Mika Roivainen Dec 30, 2024 2:13:29 PM 21 min read

Healthcare Payment Automation: Low-Code Tools for Efficiency

Healthcare payment systems are often tangled in inefficiency—manual processes, delays, and costly errors slow everything down. For organizations looking to streamline tasks like accounts payable and patient billing, automation is no longer optional.

Low-code tools are emerging as a practical solution for simplifying workflows without the need for extensive development resources.

This article explores how low-code platforms are driving efficiency in healthcare payment automation.

What Is Healthcare Payment Automation?

Healthcare payment automation is the use of technology to streamline and automate payment processes in the healthcare industry. These processes include billing, claims handling, and reimbursements, all of which are critical to the financial operations of healthcare organizations. 

The primary goals of healthcare payment automation are clear and impactful:

  • Improving efficiency by reducing the time and resources required to handle payments.

  • Minimizing administrative burdens, which often overwhelm healthcare staff.

  • Reducing errors in financial transactions, such as incorrect billing or duplicate payments.

What Are Low-Code Tools?

Low-code tools allow you to create applications with minimal coding, often through intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces.

Key benefits of low-code tools include:

  • Simplified Development: Minimize hand-coding, allowing users with limited technical expertise to build and deploy automation solutions quickly.

  • Flexibility: Adapt to diverse automation needs across industries, including healthcare, retail, and manufacturing.

  • Efficiency: Reduce development timelines from months to weeks, lowering costs and enabling faster implementation.

  • Innovation and Adaptability: Foster creativity by enabling quick testing, iteration, and scaling of solutions.

  • Agility: Respond rapidly to operational challenges, regulatory changes, and demand surges while maintaining process continuity.

  • Cost Savings: Reduce reliance on extensive IT resources, making automation more accessible and budget-friendly.

  • Healthcare-Specific Capabilities: Handle complex payment systems and compliance standards unique to the healthcare industry.

Low-Code Applications in Healthcare Payment Automation

1. Accounts Payable (AP) Automation

Accounts payable (AP) automation utilizes technology to streamline invoice processing, approvals, and payment workflows, reducing the reliance on manual tasks. 

In the healthcare sector, where financial processes have to often handle high volumes of invoices from diverse suppliers, automation is particularly impactful.

The benefits of automating accounts payable processes extend beyond just convenience. They include:

  • Eliminating manual errors: Automated systems reduce common issues like duplicate payments and data entry mistakes.

  • Accelerating payment cycles: Invoices can be processed and approved in a fraction of the time, ensuring vendors are paid instantly.

  • Ensuring regulatory compliance: Automated tools help healthcare providers adhere to strict industry regulations by maintaining accurate and auditable records.

  • Reducing costs: By improving operational efficiency and cutting down on administrative overhead, organizations can save significantly on labor and processing expenses.

2. Patient Pay Solutions

Patient pay solutions aim to streamline interactions between healthcare providers and patients, making the payment process more manageable and transparent. 

By automating tasks such as billing, communication, and payment tracking, patient pay solutions reduce administrative burdens and improve the overall experience for all parties involved.

Key features of these solutions include:

  • Automated payment reminders: These ensure patients are notified of upcoming due dates, reducing the likelihood of missed payments.

  • Flexible payment plans: Patients can choose installment options that align with their financial situations, promoting timely payments.

  • Secure online payment portals: These portals provide patients with a convenient way to pay bills anytime, improving accessibility and trust.

3. Claims and Reimbursement Processing

Claims and reimbursement processing involves submitting claims to payers—such as insurance companies or government programs—and receiving payments for services provided. However, the traditional methods of handling claims are often manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors, which can lead to delayed payments and administrative inefficiencies.

Low-code tools offer a transformative solution by automating and streamlining key stages of claims processing. For example, they simplify claims submission by automating tasks such as:

  • Data entry: Automatically extracting and inputting patient and service information into claims forms.

  • Validation: Checking for missing or incorrect information before submission.

