How to Streamline Patient On-Boarding Process with Automation

Automation continues to play an increasing role in the healthcare industry in improving patient onboarding processes. According to one survey, 88% of healthcare leaders in the United States consider automation vital to managing labor shortages.

Moreover, the healthcare automation market is expected to rise to $110.47 billion by 2034, demonstrating the rapid movement toward digital technologies. Advanced technologies help take the workload off healthcare professionals and improve the overall patient experience by decreasing waiting times and eliminating errors.

In this blog post, we have discussed the challenges of patient onboarding, the benefits of using automation in patient onboarding, and how to streamline the process.

What is the Patient On-Boarding Process?

In Healthcare, patient onboarding is the initial process. 

However, it involves various steps which include collecting, validating, and storing a patient’s personal and medical information before they begin receiving care. This process typically involves:

• Gathering necessary information from the patient
• Confirming insurance details
• Ensuring compliance with regulations such as HIPPA

The main aim of this process is to prepare providers to deliver quality care while creating a positive experience for patients. Traditionally, the patient onboarding process involves loads of manual data entry and paper forms which frustrates providers. 

Also, this process may lead to errors and delays in the process. Adopting automation technology means providers can expect to reduce errors associated with manual work and improve the overall patient experience.

Benefits of Streamlining Patient On-Boarding with Automation

Streamlining patient onboarding with automation benefits providers in many ways. Firstly, it replaces the old and outdated documentation process. 

Also, it accelerates the on-boarding and reduces manual tasks allowing healthcare teams to focus more on patient care. Additionally:

• Automation speeds up patient data gathering and validation, cutting down on wait times and improving patient journeys for more effective onboarding.
• Reduce manual data entry and repetitive processes to increase document processing accuracy and save time and resources.
• AI automation makes data collecting more efficient and guarantees that automated data anonymization is followed when necessary.
• Reduced frictions result in a more seamless, effective onboarding process, which raises patient satisfaction.

This results in a more positive first impression, which can have long-lasting impacts on patient satisfaction.

Related: 3 Key Areas Where Automation Transforms Healthcare Operations

5 Common Challenges Associated with Patient On-Boarding

Efficient onboarding is more important in healthcare. However, the traditional method involves various challenges for providers. 

This method ultimately consumes loads of time from providers, is prone to errors, and leads to delays in care. Here are some of the common challenges in patient onboarding:

1. Time-Consuming Paperwork

One of the most significant challenges in the manual patient onboarding process is the massive use of paper forms. These forms need to be filled manually by the patients themselves and then processed by the staff members. This means: 

• Longer onboarding process 
• Workflow Inefficiencies 
• Higher chances of human mistakes for healthcare providers. 

Paper-based systems also imply some physical storage, which adds up to operational costs. 

Shifting from paper to digital solutions can significantly speed up the onboarding process, enabling fast data entry and storage securely.

2. Errors in Data Entry

Most manual data entries are error-prone, especially with manual transcription or from paper forms. Most of these mistakes have severe implications, such as incorrect records of patients, misdiagnosis, and delayed treatments. 

Automation will therefore eliminate such risks by taking advantage of AI and machine learning technologies that guarantee accuracy in data capture. 

In an automated system, validation takes place in real-time to flag any discrepancy; thus, there is less need for manual interventions. Consequently, patient records have higher quality and more efficient workflow.

3. Compliance with Regulations

This ensures compliance with healthcare regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR, two of the most complex and critical elements of patient onboarding. Health providers should protect sensitive patient data but grant access and let data be shared in a manner that is compliant with the various legal standards.

Automating data anonymization, encryption, and secure document handling ensures that sensitive information is protected at every stage of the onboarding process. Automated systems can also provide audit trails to demonstrate compliance, a crucial step for regulatory reporting.

4. Impact on Patient Experience

A slow and cumbersome onboarding process may significantly impact the patient experience. Patients who are forced to fill out multiple forms or wait for long periods to be processed are likely to become frustrated and feel neglected. 

This negative experience may cause the patient to refrain from continuing care with the provider. 

• Automating the onboarding process reduces wait times 
• Improves communication between providers and patients 
• Offers a smoother journey for the patient. 

Automation allows for a more personalized experience. The patient can fill out forms beforehand or receive real-time updates that make the process more convenient.

