4 Ways Automation—and the UiPath 2019 Fast Track Release—Benefits Healthcare

In a prior post, we shared a whitepaper that demonstrated how UiPath helps healthcare companies accelerate their digital transformation and drive better patient outcomes by shifting to an 'automation first' mindset.

More recently, in April UiPath announced the 2019 Fast Track Release, our first Enterprise release of the year. The release includes robust updates to the UiPath Enterprise RPA Platform and is designed to accelerate the shift to an automation first strategy in your organization.

Healthcare and life sciences organizations face increasing pressure to accelerate digital transformation. Many companies are looking to transform patient care and employee experience but are managing disparate, complex, and often antiquated back-office systems and processes.

In this post, I will break down the four reasons why healthcare professionals can benefit from automation and how the 2019 Fast Track Release improves those automation benefits over earlier UiPath product versions.

1. Automating processes in VDI environments with AI Computer Vision

UiPath AI Computer Vision enables Robots to see contextually and read a screen, just as a human would. This enables automation across different interfaces and environments—even where traditional user interface (UI) automation has been less effective.

In the healthcare sector, electronic medical records (EMRs) are often hosted on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments such as Citrix, VMWare, and Windows Remote Desktop. Traditional automation is difficult in these environments, often requiring workaround development and consistent maintenance.

The 2019 Fast Track Release makes automation easier because…

With this new release, UiPath solves one of the biggest challenges in healthcare automation today—advanced computer vision improves automation resilience across VDI environments. This means Robots are now able to visually identify components of the EMR, like the patient name field, the save button, and even radio and check boxes. It is now easier than ever to automate processes that involve reading and understanding EMRs.

2. Automating processes that rely on unstructured documents

The healthcare sector is no stranger to complex documentation. Typical clinical packets can run as long as 30 to 50 pages, and documentation is often handled as Adobe PDF files. Healthcare professionals struggle to easily find and extract relevant data from these often lengthy and unstructured files.

The 2019 Fast Track Release makes automation easier because…

Users can now automate advanced PDF file handling scenarios by dragging-and-dropping a new PDF activity into their automation workflows. For example, healthcare professionals will be able to set up quick audit logic for claim edits and tag documents to claims, making it easier to automate processes that involve complex PDF documentation.

What’s more: a new, ready-to-go document processing infrastructure helps organizations scale automations across functions. The Document Processing Framework enables users to build custom and standardized automation workflows for document processing.

For example, healthcare professionals will be able to set up automations to scan and validate documents to auto-load patient data into electronic records or scheduling platforms, freeing up time for clinical staff. The Document Processing Framework also allows organizations to use multiple optical character recognition (OCR) packages, which improves outcomes and minimizes costs for organizations.

3. Automating everyday processes using common systems

Many organizations rely on Microsoft Office 365 for everyday work. Wouldn’t it be great to take the macros you’re used to writing in those applications and apply it to the work processes that surround those documents?

The 2019 Fast Track Release makes automation easier because…

Working with Microsoft just got easier, with automation of the everyday workhorse document and collaboration tools including Microsoft Excel Online, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft OneDrive.

For example, healthcare professionals who traditionally use Excel and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) scripts to populate data into Microsoft PowerPoint for monthly client reports will now be able to skip the VBA step, simplifying development and maintenance. The result is a leaner, more efficient, and less risky process.

4. Automating email-based processes

Healthcare professionals use a variety of email tools to support workflows. The UiPath Platform can facilitate the automation of any email-related process and features activities that are specific to tools like Microsoft Outlook.

The 2019 Fast Track Release makes automation easier because…

Many healthcare organizations continue to use IBM Notes (formerly Lotus Notes) for internal messaging and contract management.

Our new release enables UiPath users to drag-and-drop IBM Notes activities into their automation workflows. Organizations who utilize IBM Notes are now able to automate tasks like receiving, sending, and deleting email messages. For healthcare professionals, this new functionality extends the value of their IBM Notes and IBM Domino investments by making it easier to set up automations that leverage existing systems.

Learn more about the 2019 Fast Track Release, which includes a number of game-changing new features to enable easier automation for organizations, including GIT integration into UiPath Studio and real-time monitoring in UiPath Orchestrator.