RPA in Healthcare—UiPath eTech Spotlight
Robotic process automation (RPA) has been around for a long time and has proven itself in many industries. RPA is a better way to deploy human capital; for example, revenue cycle management (RCM) is filled with disparate workflows that are inefficient and clearly repeatable. Bots can complete redundant tasks, allowing actual human intellect to be allocated to more technical and important processes to produce better results. RPA is proven to reduce costs and create higher employee job satisfaction and enjoyable work environment.
Traditionally, the healthcare industry is slow to adopt new technologies, but that is beginning to change in the wake of recent events. The COVID-19 pandemic has motivated healthcare executives to close the lingering 10-year lag in technological advancements. RPA is now being adopted in healthcare on a broader and quicker scale than we have seen before, especially in RCM. The sky’s the limit in regard to the potential benefit RPA solutions can have in the healthcare industry.
Our recent UiPath: Emerging Technology Spotlight 2020 report dives into how UiPath is applying RPA in healthcare now.
UiPath, a Cross-Industry Giant
UiPath, founded in 2005, is a well-established and respected RPA vendor in many industries. With over 7,000 customers worldwide, UiPath has 426 healthcare customers. From customers, we hear that UiPath has done a really great job of creating a programmable solution. They are well known and experienced with many resources at hand.
UiPath executive Jason Warrelmann commented on the company’s vision saying, “Our focus is simple: to automate everything that can be automated [and] empower a One Robot for Every Person future, where everyone is equipped with an automation tool designed to make their lives easier and jobs more enjoyable.”
UiPath sees ultimate automation for all the processes that can be automated. This doesn’t mean that people will be replaced by robots but that their jobs will be elevated—allowing them to focus on the most important tasks. It’s a bold vision for every physician, nurse, and other healthcare professional to have a bot that’s constantly doing all of the automated tasks in the background. With this technology, healthcare would have the chance to excel. The industry would be less bogged down by tasks that are too time intensive and expensive to handle.
Real Results Right Now
RPA doesn’t only have potential to change healthcare as we know it; RPA is making real changes now. A critical insight that we have found in our research for this spotlight is the amount of time it has taken for UiPath customers to see results.
All of the respondents reported back that they saw outcomes immediately or within six months. These results are exciting because so many solutions take much longer to create results. UiPath’s technology is robust and works well.
Healthcare is now at the point where ROIs need to be proven, and that is easy for RPA to do in the revenue cycle. There are so many tasks that need to be done in order to get paid, and until now, providers haven’t always had the technology to do that efficiently. There is great opportunity for providers to utilize this technology to begin transforming RCM workflows and increase efficiencies.
The Future of RPA in Healthcare
Every RPA vendor we talk to, including UiPath, is excited to see how this technology can improve healthcare and reduce costs. Areas that could be dramatically impacted by RPA include supply chain, inventory management, clinical documentation, quality control, processing-cost reductions, billing cycles, and appointment-turnout optimization.
Areas such as authorizations, claims statuses, denial management, eligibility are already being done by RPA technology. Within the next 10 years, broad adoption will likely occur, allowing provider to focus less resources on business processes and reallocate those resources to clinical outcomes.
For more information about UiPath, check out our full report.
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