Robotic process automation, or RPA, is the cutting edge of business process automation software. If you’re thinking about using RPA to improve your organization’s efficiency, there are a few things you should know first! This essential guide to RPA will help you decide if RPA would be beneficial to your business and show you how to implement it. We’ll also walk you through common pain points and show you how they can be alleviated with the right RPA strategy.
5 Benefits of Adopting Robotic Process Automation
Robotic process automation (RPA) allows companies to streamline and automate many of their business processes. RPA implementations can be a big undertaking, so it’s important that you consider all of your options before jumping in. Before moving forward with an implementation, consider these five benefits of adopting RPA for Healthcare: It Improves Data Quality While Streamlining Processes Robotic process automation can improve data quality because it reduces mistakes made during manual data entry processes—whether it’s a typo or even something as simple as transposing digits. The resulting better-quality data means less headache down the road and fewer rework projects.
10 Best Practices for Implementation
When it comes to implementation, healthcare IT experts agree that hospitals need custom rpa solutions that are tailored to their industry-specific needs. This means healthcare organizations should seek out experienced rpa consulting services. Here are 10 best practices when it comes to implementing robotic process automation: 1) Have a solid strategic plan in place; 2) Use a team approach and leverage existing IT expertise; 3) Adopt proven methods of change management; 4) Apply agile development methodology; 5) Find high-quality apps you can use immediately; 6) Start small and be realistic about timelines; 7) Focus on automating processes, not people’s jobs; 8 ) Incorporate human touch points as needed ; 9 ) Assess your success regularly ; 10 ) Build a compliance framework from day one .
What areas should be automated?
You don’t have to automate every aspect of your business from day one. Consider starting small and automating only those processes that are most valuable. A simple way to evaluate whether or not a task should be automated is with a ROI calculation. For example, imagine your task involves doing manual checks on documents, which is both tedious and repetitive. It can take you half an hour each time you do it, meaning you might spend five hours a week completing that task. If your payroll processing costs $50 per hour—and if that automation could reduce your payroll processing time by just one hour per week—then it will take only 14 weeks before you’ve earned back what it cost you to invest in automation hardware and software!
Where will the rules come from?
Most RPA experts say an organizational review will be critical in determining where and how much automation is appropriate. Early adopters are getting better results because they understand their business, said Hamel of Blue Prism. It comes down to asking: What business processes need to be automated? Where can automation provide a competitive advantage? That’s why it makes sense for organizations to hire an outside consultant or firm that can look at their entire organization and provide recommendations based on best practices. If a company decides it wants help with some custom software, according to Morris, there are a few questions they should ask: Who will be doing design? What tools and technologies will they use? And who’s responsible for integration into existing IT systems?
How can I make sure my integration with existing systems is seamless?
If you plan on using an automation platform or robotic process automation (RPA) in a healthcare environment, making sure that it integrates seamlessly with your current systems can be a big challenge. A big part of designing and implementing seamless integrations is consulting with experts. For example, organizations that need custom rpa solutions can have an automation expert help them work through potential integration points. The expert can also make sure that they’re choosing technology platforms that integrate easily with their existing systems.
So how do I implement these custom rpa solutions? It all starts with having a clear understanding of what needs to get done and then determining how much risk you’re willing to take on as far as implementation goes. It’s also important to note that not all custom rpa solutions are created equal—some may require more upfront investment than others. Additionally, some may take longer than others—the key is finding a solution that works best for your organization’s goals and timeline .
Some things to consider when deciding whether or not you should use custom rpa solutions include: How well does it fit into my existing IT infrastructure?
Does my organization have a culture that supports change management?
How do you change a culture? Very slowly, one person at a time. This is easier said than done, especially in healthcare, where technology implementation often has to go through many hands before it becomes operationalized. If your organization has a history of resisting change (e.g., But it’s always been done that way!), start small by asking your employees how they’d like something changed and then work toward achieving those goals one step at a time. RPA is no different—it will require both internal and external effort from team members across departments and locations; plus, buy-in from leadership is key if you want things to go smoothly when it comes time to deploy.
Conclusion
The health industry is a complex and challenging market with many moving parts. However, if there’s one thing that healthcare providers can all agree on, it’s that robotic process automation (RPA) can help organizations improve efficiency, reduce costs and free up staff to focus on more valuable work. In fact, even as an emerging technology, healthcare is already a major adopter of robotic process automation. And yet despite these potential benefits, many organizations are hesitant about making investments in RPA without first getting a better handle on how exactly it works.
