Automation and the Healthcare Cost Curve - Essay Example

The stunning revelation is that nearly 50-60% of the total expenses are incurred in the form of salaries and benefits. The benefits of automation are rather obvious from the figures. Betbeze, in an article named Automation and the healthcare cost curve dated April 2012 reports how the Dallas-based Parkland Health & Hospital System adopted automation in the pharmacy. The hospital has a robotic pick-and-pull system that can locate, prepare, and package pharmaceuticals for each patient. This helps the hospital reduce the number of staff required to furnish the orders. Another important area is evidence-based care where automation is visible.

An example is Atrius Health which has nearly 1000 physicians employed at nearly 30 locations. The group was finding it difficult to keep its al physicians well-informed of the new developments in evidence-based medicine treatment protocols. For that purpose, the physicians had to rely on an online service from a clinical decision-support system named UpToDate. However, as it required the use of web browsers, the physicians had to leave the electronic medical record to conduct any search. However, presently, this service is installed as an additional button with the Epic EMR system.

That means it is easier and more convenient for the physicians, thus saving a lot of time. At this juncture, it becomes necessary to go back to Parkland Hospital to see how it reduced its financial counselors by 35% through the adoption of automated eligibility rechecks. Earlier, people used to come back again to see a counselor to requalify to receive public assistance for medical care. However, presently, the system has introduced automation in this area, which allows 100% automation in eligibility rechecking.

Another area is the labs of hospitals. Admittedly, present-day labs are capable of receiving specimens and centrifuging and loading the specimens onto an analyzer. The automation continues till the result is released. It is accepted by most healthcare experts that such labs are free from issues associated with human errors like mixing up specimens, interchanging results, and misplacing specimens. One cannot ignore the surgical area here. Various hospitals are using the da Vinci surgical system.

This system is successfully used for various urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, and other general surgery procedures (da Vinci Surgery). Admittedly, hospitals are increasingly looking for automation because of the benefits in terms of efficiency, cost, and capacity. As already seen, there is a decrease in the number of young people adopting certain medical professions. Moreover, the profit margins are thinning due to the escalating running expenditures. As the examples prove, automation is the best way to cut running costs.