ERP in healthcare can ensure value-based services that are patient-centric. Data warehousing provides the means of capturing, manipulating, and reporting on key patient data, with actionable insights for hospital authorities to engage in efficient population health management initiatives. Appropriate data warehousing can help the finance team in moving forward with value-based purchasing and risk stratification. Proper management of electronic health records to produce reliable reports that can help in the revenue cycle components of population health management is made a reality with the help of ERP in healthcare data warehousing. Revenue leaks can also be plugged with the help of effective data warehousing ERP systems in healthcare. Healthcare ERP helps address IT threats and risks in all modules, including security breaches, ransomware, and unplanned downtime while offering maximum value to clinical processes.

ERP systems don’t just help manage patient appointments with high levels of accuracy, but, also help in automating the entire process. A digital assistant can be deployed to handle multiple appointments simultaneously, which is more cost-efficient, faster, and less error-prone in comparison to humans. A higher frequency of patient visits or calls per day can be handled deftly while promoting the positive image of the hospital or clinic among visitors. Software integrations with an app can be easily done and changes in appointments like cancellations or reschedules can be managed promptly.

Here are four ways in which appointment management has been enhanced using ERP system in healthcare industry:

• Automated Appointment Management System: This feature enables automated appointment time slot allocation based on the customer’s preference and the doctor’s/ physician’s availability.
• SMS Notification: The confirmation of appointment, rescheduling, cancellation, and any other communication can be done via SMS messages through integration with your AMS using the ERP software
• Re-confirmation Notification alert: Notifications will be sent through various sources based on customizations set through this solution
• Mass Appointment and Cancelation: During a mass schedule, the ERP-integrated AMS will help manage cancellations on time for each patient in the list.

It often becomes cumbersome to manage doctor consultations during peak seasons, especially if the availability of the doctor is limited. An ERP integration in your healthcare system will ensure that consultations are pre-planned, well organized, and meet the schedules of the doctor while maintaining records of consultations, prescription changes, alternative doctor allocation, and reports for a session. Session-wise consultation information can be recorded by the system to analyze how fast the consultations are being executed and what the average wait time for each patient is. It helps devise an improvement plan through which more patient traffic can be managed efficiently.

In-patient and outpatient billing activities are time-sensitive and need high levels of accuracy in hospitals. Any additions, deletions, modifications, discounts, refunds, collections, insurance claim details, etc. need to be incorporated in the bill automatically rather than manually. Even package billing can be automatically done for a patient ID that is mapped to a package. Multiple claims management is also supported by our solution that utilize the mechanism of bill splitting for a patient ID.

An ERP system brings absolute transparency in accounting and inter-departmental tabulation. The healthcare billing management module is used to centrally control all cash transactions, department transfers and multi-point billing activities of the hospital.

The benefits of an ERP system for patient billing include:

Healthcare ERP systems provide value-based mechanisms of planning, executing, controlling, and monitoring hospital supply activities.

A well-integrated supply chain management system promotes trust and collaboration among supply chain partners. A centralized ERP program can reduce the costs associated with medical tools, drugs, and healthcare materials and increase patient satisfaction while leveraging budget control.

Scenarios like the cancellation of surgeries because of the lack of supplies and delayed treatment because of the wrong supplies or missing equipment, and dangers of retaining expired products can be ruled out with proper SCM control. Inefficiencies in inventory management can be curbed by replacing manual systems with automated ERP tools.

Order tracking, minimizing delays, and faster decision-making is some of the important perks of a productive SCM that is enhanced by ERP in healthcare. It also helps the hospital authorities decide of a particular supplier is beneficial or not and helps in deciding supplier switches. Embedded analytics help make fact-based supply recommendations, provide tools to minimize stock-outs, and help integrate mobile apps to supply transactions.

SCM can be influenced by ERP in the following areas:

• Material flow – The movement of the products from the sellers to the buyers
• Information flow – Organic or controlled flow of information about the delivery system
• Financial flow – The flow of processes in the financial activities of the healthcare business

The Healthcare industry has to deal with ever-evolving and increasingly complex regulations, guidelines, and safety standards. The pressure to manage the safety concerns for human life and to keep up with the changing regulations with reduced incidence rates is paramount and mandatory to establish and enhance the brand value of the hospital or healthcare company. An intuitive ERP is the need of the hour to offer practical vigilance, strict risk assessment, and a control solution for drug and treatment safety management.

A pre-programmed system for Paediatrics & Newborn management, Surgical management, Imaging tests like X-Ray, CT-Scan, MRI and print/store their reports, Management of neglected tropical diseases, Patient Call logs management, Inpatient and Ambulatory Rounding procedures and OPD patient queue management, and more can reduce a lot of uncertainties.

Competent inspection programs and reviews can be programmed in the system with the following features:

The human resource feature of the ERP module for healthcare helps in systematic personnel management. A SAP-based personnel management system can be used for all aspects of personnel management, from simple administrative support to meaningful evaluation. An ERP system can be customized optimally based on dynamic human resource needs like managing employment contracts, attendance, shift allocation, etc. The legally compliant data archiving feature helps pull out historical data on duty rosters and staff capabilities to help the management in their staff augmentation and work automation processes.

The following are some of the salient features of the workforce management ERP unit:

The inventory management ERP module helps automate the procurement, consumption, and sales of healthcare commodities and support assets in a healthcare facility. Consumable and non-consumable, movable and immovable assets can be accounted for using this module efficiently. FIFO and LIFO management of resources are supported and all the purchase requests from various departments to the central warehouse are processed and monitored using a user-friendly dashboard.

Any stockouts, excessive stock, unutilized or expired products, and products that need to be consumed sooner can be identified in this system. Even vendor quotations and issuance of purchase orders can be automated using this ERP module.

The following are the important features: