 2028 is expected to increase by 18%.

The list of key responsibilities medical administration has to fulfill includes managing:

• Patient documentation 
• Surgical equipment and inventory 
• Performance reports and budget expenses
• Treatment protocols
• Rules and policy implementation
• HR processes
• Communication 

In order to help medical administrative workers manage all of the above-mentioned responsibilities, electronic health record systems are now readily available.

EHR (Electronic Health Record) is a digitized version of a patient record that ensures the security of medical data and provides instant access to authorized users.

Electronic Health Record software enables healthcare providers to create and effectively manage patient medical data as well as share it with any authorized parties (e.g., other healthcare providers).

In a nutshell, the components of an EHR are as follows:

Though the first EHR system dates back to the 1960s, it wasn’t until the beginning of the 21st century that they experienced significant growth and demand in the healthcare industry worldwide.

With the rapid development of information technology, electronic health record software has become a must-have for any medical organization to maintain a competitive level of patient service.

The following chart displays the global growth rate of EHR applications in various medical processes:

However, data digitization alone is not enough to address all the challenges medical administrators face with their daily healthcare operations. This is where automation comes into play.

Healthcare administration automation implies freeing up medical workers’ time for more valuable and important tasks by automating repetitive, routine operations. In this blog, we’re focusing more on document workflow automation since it’s the main “black hole” that consumes the majority of healthcare administration hours.

How are automated hospital workflow processes changing the healthcare industry?

Healthcare workflows range from patient consent forms and blood donor registration to infection control plans and others. We’ve selected the most-used medical workflow, Patient Intake, as an example to demonstrate the practical application benefits of automation in healthcare.

As a rule, the process of patient registration is the first experience and impression a person has of a healthcare establishment. That’s why it’s so critical that this workflow be conducted as quickly and smoothly as possible.

With the airSlate workflow automation solution, it only takes you a couple of minutes to set up a fully automated Patient Intake workflow.

1. Documents

You can add any document(s) you need for this healthcare workflow from your device/cloud storage, create them from scratch, or access the rich library of airSlate document templates.

The user-friendly interface makes it easy to edit web forms and other documents to make them clear and understandable for patients and healthcare workers to complete.

2. Workflow visualization

One of the most beneficial features of airSlate is the drag and drop diagram that allows users to build a visual representation of their healthcare process. You can add as many steps as you need and assign documents and access permissions to them. Doing so allows you to clearly see how the documents are routed between the healthcare workflow participants.

3. Workflow automation (Bots)

The airSlate drag-and-drop diagram already allows you to set up automatic document routing. Yet, if you want to automate other routine repetitive tasks that don’t require human involvement, airSlate Bots are here to help.

Send out automatic notifications and reminders, automate integration with external services (e.g., CRM systems, cloud storage services) for transferring data, making updates, saving changes, and so on. with user-friendly no-code Bots.

To learn how to set up a more detailed Patient Intake workflow, sign up for the dedicated airSlate Academy course.

Beyond Patient Intake, the airSlate Flow library contains dozens of templates for healthcare workflows, including those related to Covid-19. Find instructions for automating the three most popular medical workflows in our blog — Healthcare automation: 3 airSlate Flows for hospitals and medical institutions.

Healthcare automation trends 2022

Digital technologies have been actively transforming healthcare operations management industry-wide. The most recent research shows that this trend is likely to continue in 2022.

According to the HIMSS Future of Healthcare Report, about 80% of healthcare providers are planning to significantly increase their investments in digital solutions for healthcare services within the next five years.

The most common upcoming trends for medical automation include:

1. Digitized healthcare

This implies wider digitization of the healthcare environment with things like digital health records, medical data integration between systems, etc. Facilitating greater remote access to healthcare as well as connecting and keeping track of relevant patient information will no longer be a challenge for automated health systems. Digitizing and automating healthcare services was largely accelerated by COVID-19 and will become a must for a medical establishment to remain competitive.

2. Datafication, AI, and RPA in healthcare

Medical data transmitted by modern smart devices is the main driver in the push towards more proactive and personalized medicine. Meanwhile, AI usage is already growing in applications such as chatbots for gathering information and directing inquiries to the right healthcare professionals. AI and RPA spot patterns across enormous datasets much sooner and more efficiently than traditional analytics tools, resulting in better patient outcomes.

3. Higher standards for patient service

With the increasing application of technologies discussed in the previous two paragraphs, the majority of medical document workflows will be delegated to automation software. As a result, healthcare workers will be able to devote most of their time, attention, and care to patients.

To round out the topic, here’s a bit of data to compare healthcare automation predictions for 2022 with recent research by Zebra Technologies and Deloitte.

In addition, with the advancement of digital technologies and medical automation, patients are becoming active participants in their own healthcare. In 2022, the percentage of patients using wearables to track health metrics is expected to increase to 57%, with 95% of them willing to share this data with hospital clinicians.

