5 Ways to Improve Quality by Connecting Technology Systems

How Process Improvement Enables Data Flow in Your Hospital

Upcoming webcast featuring Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO at eHealth Initiative and J. Brian Patsy, President and CEO of Streamline Health will highlight and discuss the ways that process automation manages information and data sharing between multiple, non communicating systems.

The quality of healthcare and patient safety has the potential to improve greatly by connecting different technology systems so they can easily and seamlessly exchange information. Health Information Technology plays a vital role in delivering quality patient experiences and improving the efficiencies within a hospital. 

Other topics include: Greatest challenges faced by hospitals today as it pertains to Health Information Technology systems How connecting technology systems within a hospital can lead to operational efficiencies, reduced costs, and error avoidance Where Process Improvement fits into the hospital system infrastructure and optimal deployment Practical applications of process improvement solutions across hospitals Best practices and successful strategies for implementing technology solutions in hospitals

You are invited to attend the webcast "5 Ways to Improve Quality by Connecting Technology Systems -How Process Improvement Enables Data Flow in Your Hospital" to learn from the experts how Process improvement can fill in the gaps and be the glue to connect your disconnected healthcare systems.  

DATE: Thursday, February 4, 2010

TIME: 11 am EST

COST: FREE

 

All registered attendees will receive a free copy of the video webcast.

 

Relevant Links:

BPM, the "Glue" Connecting Disparate Systems

Expanding Business Process Communications Outside Your Office

 

Mary Katherine Strupe
Marketing Coordinator
Ultimus

BPM Suites Provide Value To Technology Partners

I have learned after 10 years in the BPM space that BPM means different things to different people.  The varying definitions and wants of BPM come from the fact that different people have different needs for BPM.  While it is true the core value proposition for BPM traverses industry verticals and spans all companies, small to large, BPM solutions look and feel differently across companies.

This point is emphasized when you start to consider "out of the box" BPM Suite implementations compared to BPM solutions that are coupled or embedded in other solution applications.  90+% of the interaction and usage of a BPM Suite come from client and form users.  To this point, if a BPM solution fails to be adopted by the user community, then over time the ROI of that solution becomes limited (if you're lucky....if not then it becomes dreaded shelf-ware).

 
Technology partners and Application Solution Providers have specific expertise in creating and deploying rich applications for specific industries focusing on specific use cases.  User interfaces in these applications leverage industry vernacular and cater to the specific work-styles of application users.  Examples of this include:

• Healthcare applications include numerous data fields that are unique to the healthcare industry
• Call center application users mainly use the keyboard for all data entry as opposed to navigating through a form using the mouse
• Sales application users, who spend the majority of their time out of the office, require web based applications compatible for mobile device usage

Many applications today offer workflow components as an extension of the core application.  While orchestrating data and tasks within the application may be serviced by this extended workflow component, it is often the case that multiple applications need to be bridged together to ensure data is consistent throughout all of the company's applications.  A BPM Suite provides the best value to technology partners by integrating customized front end solutions with data and process orchestration in the background.

Two vital components of business processes must be shared as the business processes execute:  the business data in the business process and the metadata of the process itself.  For example, if a new credit card application process is started on Monday, 9am US EST, the following information may potentially need to be exposed for use in other applications:

A BPM Suite must have interfaces to allow business process data and process metadata to be accessed easily, quickly, and in native data formats (non-proprietary).  Some of these interfaces may be extensions of the BPM Suite itself and some may be interfaces with common existing applications.  Examples include:

• Open documented interfaces to the BPM Server / Engine components giving access to business data and engine events (as shown above)
• Integrations to Microsoft SharePoint for document management and security (where documents created through BPMS activity are saved and shared)
• Integrations to email servers and services where notifications from the BPM Server can be customized to include business process data

While "Out of the Box" functionality provides for rapid process deployment, having open and extendable interfaces provides the ability for a BPM Suite to "fill in the gaps" of a company's existing IT application suite.  A BPM Suite certainly can serve as the backbone of a company's IT portfolio, but it should not be the case that is HAS TO.

Relevant Links:

Business Process Efficiency Driven by Data Integrity

Dynamic and Flexible Routing in Business Processes: Unstructured Processes

Flexibility in a BPMS is Essential

 

Chris Adams
VP Product and Technology
Ultimus

Process Automation- Think Outside the Box

Often times I find that many people approach business process management and process automation with a closed mind. They simply fail to see the possibilities that are attainable with process automation. For example, just the other day I was speaking with a friend about work and the subject got turned to contract management. He perked up when I told him that Process Automation software is a valuable tool for contract management processes. As we talked more in detail it was like it suddenly clicked- processes- anything with a series of steps, anything that requires the transfer of information and/or work, anything that involves multiple users or systems - is a prime candidate for improvement and automation.

