Electronic Health Reporter

By Thomas Thatapudi, CIO, AGS Health

In 2018, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a challenge to health IT developers and providers alike to “help make every doctor’s office in America a fax-free zone by 2020.”

The challenge was issued out of frustration with a vital workflow that remains reliant on outdated fax technology. Each year, healthcare providers exchange over 9 billion fax pages, driving an estimated $125 billion in costs across the healthcare system.

The continued reliance on fax technology is a persistent challenge for healthcare, undermining data integrity and operational efficiency. Studies by DirectTrust reveal alarming statistics: 30% of tests must be re-ordered due to lost faxes, and 25% fail to arrive on time for patient visits. Additionally, integrating faxes into health systems often demands manual indexing—an expensive and time-intensive task many organizations can ill afford.

Fortunately, automation offers a solution. Machine Learning and Generative AI are particularly adept at handling repetitive tasks such as fax indexing. While achieving perfect accuracy from the outset is unlikely, pairing AI-driven Digital Workers with human oversight ensures exceptions are managed effectively. Over time, as AI systems learn and adapt, they can assume more complex responsibilities.

To succeed, this model requires a carefully designed workflow that balances human expertise with AI capabilities to meet quality, timeliness, and accuracy standards.

Building the Digital Workforce

A successful hybrid fax indexing strategy relies on a carefully designed digital workflow model that effectively coordinates efforts between human staff and Digital Workers. The process begins with identifying the necessary technologies, which is best accomplished by observing human indexers to gain a comprehensive understanding of their workflows and unique requirements. This insight informs both implementation planning and feasibility testing.

Continue Reading