The bottom line

Healthcare digitization and automation is no longer a theoretical future but a current reality. With modern no-code solutions, like airSlate, delivering automation into the systems of medical organizations, fast, hassle-free, fully-automated, and HIPAA-compliant workflows can be created by healthcare workers in a matter of minutes.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 2, 2020 and was revamped and updated on April 28, 2022 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

The post How to make workflows in healthcare organizations more efficient appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Document Workflow Automation for Operations Managers

• Onboarding
• Business process automation
• Workflow optimization

Enroll now

Healthcare workflow automation: Patient-centered approach

Healthcare automation helps medical institutions, doctors, and healthcare staff deal with the redundant, bureaucratic processes they face on a daily basis. Find out how to streamline your healthcare workflows by eliminating paperwork and manual labor. Dedicate more time to patients instead of documents.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How automation enhances medical services while remaining HIPAA-compliant
• Tips for evaluating the workflow automation needs of your medical organization
• How to automate the most typical healthcare workflows with airSlate
  

The webinar’s agenda will cover the following aspects of healthcare automation:

1. Healthcare workflow automation: what it is
2. How to assess the workflow automation needs of your medical organization
3. How to maintain regulatory compliance and data security when automating healthcare workflows
4. Automated medical workflow in action — Live Demo 
5. Q&A session

Speakers

Colin Teubner

Director, Customer Solutions

LinkedIn

Christian Parkourana

Senior Solutions Architect

LinkedIn

The post Free webinar | Healthcare workflow automation: Patient-centered approach appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

At airSlate, we understand how important it is for healthcare organizations and businesses of all shapes and sizes to find working solutions for the new federal vaccination and testing guidelines.

In this blog, we’ll share the top 10 airSlate Flow Templates for vaccination status checks developed to help organizations confirm an employee’s vaccination status, collect test results, and screen for COVID-19 symptoms.

What is a vaccine mandate?

In a very general sense, a vaccine mandate is a rule that requires individuals to get vaccinated to be able to work, travel, and maintain social life. In case an individual chooses to opt-out of vaccination, businesses, schools, and other organizations can legally stop them from entering the premises or using specific services if they choose to.

Is it legal to ask for proof of vaccination?

The right of the government to impose vaccine mandates was established in 1905 when the Supreme Court ruled that Cambridge, Massachusetts, could require mandatory vaccinations against smallpox.

The President of the United States has the power to require organizations to maintain safe workplaces through vaccination backed by the government’s constitutional power to regulate commerce and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) authority to issue emergency standards.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now working to create a rule to enforce mandatory vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing for organizations with over 100 employees. OSHA will also enforce a rule that requires these organizations to provide a paid leave for the time it takes employees to get vaccinated and recover from any symptoms.

What are the penalties for vaccine mandate violation?

Employees who fail to comply with the new mandates could face a range of consequences, including termination. Companies could face a $13,600 penalty per violation of the OSHA rule, though the new rules could take some time to implement and enforce.

Who will the COVID-19 Plan apply to:

• Organizations with 100 or more staff will be required to have their employees either fully vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. The latter will mainly concern workers citing religious or health reasons for not getting vaccinated. 
• Employees that work for the federal government or healthcare organizations, and/or are federal contractors. 
• The Department of Health and Human Services will require vaccinations in Head Start Programs as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Indian Education. 
• Healthcare workers that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, including hospitals and home health agencies.
• Individuals applying to become lawful permanent U.S. residents must be fully vaccinated, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

How employers can make the process of vaccination status verification smooth and compliant

At the moment, employers are considering possible tools and workflows to determine the status of an employee’s vaccination in a way that complies with their state’s laws and adheres to HIPAA regulatory standards. It is crucial to make the vaccination status verification process as smooth, convenient, legally compliant, and error-free as possible. And this is exactly what airSlate Flow Templates for COVID does.

Here’s why employers use airSlate for their vaccination and testing needs:

• All-in-one platform: Confirm vaccination status, collect vaccination consent, eSign pre-vaccination checklists, and check COVID-19 test results within a single platform.
• Quick setup: airSlate’s ready-made Flow Templates for vaccination checks are extremely easy to set up — just install and configure no-code Bots to start collecting the information you need right away.
• Industry-leading compliance: airSlate’s COVID workflows are HIPAA compliant, so you can rest assured your employees’ medical records are safe.

Top 10 airSlate Flow Templates for vaccination status checks

1. Employee Vaccination Status Flow Template

In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak at the workplace, employers that track the status of employee vaccinations will be able to identify and isolate employees that either haven’t been vaccinated or are at a higher risk of contracting the virus. The Employee Vaccination Status Flow Template allows employers to collect information about an employee’s vaccination status (fully, partially, or not vaccinated), vaccine name and manufacturer, inoculation dates, and more.

2. Request to Visit Office During COVID-19 Flow Template

Providing a safe workplace and promoting business continuity is crucial during a pandemic. By using the Request to Visit Office During COVID-19 Flow Template, employers can mitigate the risks of virus transmission within the workplace. With this flow template, you can track the number of employees visiting the office within a specific period of time, as well as screen employees for COVID-19 symptoms.

3. COVID-19 Questionnaire Flow Template

Conducting a simple screening questionnaire can help employers prevent the spread of COVID-19. The COVID-19 Questionnaire Flow Template contains a number of questions that allow for assessing the risks of COVID-19 transmission from employees that traveled abroad or had close contact with or cared for someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 30 days.

