The expected influx of millions of newly insured Americans under the new health care law will be putting a huge strain on already overtaxed primary care providers.  As IDNs continue to grow, and an ever increasing percentage of physicians and allied health care providers are employed by larger systems, the systems will need to better understand how to track, manage, and optimize efficiency of both provider and patient time—with a strong eye toward BOTH patient and provider satisfaction.  Accurately monitoring the patient’s progress at each stage through the clinic setting can use staff time more efficiently, in real time, and generate robust analytics to determine where greater efficiency is possible, and suggest modifications to scheduling templates that can reduce waiting times while simultaneously increasing patients seen.

Different automation vendors are beginning to enter this emerging market, including, Intelligent InSites, and GE.  Group Health Cooperative of Washington State, a recognized national leader in the delivery of efficient, quality health care, has implemented the Intelligent InSites platform at their newest clinic in Puyallup, Washington.  In addition to monitoring how long each part of a patient visit takes, and allowing non-physician providers higher volume, , the platform has allowed Group Health to eliminate the waiting room and let patients room themselves, further improving the patient experience.

Automating data collection, real time operational intelligence, and intelligent business analysis will be required to deliver the high quality, high satisfaction health care our health care system and payers will demand.