Hello, and welcome to the ATPPS DME course. My name is Shannon Kraus, and I'm an Area Director with the Inovus Healthcare Solutions team. Today, I'm going to speak with you about automation tools, and specifically, why automation is beneficial to your practice. So let's get started. Once you've completed this course, there are some key elements about automation that you will have learned. First, you're going to learn and identify at least three examples of automation. You'll be able to identify how automation can be a viable asset to one's practice. You'll be able to describe the benefits of automation. And lastly, you'll be able to identify at least three key differences between an office that functions on paper versus one that utilizes an automated platform. So what is automation? Well, automation is all around us. If you think of industrial automation, you've got robotic arms that's used in manufacturing for assembly, welding, and things like that. In business, you've got payroll processing and invoice processing that's automatically scanning and recording invoices. And even at home, we've got smart thermostats and security systems that can automatically arm our doors, locks, and cameras. But in your world at work, it's still all around you. So what is it? Well, automation refers to the use of technology to perform tasks or processes with minimal human intervention. It can involve the integration of various systems like software, machinery to increase efficiencies, accuracy, and productivity. And automation can also encompass a wide range of applications. It's commonly used in the healthcare setting, as you're probably aware of some of these. The primary goal of automation is going to include reducing operational cost, improving consistency, and ultimately freeing up human workers for more complex tasks that need to be completed. So let's get even more specific when we talk about automation in the orthopedic practice. You know, as a patient myself, I can schedule appointments online. I can cancel appointments. I can communicate with the staff at the office, all because they've automated that process. I don't have to dial in and wait on hold if I don't want to. So there's definitely an opportunity to increase the efficiencies and accuracy, making that more enhanced whenever you have an automation in the orthopedic practice. So that appointment scheduling I referred to, patient management, administrative responsibilities, when you have automation, staff is freed up to do other important tasks. And we all know that there's plenty of those. That improved patient experience is another critical component that could be affected by automation. You know, I like the fact that I can send an email or a note and not have to wait on hold. I can multitask, if you will, while I'm at work and needing to make an appointment with my provider. So that's an improved patient experience because my practice has allowed me to do that. So those automated reminders and notifications streamlines communication, again, freeing up that staff to do other things. Very importantly, the workflow is optimized. So you've got opportunities when you talk inventory management, tracking patient progress, coordinating care, all of that can be automated. And now optimizing the workflow and giving you data at your fingertips. So let's drill down a little bit more and talk more specifically when we compare paper versus automation in the physician office. Number one, efficiency. When you look at an office that is running on paper, they might often face delays because of manual record keeping and communication, having to take notes manually. It can often slow down patient care. But if you automate that, it can streamline those processes like scheduling, billing, patient records, which is going to lead to faster service and reduced wait times. Number two, if we look at accuracy, in a paper-based office, handwritten notes and physical charts can definitely lead to misinterpretations and a loss of data. But if you automate that, digital records can minimize those errors in the patient information and their prescriptions, which is going to overall enhance the accuracy. And when we talk cost, with a paper-ran office, it's generally lower upfront cost, but it may incur higher long-term expenses due to those inefficiencies and a potential higher labor cost. It might also result in some unhappy patients. But if you automate that from a cost perspective, while those initial setup costs for technology can be high, long-term savings is often a result from increased efficiency and reduced staffing needs. So let's look at a few more differences between paper and automation in a physician office. Patient experience. No one wants bad reviews. So being a paper-based facility may cause you or staff to struggle and provide the same level of convenience, which can affect that patient satisfaction. Automating certain processes allows you to offer things like online scheduling, telemedicine options, and easier access to personal health records, which is going to improve that patient engagement. Remember my story about liking the ability to communicate online with my office? That helps my experience with them. I don't have to communicate that way, but it's an option that my office is providing me. So that makes me a happier patient. Security and compliance is critical, especially in today's world, and I think we've all probably been affected by or know someone who has been affected by an issue with security or compliance. So if you're running on paper, those physical records become very vulnerable to loss or damage, and maintaining compliance can be really labor-intensive. If you automate it, it's critical that you implement a robust cybersecurity measure to protect that sensitive data. EHR systems can offer better compliance tracking should something occur. And lastly, adaptability. When you have a physician office running on paper, change can be cumbersome, slow to adopt, which can hinder the adaptability in a fast-evolving healthcare landscape. When it's automated, it's much easier to implement new protocols or integrate new technologies, which is going to allow for more rapid responses to the changing healthcare needs. So keep those things in mind whenever you're considering making a change from paper to an automated physician office. So let's get even a little bit more specific and talk about some examples of automation for your DME management. DME is not easy to manage. So utilizing software and automation as a tool can really help you streamline it and make it more efficient. HMD is one of those automated platforms that can help with that. It's a comprehensive software that offers a range of features, which are aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical and administrative workflows in your practice. Utilizing the automated platform can help your DME business be more compliant. It can help increase your upfront cash flow should you utilize certain tools. It can also help you decrease denials and even increase patient satisfaction. Now EMR integration, while not a must, it is crucial for automation and medical practices for several reasons. It's going to help streamline those workflows, increase accuracy, improve patient care, increase compliance, and reduce administrative burdens. And that's just a few things. There can be a cost associated to integrating, and that should be evaluated prior to your investment. So definitely take time and ask a lot of questions of those who are providing that software to you. Another example of automation for your management is a company called ModMed. So this is more of a practice management software that gives staff an easy-to-use hub for their administrative task. It can do things like be an appointment finder that's going to allow staff to find open time slots, easily add patients to a wait list, and it can even display patient balances at checkout. It can help you simplify your scheduling and billing. And uniquely, your billers and your clinical team can work out of the same system. Another key aspect with ModMed is that operational and financial data is at your fingertips. So this can help you find trends in your AR and in volume visits, something that being on paper might be difficult to do. So in summary, automation is all around us. It's the use of technology that helps you perform tasks or processes with minimal human intervention. Automation will help increase your efficiencies, optimize your workflow, and enhance the patient experience. There are many examples of automated platforms available to you, MotionMD and ModMed being two of those. You can find much more with a little bit of searching. Best of luck to you as you make those decisions as you look at automation versus paper.

automation

healthcare

efficiency

patient experience

MotionMD

healthcare automation

ModMed

digital solutions