Situation
Our client, a leading group of Swiss private clinics, commissioned us to digitalize and optimize the invoicing process of one of their establishment. A customized digital solution was developed that makes the process faster, paperless and less error-prone. Encouraged by this success, our client immediately wanted us to extend this solution to the other clinics in the group.
Twelve other establishments had to switch to a fully digital invoicing process within 18 months. Open Web Technology was asked to adapt the solution to a larger number of clinics and lead the transformation among them.
Approach
The following approach has been applied successively to each establishment to ensure a seamless transition and minimize disruption to daily medical activities.
1. Analysis of the current invoicing process
While the core processes in all clinics are similar, each structure has its own subtleties resulting from the specialization of the clinic, regional laws and historical practice. Interviews with several stakeholders and potential users of the solution provided us with detailed information about the invoicing process.
2. Presentation of the solution and future process
The future digitized processes were extensively investigated to identify challenges during the transformation and to propose timely solutions ranging from additional developments to the redesign of the processes. Stakeholders were also invited to visit the solution in other clinics, exchange views on the change process and obtain feedback on the solution.
3. Training of the users
With a clear picture of what the previous process was and what it would look like after digitalization, our consultants went to the site to train the nurses, accountants and doctors who would benefit from the new process. Our consultants accompanied them in their daily tasks and explained in detail what would change in their daily work, dispelled their concerns and ensured that each of them became accustomed to the new solution before its introduction.
4. Parallel invoicing using both systems
In order to ensure a smooth transition and avoid invoicing losses, a period of parallel invoicing was prescribed for each clinic. During this time, random patients are billed according to both the old and the new process and the output is compared. This last safeguard would highlight any remaining billing particularity as well as the financial benefits of the digital solution. Once the stakeholders were confident of the strength of the solution, the paper process was dropped, and the digitalized billing process was completely established.
Thanks to the work of Open Web Technology, the billing process of twelve clinics is now paperless and much more efficient. The key points on which the transformation depended were to:
- Understand in depth the process you want to transform
- Involve all stakeholders from the very beginning
- Ensure a smooth transition and consider the needs of users
Learn more about digitalisation in healthcare here or read more healthcare cases here
