You're drowning in administrative tasks at your practice. How can you use technology to lighten your load?

Technology is providing a number of solutions that create optimal workflows within a system. I have used old-school reminder calls and automated text messages and appointment updates, but the best option yet is any service that provides as close to 100% automation as possible. I was involved in the implementation of a service that not only provided text message reminders, but online patient registration that was completed by the patient, eliminating nearly all of the initial phone calls that would dominate a call center's time. Systems that use AI to predict no-shows to optimize appointment utilization are also quite beneficial. Any technology that provides automation is a key factor in creating success for an administrator.

Billing and coding are critical in to ensure a practice's revenue cycle is operating at optimal levels. A streamlined process will ensure that a billing team is getting the most out of the technology they are using. Using the software is just a matter of going through the motions; without a definitive process for in-house collections, review of A/R, denial review, and resubmissions, a practice's revenue cycle will falter. Creating a robust automation process will drastically improve efficiency, not to mention employee and patient satisfaction. Another consideration, depending on the size of a practice, is outsourcing billing to a reputable company that is dedicated solely to billing and revenue cycle processes.

Efficiency revolves around a number of factors - communication is probably the most important factor related to efficiency in a medical practice. Communication has advanced past the Post-It generation, landing squarely on its feet in a world of smart phones and apps. Most providers use mobile apps to send secure messages; private practices and hospitals have graduated from a paper trail to using Microsoft365 and the many tools in its app library. Teams is probably the best communication tool for a medical practice - from the chat feature to creating schedules in Shifts, and file sharing to using Planner within Teams - it's the best tool that I've used for outstanding communication in the workplace.

Standardization is a critical component of delivering quality patient care. A solid EHR will provide a foundation of tools that are necessary to capture documentation that is accurate, is following best practices, and provides a platform to communicate with the patient. With a standardized approach to documentation, a focus on best practices, and a goal to improve outcomes, a medical practice gains from using an EHR system that is tailored to its specialty. The days of paper charts filling an entire room (or more) are gone; EHRs are here to provide more accuracy, more privacy, more efficiency, and less stress.

Leveraging technology in healthcare practices streamlines operations by pinpointing inefficiencies. Workflow optimization tools analyze appointment trends, staff deployment, and resource consumption to inform strategic decisions for enhanced productivity. For example, the intake component of a patient visit should be short and simple; it is also critical to the visit’s outcome. Too much time spent on the intake can lower the quality of the visit, leaving less time with the provider and patient. With value-based care, the focus is outcomes, so time and efficiency are crucial to consider in a workflow. Embracing technology to automate workflows can alleviate the bottlenecks that interfere with quality and improve health outcomes.