4. Vaccine Administration Record for Adults Flow Template

When it comes to routine vaccinations, keeping medical records in one place becomes a necessity. The Vaccine Administration Record for Adults Flow Template can help medical organizations administer and track routine and COVID-19 vaccinations. On the other hand, individuals can use these medical records to present proof of vaccination upon request by their employers.

5. COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Record Flow Template

Employers can take a set of actions in support of the COVID-19-vaccine adoption among employees. Using the COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Record Flow Template can help administer vaccines to unvaccinated employees, discover health limitations via the medical history questionnaire, and collect vaccination consent via the COVID-19 vaccine consent form.

6. Pre-vaccination Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccines Flow Template

Employers that mandate employees to get vaccinated will likely partner with a healthcare provider or other authorized entity to administer the vaccine. However, they may still be concerned about the potential legal liability in the event an employee has an allergic reaction. The Pre-vaccination Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccines Flow Template allows employers to determine if there is any reason an employee should not get the COVID-19 vaccine due to health issues.

7. Consent for COVID-19 Vaccination Flow Template

The Consent for COVID-19 Vaccination Flow Template is a detailed questionnaire that can be used by employers, vaccine providers, and healthcare organizations that administer a COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccination consent. The form contains detailed instructions for vaccinated individuals on how to behave in case of side effects after the vaccination.

8. COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Flow Template

The COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Flow Template is an alternative form that can be used by employers to collect vaccination consent from employees in the workplace. Using this flow template, employers can screen their employees for vaccination eligibility, as well as manage any liability issues.

9. Notification of Vaccination Letter Flow Template

The Notification of Vaccination Letter Flow Template can be used by vaccine providers to inform a patient’s primary care facility of the vaccine(s) administered. This flow template can also serve as proof of vaccination to provide to employers upon request.

10. COVID-19 Self-Reporting Flow Template

The COVID-19 Self-Reporting Flow Template is a short form for self-check that can be used by employees to assess the current state of their health and as a reason to work remotely or take a leave of absence to their employer.

Get prepared for new federal vaccination and testing guidelines with airSlate

Businesses and healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes will need to prepare their policies to confront the newest COVID-19 surge driven by the spread of the delta variant. Adopting workflow automation in healthcare and airSlate Flow Templates for COVID-19 may help in finding working solutions for the new federal vaccination and testing guidelines.

The post COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Top 10 airSlate workflows for vaccination status check for businesses appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Speed and precision have always been of high importance in the medical industry but the COVID-19 pandemic made maintaining document accuracy and processing speed a challenge for the entire healthcare system given the excess volumes of patient documents. On top of that, medical records contain the most sensitive and confidential information, such as medical history or treatment information that requires a high level of protection.

In a situation like this, healthcare organizations seek a HIPAA-compliant workflow automation solution capable of eliminating redundant document processes, while keeping the patient data secure.

The latest COVID-19 Action Plan introduced to contain the spread of the pandemic has put forth the requirements for companies to get their employees vaccinated while also deploying more testing, masking, and other safety measures. Make sure to check Top 10 airSlate Flow Templates for vaccination status check for businesses to access working solutions for the new federal vaccination and testing guidelines.

In this blog on healthcare automation, we’ll dive into the ready-made Healthcare Flow Templates airSlate has to offer, how to implement them, and the benefits they introduce to your medical institution and patients.

What is workflow automation in healthcare?

Medical organizations often have to deal with piles of documents, especially during the patient intake process. People need to get their vaccine or other treatments as soon as possible, while doctors want to minimize paperwork and focus on patients.

In a situation like this, medical institutions are striving to manage patient data transfers and keep medical records in order. Automation in medicine addresses all of these challenges in one stroke and a lot of medical institutions have already experienced these benefits in practice.

How does automation help healthcare services?

According to Statista, the adoption of AI and automation in healthcare has significantly increased within the past couple of years.

The survey results showed that in 2020:

• 90% of large medical organizations had an automation strategy in place, which is a 53% increase compared to 2019
• 66% of respondents were familiar with robotic process automation used in the healthcare industry, which also shows a 50% annual increase compared to 2019.

It’s worth noting that automation in healthcare is equally beneficial for the medical industry and patients. Take a look at the list of key benefits that healthcare automation solutions offer their users:

• Streamlined data collection and transfers

As already mentioned, collecting patient data is task number one for any medical establishment. Manual data input and transfers often result in certain inaccuracies and typos along with serious errors. Workflow automation in hospitals and healthcare establishments not only eliminates these issues but also significantly reduces the time required to complete these processes.

• Faster invoicing

With a workflow automation solution, payment documentation is processed much faster. Due to integrations with external systems (e.g., databases, CRMs) all the necessary patient data gets automatically incorporated into an invoice, payment form, etc., the document is instantly redirected to the respective signers, and the job is done!

• Better care for patients

When all the repetitive manual tasks are delegated to a healthcare process automation tool, doctors, administrators, and other medical workers can devote more time and attention to their clients, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction.

• Improved customer experience

Today, most people use their mobile phones whenever possible. Modern workflow automation solutions allow them to fill out registration forms, doctor appointment forms, and other documents right from their mobile device even on the go.

