More time for clients and less time for administration; this is the greatest wish of many healthcare providers. Automation can make an important contribution to this, but how do you do this successfully? And how do you prevent digitalization projects from failing before they really add value for staff? These questions were the focus of the Automation in Healthcare seminar. The main conclusion: clear project objectives and timely recognition of signals that a project is in danger of failing are essential for successful healthcare automation.

Clear Project Objectives and Guts
In healthcare, many processes get mixed up, leading to a vicious circle of inefficiency. Marc Gelissen emphasizes, “In healthcare automation projects, clear project objectives are indispensable. They provide direction and focus, so team members know exactly what is expected of them. In addition, you have to encourage the team to take risks for the success of the project. Showing guts should reward you for finding innovative solutions that make the healthcare project succeed.”

Recognizing Patterns of Failure
Paul Iske, professor of Individual & Organizational Learning at Maastricht University, has spent years researching failed projects. He identified 18 archetypes of failure patterns. “Teams only learn from projects when they don’t go as expected,” he said. Share failure stories within the organization to learn from them. This way you will recognize patterns and prevent your automation project from failing,” Iske said.

The Added Value of Digitalization
Automation is only successful when people see its added value. Even in healthcare, solutions are only used when the added value is clear. This remains true even with the rise of AI. Think of AI as complementary intelligence that can increase the impact of automation, provided its added value is recognized.

User-friendliness is Crucial
Gerbrand van de Beek, Chief Digital Officer at Mental Care Group, emphasizes the importance of user-friendliness. “Client portals should invite interaction and give clients insight into their treatment journey in a user-friendly way. Only with sufficient emphasis on usability can clients be optimally supported, thus the automation solution offers real added value.”

Buy or Build Software?
Choosing between buying software or developing custom solutions is a strategic choice that determines the success of automation projects. Charles Bronzwaer, partner at Ciphix and low-code pioneer, explains: “Purchased applications must fit seamlessly with the healthcare institution’s work processes. Customized low-code applications can fully support specific work processes, significantly reducing the chance of failure.”

Conclusion
Automation can help healthcare providers free up more time for clients by reducing administrative burdens, provided projects are executed properly. Successful automation requires clear project objectives, timely recognition of failure patterns, innovation and risk appetite within the team, and choosing the right software that optimally matches work processes. Only with this approach will the added value of automation in healthcare be fully utilized.