5. Poor Communication with Patients

Effective communication needs to be carried out throughout the entire patient onboarding process. Still, traditional ways lack either the proper timing or clarity in instructions. It might be the case that the patient does not know which documents he/she needs to bring, when to schedule an appointment, or how access to health records is given. 

Automation improves communication with automated reminders, confirmations, and instructions throughout. This will keep your patients well-informed at each stage, thus minimizing patient confusion, and increasing their satisfaction and engagement.

Related: How Vozo EHR’s Workflow Automation Redefined Doctor-Patient Time in a Rural Family Practice

How to Streamline Patient On-Boarding Process with Powerful Automation

1. Combine Human Review With Automation

A combination of human review with automation allows both worlds to meet: automation provides the speed and efficiency needed for data entry, while human oversight provides accuracy and judgment. More complex or ambiguous information should be reviewed by staff to ensure the accuracy of the overall record. This hybrid approach boosts efficiency without trading off quality. 

For example, a human reviewer would check critical patient details flagged by the automation system; that way, errors will not go through to patient care.

2. Digitalize Documentation Process

The transition from paper-based systems to digital documentation reduces the time-consuming tasks of sorting, filing, and retrieving physical forms. Automated solutions capture patient data through secure digital forms and store it in the electronic health record. 

Besides speeding up data entry and making data more accessible, digitizing the documentation reduces the risk of a document being lost or misplaced, so important information about the patient is always readily available.

3. Anonymize Sensitive Patient Data

Data anonymization is a critical step in ensuring compliance with healthcare privacy laws such as HIPAA. Automated systems can anonymize sensitive information by removing personally identifiable details before storing or sharing data. 

This process ensures that patient privacy is maintained while allowing for: 

• The use of anonymized data in analytics
• Research 
• Compliance reporting. 

By automating data anonymization, healthcare providers can safeguard patient confidentiality while streamlining their onboarding and data management workflows.

4. Real-Time Data Collection

Patient onboarding automation involves real-time data collection. With the help of mobile scanning and document capture tools, patient data can be instantly collected and validated, thereby reducing the need for manual entry. This keeps all the updated patient information in front of healthcare. 

Another benefit of real-time data collection is that it can also enable patients to submit information remotely, especially in telemedicine practices or multi-location ones. This helps reduce processing delays and increases efficiency.

5. Detect Document Fraud with AI

Document fraud detection using AI and machine learning algorithms helps ensure the authenticity of patient information. AI-powered systems can analyze documents for signs of tampering, such as altered text, mismatched fonts, or inconsistent formatting.

It recognizes fraudulent documents, preventing identity theft and securing the integrity of the medical record repository. It reduces the manual oversight risk associated with this process and offers security in patient onboarding.

6. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems

For complete effectiveness, be integrated into existing healthcare systems, such as EHRs and practice management platforms. This would ensure that patient information is seamlessly moved between systems, without the need for duplication of records or manual data re-entry. It reduces administrative burden and provides a single point of view for the patient’s information for the healthcare provider. 

With seamless integration, onboarding would be much easier, facilitating efficiency, and precision, and supporting continuity of care.

Vozo EHR for your Healthcare Practices

If you are searching for the best EHR system for your healthcare practice, Vozo EHR can be your go-to choice. Our comprehensive EHR solution lets you focus more on patient care while carrying all the burdens and simplifying it.

• Vozo Cloud EHR’s cost-effective cloud subscription benefits all levels of practice.
• Our feature-rich EHR helps you rectify mistakes efficiently and speed up the process.
• Vozo Specialty EHR resonates with specialty practice needs and requirements.
• Our expert technical team got you covered 24/7 if any needs arise.
• Our EHR System continues to scale as your healthcare practice grows to improve the user experience.

The Vozo Customized EHR solution benefits your healthcare practice by:

• Streamlining the administrative process
• Improving workflow efficiency
• Reducing proneness to errors
• Managing all the patient’s records in one place
• Offers greater efficiency and cost-savings across the board.

Our specialty-specific tools like scheduling, patient portals, lab integration, cloud hosting, and more meet your healthcare practice’s specific needs and requirements.

“Embrace Vozo EHR to reduce your burdens and enhance patient care”