• Enhanced communication

Healthcare automation solutions enable medical institutions to set up notifications and reminders for their clients. Thus, patients won’t forget about their doctor’s appointments. They can also easily inform the healthcare establishment of appointment cancellation.

• More accurate diagnoses and treatment

Except for inconveniences and stress caused by human errors, data inaccuracies in medical records can result in faulty diagnoses and, consequently, improper treatment. Workflow automation in healthcare helps avoid such troublesome situations and might even save someone’s life.

• Reduced expenses and positive environmental impact

The last one among the key benefits of automation in healthcare is related to finances. Costs for printing equipment, paper, ink, and other resources required for manual paper workflows can add up fast. Besides, additional expenses can include a courier (if you need to get the patient’s legally binding signature on a paper document), a legal counsel (to ensure the legal compliance of documents), and so on. An all-in-one workflow automation solution provides your healthcare organization with all the necessary tools for timely document delivery, signing, and guaranteed HIPAA compliance.

How to assess the workflow automation needs of your healthcare organization

To make new technology implementation effective and efficient, it is first necessary to analyze and assess which processes of your healthcare institution suffer the most without automation. 

Here are the most useful questions to help you identify these bottlenecks.

Which hospital workflow processes consume an unusual amount of time?

Time expenditure is one of the main factors negatively affecting productivity. Certain processes are so complex that they cannot be completed quickly while others take a lot of time just because they are carried out manually. In the latter case, hospital automation is the cure.

Imagine COVID-19 vaccination, the most common medical procedure nowadays. The number of people waiting in line can be huge, thus the process should be as fast as possible. Yet, when conducted manually, the workflow requires the same data to be entered and transferred multiple times: by a patient, a healthcare establishment administrator, and a doctor. Automation of healthcare processes reduces this chain to one-time data input by automatically moving it to other databases and systems of record.

Which processes should be done first?

It’s not only the amount of time invested that workflow automation helps reduce. Proper healthcare automation solutions help prioritize tasks to ensure the most important processes are completed first.

For example, when creating a visual representation of your workflow with the drag-and-drop interface, you can make things first (in the literal sense).

Other than prioritizing, hospital automation technology solutions that provide workflow visualization enable users to clearly imagine the entire process from start to finish, its participants (patients, administrators, doctors, etc.), and the tasks that each of them should complete.

Once you have identified the key inefficiencies and priorities at your healthcare organization, the next step is to select a healthcare automation software. We’ve compiled a list of software characteristics for you to pay attention to when choosing the right solution.

• Smooth learning curve

As a rule, healthcare workers aren’t so familiar with IT or programming. That’s why it’s much more appropriate to select a no-code solution as it doesn’t require any skills in coding yet allows for creating automated medical workflows quickly and hassle-free.

• Support for integrations

The key bottlenecks you’ve identified should help determine the functions required to address the issues. Check the software functionality to ensure it contains all the necessary tools your healthcare organization needs. For example, you need to connect your patient database with a number of external systems (CRMs, cloud storage, etc.). In this case, the hospital automation solution must support integrations exactly with those systems you are working with.

• Reduced operational expenses

The main point here is not the price tag of the hospital automation technology solution but the money it saves at the end of the day. The initial price might not be cheap but eventually, you can save two or three times more money by reducing working hours and enhancing efficiency. Besides, fast and smooth medical workflows contribute to the level of customer satisfaction, which results in financial benefits in the long run.

HIPAA compliant healthcare automation

Medical records contain the most sensitive and confidential information, e.g. medical history or treatment information (you will find more examples of which items are considered PHI later in this blog). Consequently, an automation solution used by medical facilities should comply with certain health legislation.

Let’s take a closer look at what HIPAA stands for and its main requirements in a nutshell.

HIPAA is an abbreviation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 which establishes the requirements for operating digital health care records and transactions.

The objective of HIPAA protection is PHI or Protected Health Information. It includes standard demographic information, details on medical insurance, data concerning diseases and their treatment, lab results, etc.

Any healthcare institution adopting new software should build user trust by becoming HIPAA and PHI compliant.

Understanding the key concepts for the HIPAA process is essential as they are directly linked to authorized access to data.

Both individuals and organizations required to comply with HIPAA are usually referred to as HIPAA-covered entities.

HIPAA-covered entities include health plans, clearinghouses, and certain health care providers.

So, what does it mean to be HIPAA compliant?

HIPAA compliance falls into three categories:

1. Physical compliance – The physical aspect of HIPAA compliance usually concerns common-sense rules of security, like locking a laptop with medical records at a reception desk, limiting direct access to printers, fax machines, and other data-bearing equipment.
2. Administrative compliance — This category includes training for all staff members and their subsequent compliant behavior in the office.
3. Digital compliance – Digital compliance under HIPAA starts once the BAA is signed (between the software provider and the medical organization). Digital HIPAA compliance adds an extra layer of encryption to all documents processed and stored online.

Is it safe to use airSlate for medical records?

Let’s take a look at one of the healthcare automation examples. airSlate, the workflow automation solution, ensures HIPAA compliance for its customers in the following way:

Once a medical organization decides to apply for HIPAA compliance, its representative should contact airSlate support as HIPAA compliance settings are switched on manually.

