3 Ways Automation is Changing Healthcare Delivery
Image created by Rudy Chidiac. © Open Medical 2024. All Rights Reserved
The power of smart automation in digital health solutions is undeniable.
The ability for automation to streamline operational efficiency holds substantial potential to elevate the healthcare experience for both providers and patients.
Consider it within clinical workflow solutions such as our platform, Pathpoint. As a patient workflow system, it can utilise specific events within the patient’s journey to initiate automation. Automation can be configured at any point in a patient’s journey, which ensures smooth transitions and keeps patient information current, relevant stakeholders alerted, and patient progress tracked.
For instance, when a patient is added to a waiting list, it can trigger an automatic dispatch of a screening questionnaire. Once completed, relevant team members are alerted for review. Providers no longer need to manually send questionnaires, record responses, or keep track of whether patients have completed them. The system takes care of these tasks.
With that in mind, let’s talk about some more specific automated features that can have a substantial impact on healthcare.
1. Automatic Questionnaires
Automated questionnaires can be applied to various areas of healthcare. A great example is Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).
Our Pathpoint Outcomes platform is fully automated, sending specific PROMs questionnaires based on pathways and previous questionnaire scores. It can trigger from a diagnosis, a procedure, or a management plan, dispatching the suitable PROM and then follow-up PROMs at appropriate time points.
This level of automation alleviates a significant administrative burden for healthcare providers. But importantly, it paves the way for a shift towards a value-based healthcare delivery system.
2. Automatic Risk Stratification and Scoring
The benefits of automated questionnaires aren’t limited to their distribution.
Digital solutions can also automatically calculate scores based on patient responses. For instance, our Pathpoint ePOA platform calculates scores automatically, stratifying patients based on complexity. It uses a range of tools to provide an accurate representation of the patient’s complexity by calculating for example, BMI, AUDIT-C (alcohol screen), STOPBANG (sleep apnea screen), and DASI (exercise tolerance screen).
These automatically generated scores empower healthcare providers to make more informed decisions. It gives them the opportunity to optimise modifiable risk factors before surgery, allocate resources effectively, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
3. Automatic Triggers Based on Data
Well-structured data capture can be used to trigger automation.
Our system employs SNOMED CT-coding, which allows it to identify specific patient groups. For example, our Pathpoint FLS system supports the identification and management of patients at risk of fragility fractures. The system uses coded data, such as an eligible diagnosis and the mechanism of injury in patients over 50, to trigger a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) referral. This timely intervention improves patient identification and ensures patients receive the care they need promptly.
The examples above merely hint at the huge possibilities of how automation can enhance healthcare. The true benefits of smart automation are immense.
It can save healthcare providers a substantial amount of time so they can concentrate more on patient care than administrative tasks, ultimately leading to happier patients and providers.
Importantly, automation ensures that no patient falls through the cracks, facilitating a smooth care journey.
