10 Benefits of Hospitals implementing RPA in healthcare RCM

Robotic process automation (RPA) implementation is actively pursued by more and more health systems and hospitals throughout the year. However, not analyzing the benefits of  RPA would be a leap of faith. We would like to provide you with the top 10 benefits of implementing RPA in your hospital RCM processes.

Robotic process automation (RPA) when implemented in healthcare RCM processes will give your hospital a supreme edge in operations, why you ask? Because RPA bots don’t get sick and do not take a vacation. Their objective is to continuously perform the tasks programmed into them until completion. Viewing from the RPA bot’s perspective the more tasks assigned the more efficient it gets over time as adaptable rule engines in these bots will learn changing RCM workflows and process methodologies. So implementing RPA bots to your RCM process gives you uninterrupted 24/7 365 days of operations regardless of whether oversight of human staff is present or not. This is considered to be one of the diamond benefits of implementing RPA in RCM operations. 

Cost-cutting is done almost every day in the RCM department. Robotic process automation (RPA) implementation reduces 40% of the operating cost as most data processes are manual and need more human resources to accomplish. It is a well-known fact that most data capturing and recording tasks are considered to be the most error-prone processes and on an average $2000.00 has been spent every week correcting incorrect patient data and resubmitting the claims to the health plan. RPA bots rule engines are based on accurate verification and capturing of data and eliminate most of the incorrect patient data errors and create an opportunity for your practice to generate top first pass and clean claim ratios in the industry.

Time-saving is one of the significant benefits of implementing RPA in your hospital RCM. Many RCM processes are manual and need human staff to spend lots of time consolidating, analyzing, assigning, auditing, and filing the patient data in hand. Applications and other paperwork take almost 8-10 hours to complete for 20-40 patient volumes received per day. Rushing these processes always ends up in error or bad quality. So implementing RPA for these manual processes reduces time as RPA bots reduce time taking only 2-4 hours at the least to complete RCM tasks for daily patient volumes. 

When compared to human staff and RPA bots, productivity is a mile away. RPA bots are faster and more capable of performing repetitive data entry processes in a matter of minutes. Robotic process automation implementation in these manual repetitive and tedious tasks can eliminate human staff burnout and increase productivity x5 times that of human resources, because RPA bots don’t get tired they prolong productivity even after human staff work hours end.

RCM tasks have industry-standard quality measures, and hospitals that are below these benchmarks are considered to be in danger of losing revenue over time. Implementing RPA bots for these RCM processes will increase quality significantly and reach industry-standard benchmarks and allow your hospital to obtain awards such as HFMA MAP. 

Hospitals’ RCM processes include various platforms, EHRs, EMRs, payer portals, clearing houses, etc. The human staff takes up most of the time navigating through these various platforms and software to accomplish one particular RCM task. RPA bots on the other hand are quick at navigating through these sites and can accomplish this process without lack of confusion and obtain, enter, and analyze crystal clear data with utmost precision. 

Human RCM department staff are not as flexible when moved to other processes in RCM as they are majorly into the comfort zone; the particular RCM process gives them. If you want to move this human resource to another RCM process, they might take time to adapt. RPA workforce on the other hand is scalable from huge to small depending upon the current RCM process workflow in your hospital. RPA bots can be programmed and added to various RCM processes which take less time than human flexibility and adaptability at any time of the year.

Let’s take a scenario where there is a natural disaster, epidemic, or other human harmful conditions in the country and your hospital is still treating patients due to one of these cases, and your in-house RCM staff are asked to stay home. RPA bots will come to the rescue as long as they have a computer to navigate in creating sustainable and continuous RCM operations even in the absence of human staff.

RCM processes include patient communications through registration, scheduling, and patient access. These processes are vital for hospitals to generate revenue. Manual registration, scheduling, and patient access through phone calls can be frustrating to patients as they wait on long hold times and even longer wait days for the appointment to be scheduled. Implementing RPA will benefit patients a lot as RPA bots will guide them through these processes in a patient-friendly manner and with lesser complications. This implementation will eventually increase patient volume for your hospital. 

Last but not the least, compliance and regulatory issues are always present in all hospitals and human staff are trying to eliminate these problems by using robotic process automation. RPA bots are not only programmed to follow all state and federal compliance and regulatory guidelines but also will monitor human resource compliance activities as well. Keeping 100% data security and preventing audits and huge fines for not abiding by compliance and regulations. 

We hope that you were able to prepare yourself to implement RPA in your hospital and have obtained additional knowledge about the benefits of implementing RPA. To learn more about the technical aspects of implementing RPA talk to our certified RPA programmers. Schedule a call now!