On the practical side of what the user will notice as changed (since you can’t really see changes in the encryption method) is that once HIPAA compliance has been activated, emailing e-signed documents to signers will be switched off. This additional measure guarantees extra security in cases when access to an email account could be compromised or when the same email is used by several signers (which happens in many households).

It is important to remember that airSlate cannot access protected health information, but may store this information on its servers and send it using certified encryption protocols (AES-256 bit encryption).

One of the most important elements of digital compliance under HIPAA is the Audit trail.

By definition, an Audit trail refers to records being secure, computer-generated, and time-stamped, to independently record the date and time of the operator entries and actions that create, modify, or delete electronic records.

In airSlate, the Audit trail displays every action performed in a Workspace.

• It ensures that the progress of all the processes within your organization are well documented, traceable to a specific creator, and have a linked audit history. The audit history is automatically generated and cannot be modified.
• You can also select a period of time in the calendar and download an Audit trail for that period in .csv or .pdf format.

3 airSlate workflows for healthcare automation

Now let’s see how airSlate helps enhance hospital workflow processes in practice. We’ve compiled the top 3 most popular clinical workflows in healthcare organizations that your medical establishment will definitely benefit from.

Get familiar with the full list of templates dedicated to hospital workflows in the airSlate library under the Healthcare category.

1. Patient Intake Flow Template

Before proceeding with treatment, any new patient should undergo the registration process. airSlate helps overcome all the bottlenecks presented in the comparative diagram above within a few simple steps:

1. Get registered with airSlate and create your Workspace.

2. Select the Flow library within your Workspace, enter the hospital workflow keywords in the search field, select the flow template, and click Import.

3. Edit the default form or add more documents, if needed.

4. Visualize the process by adding workflow Steps and assigning access permissions to them.

5. Install and configure airSlate Bots to automatically transfer data, send notifications, archive completed documents, and more. The Bots are no-code so their configuration doesn’t require any technical skills.

That’s it! Just click the Send button and share your flow template with the specified recipients or create a sharable link for them to access.

2. Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template

Once a patient recovers, they need to be discharged from the medical facility. This is where the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template comes in handy.

The one is very similar to that of the previous flow template. The only differences include the following:

• the document to be used (you can add any document to the hospital workflow but the default one in this flow template is a Hospital Discharge Form):

• The workflow Steps and access permissions you assign (you can add the Steps you need and assign documents to them; the most typical Steps for this flow template are Patient, Doctor, and Administrator):

• The Bots to add (this flow template has only one Email on Documents Completion Bot added by default, you can choose to add more Bots if needed):

Upon configuring the Bots, you can share the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template just like the Patient Intake Flow Template.

3. COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template

COVID-19 has been the biggest buzz topic for almost two years and doesn’t seem to be fading away. That’s why coronavirus-connected hospital workflows are among the most popular. With airSlate, workflows such as the COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template can be automated within minutes. The process is similar to that of the previous two examples with several minor differences:

• the document to be used (you can add any document to the hospital workflow but the default one in this flow template is a COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form):

• the workflow Steps and access permissions you assign (you can add the Steps you need and assign documents to them; this flow template doesn’t contain any default Steps)
• The Bots to add (this flow template has only one Email on Documents Completion Bot added by default, you can choose to add more Bots if needed):

Upon configuring the Bots, you can share the COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template just like the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template or the Patient Intake Flow Template.

The bottom line

The name Healthcare industry speaks for itself — it takes care of health, not paperwork or bureaucracy. Workflow automation in medicine takes on all the red-tape stuff which allows your medical organization to focus on patients instead of documents, and increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Stay tuned! Our upcoming posts will provide you with more information on the most popular workflows that other industries automate.

It’s worth mentioning that we recently posted a blog on automation in higher education with examples of workflows that can be used right away.

The post Healthcare automation: 3 airSlate workflows for hospitals and medical institutions appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Our mission at airSlate is to help make people’s lives easier and more successful by making their businesses run better, faster, and more efficiently. We believe in giving everyone the opportunity and power to focus on what they love to do — bringing teams, partners, and customers together in the process. All of that is hardly possible though without constantly improving skills and gaining new practical knowledge. That’s exactly why we created the airSlate Academy.

Document Workflow Automation for Operations Managers

• Onboarding
• Business process automation
• Workflow optimization

Enroll now

In regards to the pandemic, the airSlate Academy has become a safeguard and learning platform for everyone transitioning to remote work. Today, we provide free courses and online certification for more than 2,500 users.

For those of you who want to know more, and for those who still aren’t sure if they really need to enroll, we’ve gathered 6 new business automation courses from the airSlate Academy that we want to show you.

We know that with the airSlate Academy and our new business automation courses, you’ll get ‘real knowledge,’ that’ll help you master your skills, grow your business, and change your career! It’s definitely the right time to start learning new skills. Become a Slater and benefit from the best online courses for business automation.

The post 6 new business automation courses you should check out appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Today we’re going behind the scenes at your friendly neighborhood healthcare clinic to take a closer look at the lifecycle of a healthcare form. I’m so excited to show you how signNow can improve the healthcare experience, save time, and increase patient satisfaction.

