In the social and healthcare sector, personnel costs account for the largest expense, ranging from approximately 30-60% of the total costs, depending on the responsibility area. The shortage of frontline professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and therapists, poses challenges to improving cost efficiency. At the same time, automating administrative tasks offers significant cost-saving opportunities without increasing the workload of frontline staff.
Opportunities for automation
In the healthcare sector, many administrative tasks, such as billing, guidance, and patient check-ins, can be effectively automated. For instance, in a medium-sized hospital, handling customer payments, guiding patients, and checking in for appointments are activities that require a significant amount of manpower. Through automation, the number of staff needed for these tasks could be reduced to less than a third of the current level. This not only cuts costs but also frees up resources directly for patient care.
Return on investment
The benefits of investing in automation initiatives can be seen quickly, often yielding significant returns on capital within a year. By minimizing errors, streamlining processes, and improving service quality, automation not only enhances efficiency but also leads to cost savings in various other areas.
Learnings from other industries
Other industries, such as banks, airlines, and hotels, embraced automation decades ago, and nowadays they are offering customer service primarily through self-service options. It's time for the healthcare sector to wake up to the opportunities that automation presents. While healthcare may have been slow to adapt, now is the perfect moment to leverage technology to streamline operations.
Automation on a large scale in healthcare is not just about cost efficiency – it's also a way to improve the availability and quality of services. Investments in technology quickly pay off, ensuring that staff resources are focused where they are most needed – directly on patient care. Therefore, automation is not just a cost-saving measure but an investment in the future of healthcare.
Would you like to reduce healthcare costs without compromising the quality of care? Check out our ROI calculator to see how it can be achieved and get in touch so we can calculate your cost savings more accurately together.
