The healthcare industry has undergone a major shift in the conversation surrounding mental health. This has prompted Singapore’s health authorities to place greater emphasis on mental health advocacy when supporting junior health care staff.
The pressure on Singapore’s healthcare system continues as primary and secondary healthcare workers experience burnout in the fight against the pandemic. Prior to 2020, the doctor-to-nurse ratio per 1,000 patients was 2.6 and 7.4, respectively. But just a few months ago, the system was at risk of being “overwhelmed” in terms of resources and medical staff. The peak of the pandemic in Singapore over the past few months, the challenges of an aging population and rising cost of living have proven why our healthcare system needs to deliver healthcare services in a smarter and more efficient way. increase. Alleviate current problems such as long working hours and a large number of her A&E patients.
As governments digitize national healthcare systems, technology can be used to improve employee and patient experiences. Last April, the Center for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technologies (CHART), led by Changi General Hospital, the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Singapore Economic Development Board, identified automation as a key focus area for increasing workforce productivity. As one of the said: Improve health and clinical outcomes by extending human capabilities and providing treatments with greater precision.
As indicated in the strategic plan, the digital solutions underlying CHART’s initiatives have been enhanced and automation to further develop and improve digital services is already in place across the country’s healthcare system.
Helping healthcare services respond intelligently
Intelligent automation (IA) has long been used to solve common problems in hospitals. This will enable hospitals and clinics to deploy Digital Workers (AI-powered software designed to model human roles) to perform rule-based tasks such as appointments and referrals. . This greatly contributes to operational excellence and improved patient experience in healthcare facilities. .
At the height of the pandemic in April 2020, health authorities had to initiate testing efforts, especially in foreign workers’ dormitories, where more than 1,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted daily. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, hospitals were under tremendous pressure to register, test and quickly share results over their networks. They needed to speed up this process.
To improve the efficiency of this laborious process, the National University Health System (NUHS) leveraged SS&C Blue Prism IA in the form of Digital Workers. The results were immediate, as test registration time was reduced from 2 minutes to 30 seconds per test, saving NUHS 18 hours each day. Lab results are also arriving faster, allowing NUHS to process more than 27,000 patients daily. Additionally, as a means to contain the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the burden on healthcare workers, NUHS leverages IA to build a digital patient portal that allows patients to manage their health through a self-service smart portal Did. and remote counseling. NUHS’ implementation of IA is a great example of how technology can automate processes and improve overall operations.
This is not the first time NUHS has improved operational efficiency with IA using SS&C Blue Prism. In 2018, NUHS began automating back-office functions such as billing and invoicing. Automation has enabled organizations to process invoice reconciliation requests with immediate turnaround. This is a process that previously took him 3-4 days. The use of automation has enabled NUHS to process 75% of its 40,000 invoice reconciliation requests annually, improving the organization’s cash flow and contributing to an estimated US$350,000 savings over three years. Patients seeking reimbursement from insurance companies and employers also enjoyed a better experience.
Empowering healthcare workers to do more
The global pandemic has opened up and accelerated new ways of working and operating in the healthcare sector. A Blue Prism survey of more than 400 senior-level health professionals worldwide found that 93% said COVID-19 has accelerated automation of processes, and 58% of respondents replaced paper documents electronically. Replaced by equivalents, 57% take the opportunity to build new automated processes that improve interactions with patients and other departments. Nearly half (45%) said they have replaced face-to-face consultations with video conferencing, and this practice is likely to continue.
In particular, COVID-19 has led to a surge in telemedicine and teleconsulting services due to convenience. Demand for these services will continue to surge in the coming years for the same reasons. According to RedSeer Consulting, Southeast Asia’s online health sector is expected to expand tenfold by 2025, with Indonesia and Singapore alone accounting for 50-60% of that growth.
Clearly, the future is bright for the adoption of IA and digital solutions. The healthcare sector is fertile ground for further development to promote better and sustainable healthcare for all. More than ever, healthcare organizations face the challenge of doing more with patients with the same or fewer resources. By leveraging IA to enhance arduous processes and improve existing solutions such as telemedicine, Singapore’s healthcare system will not only achieve financial sustainability, but also improve service availability. Problems can be addressed directly, ultimately freeing up doctors and nurses to focus on patient care. Patients who need urgent medical care.