Think about it:

We all know healthcare management can be complex. Days are filled with the constant shift between patient forms, physician credentialing, and meeting compliance regulations – all while being expected to provide exceptional patient care.

Wouldn’t you rather focus on patient care instead of paperwork?

signNow empowers you to simplify the signing and management of documents online, make your teams more productive, easily integrate with the apps you use and love, and keep your data safe with industry-leading security and compliance standards.

It’s true.

Let’s take your typical patient healthcare form – you know, the one you fill out on every trip to the doctor’s office where you write your name and address five times? Yes, that’s the one.

Now, imagine this:

What if you didn’t have to arrive at your appointment early, get the clipboard from the front desk, fill out the multi-paged form, and then wait while they scan and upload your paperwork and make a copy of your insurance card (again)? What if you could quickly and easily fill out a form online and automatically send it back to your doctor’s office in minutes (all from the comfort of your home, car, or office)?

And if that sounds good, we’re just getting started.

How does it work in signNow?

Now, whenever a patient arrives for their appointment, no more paperwork is necessary, which saves time and paper (and a whole lot of hassle).

By streamlining the registration process and maximizing staff efficiency by seamlessly capturing and managing patient data electronically, patient waiting times are significantly reduced. In fact, organizations are reporting an average savings of 40 hours per month by handling their signature workflows electronically and removing the need to print, scan, email, or fax.

But wait – What if you have a document that requires multiple signing roles, like physician credentialing?

Let’s say Doctor Lerner is applying to practice at a hospital downtown. She’ll complete an application, fill out a background check, and then a credentialing specialist will verify her professional records. Once Doctor Lerner completes her application, that document will be automatically sent to HR for signing off while her background check is automatically sent to the state’s department of health. The forms verifying her professional records will be sent to the administration board for approval.

Here’s more good news

Otis and Doctor Lerner (and their patients) can be confident that signNow protects the security of their sensitive medical data with HIPAA compliance, dual authentication, and government agency level encryption.

By now, I think we can all see how signNow helps healthcare providers easily send, sign, and store documents containing sensitive medical information safely and securely, which saves time, resources, and creates an all-around better experience for patients.

And here’s what I love most –  With signNow, you can focus on patient care, not paperwork.

How can I help get your #ProblemSolvedwithsignNow?!

The post How eSignatures and digital healthcare processes make patients happier and improve medical clinic efficiency appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 has disrupted daily life for people around the world. And the great state of Nevada is no exception. When faced with the challenge of having to get declarations of self-quarantine signed by those with confirmed cases of COVID-19, signNow was the solution of choice.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Jason Frame, Chief Information Officer of the Southern Nevada Health District, to learn more about their experience with signNow’s e-signature and document storage automation.

Let’s hear how the Southern Nevada Health District got their #ProblemSolvedWithSignNow!

When we first heard of this undertaking, we had no idea how we were going to accomplish this while keeping everyone safe. Just thinking about getting out there and trying to get people to sign these declarations one at a time and then having them send the forms back to us was overwhelming.

We had never used an electronic signature solution before as a district, so I started looking for an option for how we could get these signatures remotely. I contacted a few different providers to discuss options, but my top priority was that we ensure HIPAA compliance. Many of the other vendors either couldn’t provide that compliance and the ones who could were very expensive.

It was seamless and intuitive for all of our employees to adopt quickly. In less than 20 minutes we were able to add our users, set up our form with the fillable data fields, save and share it as a reusable template, and get all of our questions answered.

Our employees have been really happy because signNow helped them stay on top of this unexpected crisis with an easy-to-use interface, allowing them to continue to focus on their daily work. Better yet, it’s hands-off for them. We send out the link, the patient fills out the form, then it comes into signNow and is automatically downloaded into our Microsoft OneDrive.

Our team doesn’t have to do anything to get the document back or track down signatures. They love that it’s a seamless solution and they don’t have to put themselves at risk to obtain a signature.

And I like the integration with OneDrive, which makes it nice and easy for us to get data back. I’m able to go into signNow and quickly see how many signatures we have by month, share those stats with our leadership team, and even pass them along to the governor. We can even share stats by the week or by the day if we need to, which is great.

This is a brand-new thing for us, so it’s hard to say exactly how much time it has saved us. I was just in our signNow account earlier today to check some numbers. In March, we had 230+ forms that were signed, for the month of April, we had 918 forms signed, and so far in May, we’ve had about 360. That’s a lot of signatures and forms coming back to us without having to manually go out to get them or track them down.

I look at the amount of time signNow has saved us, and even though it’s hard to measure, I know it’s up in the hundreds of hours!

After we saw how well signNow worked and how easy the solution was to use, we began expanding our use with it to our contract team. We see the value in signNow, and in the future, we will be looking to add more departments.

I like the fact you have the API, which helps us to easily collect data and get forms back automatically. There’s a lot of workflows we can automate which removes the mundane or repetitive steps that employees have to deal with. Our team really loves this ability to let technology do the work for them.

I’m excited about being able to bring us a few more steps into the future by digitally transforming our processes. We’re very appreciative of all the work signNow has done for us.

Well, there you have it, friends. This is why I love my job. At signNow, we are always excited to see how e-signatures and document automation can make people’s lives easier and happier.