 

Process Automation Software is an improvement and management solution that helps internal processes run smoother and faster. It focuses on empowering process participants and executives with tools they need to get the job done more efficiently, including such things as:

• Alerts and notifications- let you know when something is coming due, needs to be approved or requires your attention
• Task redirection- promoting business agility and the prevention bottlenecks
• iBAM or Interactive Business Monitoring- allows IT and business executives to create and visually monitor key performance indicators of their choice in real time
• Reports- generate reports from a web-based module that allows the design, generation, and access of reports securely from virtually anywhere over the Internet, giving executives and participants visibility into every aspect of the workflow
• Systems communication and integration- takes you from multiple applications, systems or screens to 1 easy-to-use interface that connects and shares information with various software solutions and legacy systems

More importantly, Process Automation is a flexible and adaptable tool that can be molded and applied to virtually any role or industry, making it one of the most valuable tools you business can use. In terms of Contract Management, Process Automation software enables you to:

• Prepare, review and negotiate contracts quickly and easily
• Submit forms and contracts for approval
• Track progress and report contract status in real time
• Integrate and auto-populate finance and other key systems with pertinent information and data
• Archive contracts for future reference
• Reduce errors due to manual input and eliminate duplication of efforts

At a time when there is so much change in the world, it's nice to have control and insight into your core business processes and to be able to identify ways to make them better and stronger. Don't just take my word for it. See how others have been successful with process automation.

 

Relevant links:

Business Processes: Recognizing You Need Business Process Improvements

Reduce Process Rework with Role Definition in Organizational Charts

Expanding Business Process Communications Outside Your Office

Mitigate Risk by Modeling Your Business Processes

 

Mary Katherine Strupe
Marketing Coordinator
Ultimus

Eliminate the black screen: Your Company's New Year's Resolution

Recently I was speaking with a Process Improvement Director, at one point in our conversation a connection happened, he said "oh, you can eliminate the black screen".  Being in charge of Process Improvement he had seen a great deal of automation and the benefits it provides but he had also realized that the more he automated the more systems he had to report on, learn and use on a daily basis.  So, eliminating the black screen (i.e. having to switch from application, to application) rung clear with him.

It makes me wonder how many organizations out there are switching from system to database to another system only to find a great deal of the same information.

Imagine having everything in one place; imagine not having to use multiple channels to update or access certain pieces of information; imagine having all of your current business applications and systems at your finger tips. Sound nice? We think so. The ability to integrate multiple systems is one of the many benefits of a Business Process Management Suite (BPMS).

BPMS's streamline all aspects of an organization to promote process efficiency and effectiveness. This entails serving as a platform that connects and links multiple systems that may not otherwise communicate with each other. What does this mean for process participants?

• Less computer screens to look at
• Fewer systems and business applications to login into
• Technologies that communicate with each other, sharing vital information and data
• Less manual data entry, and thus, less human error

Integrating with legacy systems, operational systems, databases, and business applications, a comprehensive BPMS delivers fluid system networking capabilities to help your company increase productivity and reduce costs associated with rework.

 

Nicole Contardo
Marketing Director
Ultimus

Top 5 Reasons You Need To Automate Your Processes in 2010

Why Strong Companies Use Process Automation

2009 was a rough year for many organizations. As the economy struggles to recover and businesses continue to grasp for survival there are a few things to consider for 2010. Over the years we have seen struggling companies evolve into successful, stable organizations by simply implementing process automation to help with the economic climate and changes. Some of the benefits they have seen as a result that have enabled their continuous growth include:

1. Higher agility: Process Automation enables companies to dynamically involve appropriate resources, driving speed of execution, and enables them to to customer and market requirements faster than the competition.

2. Reduced Expenditures: Improving and optimizing automated processes enables companies to be more efficient by identifying and eliminating waste and bottlenecks that don't add value. 3. Greater visibility: Transforming manual, paper-based processes into electronic, automated processes enables companies to record, monitor and measure every activity within a business process effortlessly. This drives accountability and transparency into the organization, highlighting improvement opportunities. 4. Operational Excellence: Process Improvement reduces the unit cost to execute a transaction by streamlining business processes and allowing companies to better orchestrate resources, increasing productivity and revenues. Notifications naming responsible process users increase visibility and drive employee performance.

5. Better Control for Improved Customer Service: Process Automation Software standardizes working methods and provides audit trails improving managerial control. Improved work consistency and control results in better customer service.

Implementing a strong foundation with Process Automation Software provides for complete lifecycle management of business processes, facilitates integration across technologies, and imbeds efficiency among people, processes, and technologies. As we move into the New Year, process improvement is proving to be a more valuable asset than ever before.

 

Mary Katherine Strupe
Marketing Coordinator
Ultimus