The Power of Technology to Streamline and Reduce Hospital Administrative Costs

While hospitals currently direct more than a quarter of their spending toward administrative tasks, there is also a massive opportunity for technology to simplify a patient’s care and reduce administrative costs. However, not all technology is created equally.

Automation and electronic medical records have not necessarily led to workload reduction. Healthcare technologies should exist to streamline processes, not create additional work. When leveraged properly, technology can decrease administrative overhead and processes both before and after care through scheduling appointments, managing patient communications, billing patients, and collecting payments.

Instead of and adding to existing layers of staff to improve care, hospitals must put a greater emphasis and investment into technology that improves patient choice and access to care.

If we free hospitals from their administrative burdens through more effective use of the technology, it may be easier than we think to achieve value-based, and patient-centered, care.