Now, let’s get your #ProblemSolvedWithSignNow … contact us today at partners@airslate.com!

The post Interview with Jason Frame with the Southern Nevada Health District appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

However, automation in healthcare is not only about streamlining tedious and routine tasks. In many cases, it becomes doctors’ ultimate helping hand in managing documentation and communication remotely and in a very quick way, especially when there is no time to wait. Today, during a pandemic like COVID-19, this has become clearer than ever.

But still, even during pandemics, it’s also important to stay compliant with necessary data regulations. To prevent getting distracted from primary tasks, healthcare specialists tend to find HIPAA compliant workflow automation platforms vital for streamlining operations and securing medical information at the same time.

In this blog, we’ll help you understand how to create HIPAA compliant workflows and use them in the most efficient ways: at work, on the go, at home.

HIPAA compliance and what it means

HIPAA compliance is corresponding to the elements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. I.e., companies that deal with protected health information (PHI) must have a physical, network, and process security measures in-house and follow them strictly.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) is a series of standards that regulate the use and disclosure of protected health information.

What is Protected Health Information?

Protected health information (PHI) is demographic information that identifies a patient or client of a medical organization, a healthcare provider, health issuer, i.e., by a HIPAA-covered entity and/or their business associate(s).

PHI includes past, current and even future health information about medical conditions or the physical and mental health of a patient. Health information may be presented in any form, as physical records, electronic records, or as spoken information.

Protected health information includes health records, health histories, lab test results, medical bills as well as demographic information such as patients’ names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, medical records, financial information, photos of the face, etc.

The 18 identifiers that fall under PHI:

• Names
• Dates (except year)
• Telephone numbers
• Geographic data
• FAX numbers
• Social Security numbers
• Email addresses
• Medical record numbers
• Account numbers
• Health plan beneficiary numbers
• Certificate/license numbers
• Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers including license plates
• Web URLs
• Device identifiers and serial numbers
• Internet protocol addresses
• Full face photos and comparable images
• Biometric identifiers (i.e., retinal scan, fingerprints)
• Any unique identifying number or code

Note that all PHI that can be transmitted, stored, or accessed electronically is under HIPAA regulatory standards. When PHI is digital, it’s known as electronic protected health information, or ePHI. ePHI is regulated by the HIPAA Security Rule, which was an addition to the HIPAA regulation. We’ll discuss that a little bit later.

One or more of these points make health information fall under PHI and PHI HIPAA Privacy Rule restrictions. That means, as an example, your healthcare provider cannot disclose any of the above information to third-parties.

HIPAA covered entities and their business associates will also need to implement appropriate technical, physical, and administrative safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI, as stipulated in the HIPAA Security Rule.

This is not a time to be taking risks

Protect health information with HIPAA compliant workflows

Try airSlate

What health information is not considered PHI?

The first exception depends on who (or what) records the information. An example would be health trackers (devices worn on the body or apps on mobile devices). They can record heart rate and blood pressure, which should be considered PHI under HIPAA Rules. However, HIPAA applies only to HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates. That means that if a HIPAA-covered entity has not contracted the device manufacturer (or app developer), the recorded data would not be considered PHI.

The same goes for education and employment records. A healthcare institution may keep data on its employees, including their health information. However, HIPAA doesn’t apply to employment and educational records.

What are the main HIPAA Rules?

Many different HIPAA rules finally made up the HIPAA regulation.

• The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets the standards for patients’ rights to PHI. Note that the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies only to covered entities and not to business associates. Some of the standards of this rule include: patients’ rights to access PHI, healthcare providers’ rights to deny access to PHI, the contents of Use and Disclosure forms and Notices of Privacy Practices, etc. Each standard should be documented in the organization’s HIPAA Policies and Procedures statement. An organization’s employees should be trained on these standards annually. Click to learn more about the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
  
• The HIPAA Security Rule sets standards for the secure maintenance, transmission and handling of ePHI. The security rule applies to both covered entities and business associates. Details of the regulations should be documented in the organization’s HIPAA Policies and Procedures statement. And just like the previous rule, employees have to be trained to make sure all of the guidelines are being followed.
  
• The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule sets the standards for what covered entities and business associates should do in the case of a data breach where PHI or ePHI is concerned. Medical organizations are required to report on both forms of breaches (Minor Breaches and Meaningful Breaches).
  
• The HIPAA Omnibus Rule set the most significant changes to the standards in 2013. Both the HIPAA Privacy and Security rules were affected. The new regulation strengthened the ability of the Office for Civil Rights to enforce the rules and to levy fines if they were not followed. The HIPAA Omnibus Rule says that business associates have to stay HIPAA compliant. It also outlines the processes of Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). These are the contracts executed between a business associate and a covered entity (or between two business associates) before PHI or ePHI is transferred or shared.

A typical HIPAA compliant workflow

To help minimize security risks and ensure successful doctor-patient relationships, consider keeping the following measures in mind:

1. Self-audits: are required for covered entities and business associates. Doing annual audits makes it possible to assess administrative, technical, and physical gaps pertaining to HIPAA Privacy and Security standards.

