Healthcare automation and integration are two terms that often get mixed up and confused. In previous blogs, we keep talking about integrating applications and automating workflows, but we haven’t yet discussed the difference between the two.
Healthcare automation involves technology and other equipment used to increase healthcare facilities’ efficiency. Healthcare integration is a far more complicated term, and it primarily refers to the merging of different aspects of healthcare into one area. The two together can make for a truly impressive medical facility!
You will discover how healthcare integration is different from healthcare automation as you read on.
Healthcare Automation
Healthcare automation is bringing about a more technological revamping of healthcare, streamlining digitalization, accelerating processes, and introducing other possible efficiencies. This has many positive implications, including freeing up staff time from less human-facing duties and helping patients receive better care in return.
Check out these three ways automation is revolutionizing this industry:
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Enhanced Patient Experience
One way healthcare organizations are improving the patient experience is by automating processes. Appointment booking software, for example, proactively reaches out to patients who have missed an appointment and allows them to reschedule at a time that works best for them.
A more advanced implementation of this software would give patients the freedom and convenience of picking any available time slot in which they can schedule their appointments.
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Precise Diagnostics
These days, it seems that everyone’s favorite example of automation in healthcare is based around radiology and the interpretation of medical images. We get it, as not only does this relate to the theme of automation, but artificial intelligence to boot.
Not only do these capabilities have the potential to save lives and reduce false positives, but they could also contribute toward the professional advancement of radiologists and the field of medicine in general. There are many ways to diagnose a problem, but having a fast and accurate method can help in cases where a victim is experiencing difficulties.
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Improved Practice Productivity
Automation is revolutionizing workplace productivity in the same way it enhances the patient experience. Healthcare professionals can take a step back from repetitive tasks to focus on higher-skill work — thereby reducing burnout, increasing professional satisfaction, and boosting productivity.
Healthcare Integration
Healthcare integration is a process of using electronic systems to share patient information. When a healthcare organization uses an electronic system to communicate with other healthcare organizations and systems, this is called healthcare integration.
The main goal of healthcare integration is to make it easier for healthcare professionals to access the right patient information when they need it.
Here are some of the benefits of healthcare integration.
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Improved quality of care
Integrated healthcare provides better comprehensive and collaborative treatment. General practitioners, surgeons, mental health professionals, physical therapists, and home care professionals can communicate more effectively and work together as a team.
They will understand a patient’s unique needs and create individualized programs to enhance management of their condition, ensure they’re receiving the appropriate treatment, and improve their overall well-being.
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Patient satisfaction
According to numerous studies on healthcare, patients who receive care from multiple providers as opposed to a single provider show high levels of satisfaction with their overall healthcare treatment.
Under this model, doctors can work together much more closely, evaluating and treating patients holistically in order to manage their illnesses and overall health better. This approach leads to better treatment outcomes for each patient and generates an improved satisfaction rating that results in the patient returning over the long term.
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Lower overall healthcare costs
When doctors and medical professionals work together, it lowers overall healthcare costs. Patients can get the care they need with fewer appointments. They also spend less time at the doctor’s office, having to interact with multiple practitioners or specialists during one visit.
Just think of how much time and money could be saved by hospitals, clinics, and many other health-related companies alike through utilizing up-to-date technology that facilitates collaboration between all parties involved!
In a nutshell
Healthcare integration uses electronic systems to share patient information between various providers and healthcare systems. Automation uses software and data processing to streamline the way a healthcare organization operates.
The concepts of healthcare integration and automation aren’t interchangeable even though they are often used in the same context. Healthcare automation companies work with healthcare providers to ensure their records are up to date and that patients can access their data. This helps doctors make more accurate diagnoses, increase efficiency, and offer better care to their patients.
It is safe to say that healthcare data integration is necessary before you succeed in automating your workflows. Intely can do all the integration work to streamline your workflows and improve the day-to-day operations of your organization.
Want to see how intely fits into your business? Contact us and schedule a demo today.
