By Bob Shireman

With the ever growing demands of servicing post-acute care patients, including dealing with Medicare and Medicaid as well as regulations set in place by the Affordable Care Act, today’s health care service providers are under constant pressure to become more efficient, improve patient care and maintain regulatory compliance. In addition to keeping up with guidelines that regulate the industry, providers must effectively manage inventory levels, control assets as well as route and schedule deliveries as efficiently as possible, all while dealing with fluctuating fuel costs, technician shortages and vehicle maintenance issues. Unfortunately, most organizations often depend heavily on paper and manual processes to manage virtually all aspects of their business.

From following delivery ticket and call list procedures to ensuring paperwork is properly completed at each location, field technicians are inundated with long paper trails. Additionally, the trail continues at the end of the day as staff members must then enter the information manually into the billing system. This entire process often causes multiple errors, including missing paperwork, unauthorized signatures, incomplete compliance procedures and unclear exception reports, and is not a sustainable practice for a successful company.



In fact, 68 percent of companies agree business at the speed of paper is unacceptable, according to the Association for Information and Image Management. Why, then, do so many still rely on paper? In a word: inertia. There is a prevailing fear that automation is “too expensive” or built for larger companies with deep pockets and robust budgets for IT projects. Today’s leading-edge logistics technology providers mitigate that argument by bringing a comprehensive and affordable solution where as few as a handful of technicians can benefit immediately from a field solution.

As our world continues to become digitally dependent, health care service providers must streamline delivery processes by using technology solutions to track drivers and automate management logistics, in order to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. Forward-thinking companies that digitize their processes can benefit greatly by increasing operational efficiency, patient care and field force productivity.

Business efficiencies
By using an automated system, companies are, first and foremost, enabling clean billing, which means less risk of error and fewer opportunities for dispute, accelerated reimbursement as well as charge backs. In addition, a digital workflow management tool allows for greater asset control of equipment outside of the depots. By accurately and electronically recording when equipment leaves the warehouse and is delivered to a patient, businesses gain greater visibility on the location of valuable assets.

Improved patient care
Providing superior patient care is fundamental to any health care service provider. When companies utilize automated solutions to cut costs, they are, in turn, improving patient care as well. By ensuring patients have the correct equipment and supplies when they need them, the company is improving clinical outcomes. Also, technicians are able to spend less time on filling out paperwork during the delivery and more time ensuring that patients are receiving the specialized attention required, and are trained on the proper equipment use.

Workflow software tools also assist in more efficient dispatch and delivery of equipment to meet critical service windows, as the fleet can be managed and rerouted immediately if emergencies occur. By outfitting field technicians with smart phones or tablets instead of paperwork, providers will not only reduce errors, but also will serve customers with clean, professional documentation digitally, and deliver better customer service.

Field force productivity
With an online system, field technicians have full access to order details and customer information onsite, directly from their mobile device. Using electronic forms to capture data, technicians can complete more drop offs and pickups per day, without losing multiple patient paper trails. From the back office, managers have all the tools needed to manage their fleet with real-time insight into activities, including order details, technician location and capacity as well as delivery status. Without having to manually update paper schedules, companies can efficiently dispatch and track drivers on the go to meet service windows and provide better customer service, as well as measure key performance indicators to improve overall productivity.

Now, more than ever before, health care service providers constantly have to carefully track all products and equipment being transported out of the warehouse and to patients. Field technicians are under pressure to deliver the correct materials when needed, train patients, inspect their service vehicles and ensure all forms are completed properly. While it may seem challenging to effectively manage all processes, utilizing an automated system can allow these companies to differentiate from competitors, increase the bottom line while decreasing costs and ultimately improve patient care.

About the author: Bob Shireman is vice president of products and solutions and has been with Apacheta Corporation for the past three years.