2. Remediation plans: should be prepared in case a gap in compliance is found. They’re for assuring that an organization can fix issues to avoid compliance violations. Plans and dates have to be set for fixing the gaps (make sure to document your remediation).

3. Policies, procedures, and employee training: should be developed to make sure they correspond to the HIPAA standards. Regularly update them to keep up with the changes in the organization and provide annual training courses for staff members.

4. Efforts for HIPAA compliance: should be documented to help an organization avoid fines. It is critical during HIPAA investigations that an organization can provide proof of its efforts to stay or become HIPAA compliant to pass strict HIPAA audits.

5. Business Associates: are all the vendors with whom you share Protected health information. It’s necessary to manage these relationships and execute the proper Business Associate Agreements. Doing that ensures that PHI is securely handled. Review Business Associate Agreements annually to keep up with the organizational links and changes with vendors.

6. Incidents: need to be documented and adequately kept in cases where a covered entity or business associate has a data breach. All patients and clients have to be notified about breaches.

What are the most common HIPAA violations?

Here are some of the most common causes of HIPAA violations and fines:

• A stolen laptop, phone or USB device
• Sending PHI to the wrong patient/contact
• Malware incident
• Ransomware attack
• Hacking
• Business associate breach
• Office break-in
• Discussing PHI outside of the office
• Social media posts

Why healthcare workflows should be automated

Now that we’ve reviewed important points about HIPAA compliance, let’s figure out how to manage healthcare processes and streamline them while keeping up with security regulations.

About 50% of a healthcare institution’s budget is wasted because of inefficient processes. The financial benefits of implementing optimized workflow processes in healthcare across the US have been between $37M and $59M in a period of five years.

1. One of the most inefficient processes is a poorly-managed patient flow. A smooth patient flow prevents overcrowding, delays in care deliveries, etc. Reality shows that hospitals, in particular emergency departments, are overcrowded and characterized by lengthy wait times. This process is closely connected with one of the most time-consuming workflows in healthcare, collecting approvals. Every document containing PHI needs to be signed off by a doctor or several doctors, administrators, etc. You never know how much time it can take. Doctors focus more on primary tasks that are curing patients and saving lives and usually forget about the paperwork. At the same time, without this particular documentation, other doctors can’t start healing a patient and so on.

   That is where bot automation comes to the rescue. With an automated workflow, a physician, patient, administrator, etc., can exchange and sign the necessary documents in real-time and without need for physically finding this person. Automation bots will notify the necessary party to sign the document, review, or fill it out. It all depends on the conditions you set.

   
   

2. A costly HIPAA violation is sending PHI to the wrong patient/contact. The penalty for this violation can cost your organization up to $50,000. The general atmosphere of clinics and hospitals isn’t one of pleasant or calm attitudes towards document related issues. And ensuring that particular information is entered and approved by the correct individuals takes time, involves chasing people down, leads to approving documents without looking and thinking, skipping steps in a process, and even more.

   Developing an automated workflow in healthcare allows for data to be automatically transferred to the patient/client, and back. This eliminates the need of having to routinely enter the same details over and over again. For example, such business automation platforms like airSlate enable data and document exchange from any data system, i.e., CRM, ERP, Cloud Storage, SQL database, or a .csv table. Data and document exchanges are carried out via airSlate’s Bots. Simply put, you set particular conditions — and Bots fulfill them. More than 82% of healthcare professionals claim that electronic prescriptions save time and minimize the amount of human interaction required to complete their processes.

   
   

3. As one more example we’ll list burnout. Today, during the coronavirus pandemic, we can understand it better than ever before.

   And even during periods of mild health issues, no pandemics or abnormal situations like war or natural disasters, 50% of physicians suffer from burnout. The most common reasons for that are the loads of non-clinical tasks such as reporting, billing, and managing documentation.

   Organizations that use business automation platforms are able to fully audit patient records in 1.4 hours compared to 3.9 hours with paper auditing systems.

   
   

4. Automated healthcare workflows also significantly minimize the risk to personnel, who otherwise would be subjected to very close proximity to unwell people. Of course, this is a doctors’ reality, and it’s not possible to avoid patients completely. However, today it’s critically important to try as much as possible to preserve the energy and health of our doctors. With automated workflows there’s no need to re-meet with patients to clarify details or sign documents. You can send, sign, and access any necessary administrative data and documentation from any device, even while working from home.

How to create HIPAA compliant workflows

First of all, the business automation platform you use should be 100% HIPAA compliant. You’ll find all the information you need on the security page.

Platforms like airSlate make the transferring of confidential patient documents between designated authorities and systems of records possible without human interaction. You can choose what information on documents will be visible or obscured for specific recipient roles.

Key points: creating HIPAA compliant workflows

To help minimize security risks and ensure successful doctor-patient relationships, consider keeping the following measures in mind:

1. Conduct self-audits

2. Prepare remediation plans

3. Develop policies, procedures and employee training

4. Document all the efforts

5. Keep track of Business Associate Management and Incident Management

6. Automate healthcare processes

7. Check if your workflow automation solution is HIPAA compliant

8. Save your time and efforts for primary tasks

The post How to create and automate HIPAA compliant workflows for efficient healthcare processes appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.