Working Title: 3 Challenges to Implementing RPA in Healthcare

For years now, global health systems have been facing increased revenue pressure and
declining profits. Healthcare providers today prioritize cost-effective, efficient and effective
processes to cater to rising demand.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is beginning to appear in healthcare as an empowering

solution to meet these priorities. McKinsey reports the technical potential for automating allied
operations in healthcare is about 36 per cent - eliminating several repetitive manual tasks and
helping cut costs. At the same time, implementation of RPA can pose challenges:

Identifying the Right Processes for Automation

Not every function in the healthcare industry can be automated. Skilled processes involving high
level of human intervention and judgement, for instance, don’t fall within the scope.

“Automation solutions need to be individualized to companies and made industry-specific.

Company-wide deliberation, analysis and discussion before implementation can help
businesses make the most of it,” says Dev Singh, Founder & CEO of AiRo Digital Labs.

In healthcare, processes that can be automated would include backend functions that are
repetitive in nature and highly rules-based. A simple online RPA assessment tool can help
calculate the percentage of business function that can be automated and arrive at an estimated
ROI.

Ownership and Capacity Building

The implementation process can only run smoothly if there’s a clear demarcation for ownership
of the technology.

“Is it the IT department that is leading the project or the business department? Is the existing
team skilled enough to own this technology? These questions must be addressed first,” says
Singh.

While ownership of technology may be divided between the IT and Business teams, every
department lead needs to be involved in discussion to better understand processes which can
be automated.

Moreover, the IT and business teams may not necessarily have the expertise to integrate RPA
into operations. Given that it is a big investment, these processes and required capacity building
must be put in in place for successful implementation.

Employee Resistance and Onboarding

Implementation of RPA involves a definite change in overall structure of operations and a

reassessment of roles and responsibilities. This can lead to resistance and confusion among
employees.  
“Employees in long-standing industries like healthcare are used to a certain way of working, and
largely fear that technology would rob them of their income,” says Singh. “If unaddressed, this
could be detrimental to the business.”

Proper training and familiarisation with the technology for all employees, therefore, plays a
crucial role in setting processes in order.

There may be challenges involved, but industry trends reveal that the benefits of automation
outweigh them significantly. With deep technology expertise, businesses can nip these
challenges in the bud. Rightly implemented, there’s no question that RPA will maximise ROI for
health care providers.

So, you want to automate? At AiRo Digital Labs, we can handhold your businesses for effective
adoption of  RPA. Our dedicated team comes with significant experience in the technology, as
well as deep knowledge of the healthcare industry. Learn more here.