MIT Principal Research Scientist, George Westerman, states “digital transformation marks a radical rethinking of how an organization uses technology, people, and processes to fundamentally change business performance.” During a presentation for HIMSS20 Digital, Cheryl Rodenfels, CTO of Americas Healthcare at Nutanix, explained the main drivers for digital transformation in healthcare.
- Rising Consumer Expectations
- Increased Competition
- The Race to Innovate
- New Nature of Risk
- Improve Operational Efficiencies
- Improve Operational Resilience
Steve Horvath, Chief Architect of Service Management Solutions at CDW Healthcare explains in a virtual presentation for HIMSS20 the importance of people, processes, and technology working together during the journey of digitally transforming an organization. “You just can’t have a business without technology anymore,” Horvath stated.
While technology supports all these drivers for the digital transformation of healthcare organizations, it has the biggest impact on one specific area – the need to improve operational efficiencies. Automating manual processes as well as going digital to eliminate paper processes have their advantages in the healthcare industry.
Process Automation
Healthcare organizations often upgrade processes to keep up with the everchanging industry standards. One process that improves efficiency when automated is the handling of claims. Automating aspects of claim processing allow for an increase in the number of claims processed within a given time. The reduction of manual intervention when it comes to automated claim processes decreases the chance of error, thus allowing for quicker and more accurate reimbursements.
Process Digitization
Process digitization within the healthcare industry has similar benefits to automation. For example, the conversion of paper Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) to electronic files requires less manual intervention, saving your healthcare organization time and money with decreased chances for error as well as a lessened overhead cost. Converting EOBs to an electronic format also reduces the time it takes for payments to be posted.
Healthtek offers the tools to improve operational efficiency within healthcare organizations, resulting in lower operational costs and quicker reimbursements. You can request a demonstration of these tools here.