  • Error detection: Flagging discrepancies, which reduces the likelihood of claim rejections.

4. Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is essential for maintaining a healthcare organization's financial stability, encompassing processes like patient registration, billing, claims submission, and payment collection.

Low-code platforms transform RCM by automating repetitive tasks such as claims submission, payment posting, and denial management, reducing administrative burdens and improving accuracy. These tools also enable proactive solutions, like identifying patterns in claim denials, helping organizations resolve issues and prevent future rejections.

A key benefit of low-code platforms is their ability to integrate data across systems, creating a unified view of financial operations and eliminating duplicate data entry. By accelerating payment cycles, reducing manual errors, and lowering administrative costs, automation ensures better cash flow, enabling healthcare providers to allocate resources strategically and invest in quality patient care.

Top Low-Code Platforms for Efficient Healthcare Payment Automation

1. Appian

By automating repetitive tasks, Appian reduces manual intervention, helping organizations save both time and resources.

Designed with compliance in mind, Appian supports adherence to regulations like HIPAA, embedding compliance checks into workflows to safeguard sensitive patient and financial data. Its scalability further allows healthcare organizations to adapt to changing demands, making it a robust solution for clinics and large health systems alike.

Key benefits of Appian include:

  • Reduced administrative burdens: Automating processes like invoice approvals and claims management frees staff to focus on higher-value tasks.

  • Improved accuracy: Minimizing manual data entry reduces errors, leading to faster and more reliable payment cycles.

  • Accelerated payment timelines: By streamlining workflows, organizations can process payments more quickly, improving cash flow and vendor relationships.

2. Mendix

Mendix is a powerful low-code platform that helps healthcare organizations streamline payment workflows while addressing the unique challenges of the industry. Through its user-friendly low-code tools, Mendix enables healthcare providers to create customized solutions quickly without requiring extensive programming knowledge. 

This rapid development capability allows healthcare organizations to build and deploy tailored automation systems that fit their specific operational needs, such as managing complex billing cycles or processing claims.

Mendix significantly reduces the administrative burden associated with manual payment processes. By automating repetitive tasks, such as invoice approvals or payment scheduling, Mendix helps healthcare providers save time and allocate their resources more effectively. This results in faster transaction processing, fewer delays, and improved operational efficiency. 

Key benefits of Mendix include:

  • Custom automation: Rapidly develop and deploy tailored solutions to meet unique operational needs.

  • Improved integration: Ensure smooth data flow between systems, reducing errors and redundancies.

  • Efficiency gains: Automate repetitive tasks to accelerate payment cycles and improve resource allocation.

eSystems specializes in helping organizations implement Mendix solutions, ensuring seamless integration and maximizing the platform's potential for transformative impact.

3. Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator is an intuitive low-code platform designed to help healthcare organizations of all sizes automate and streamline their payment workflows. With its user-friendly interface, it allows providers to build and manage custom payment solutions without requiring extensive coding expertise. The platform’s integration capabilities and automation features empower organizations to reduce inefficiencies, minimize errors, and focus on delivering high-quality patient care.

Key benefits of Zoho Creator include:

  • Custom Payment Automation: Easily build tailored solutions to automate payment workflows and address specific operational needs.

  • Seamless Integration: Connects with healthcare systems like EHRs and billing platforms for consistent workflows and accurate data synchronization.

  • Error Reduction: Automates repetitive tasks such as invoice generation, payment tracking, and reconciliation, minimizing mistakes.

  • Faster Payment Cycles: Streamlines processes to ensure quicker and more reliable payment handling.

  • Reduced Administrative Burdens: Frees up resources by automating back-end payment complexities, enabling a greater focus on patient care.

4. OutSystems

OutSystems is a powerful low-code platform designed to streamline healthcare payment workflows by enabling rapid development and deployment of custom automation solutions. Its integration capabilities and adaptability make it an ideal choice for organizations looking to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and scale their operations effectively.

Key benefits of OutSystems include:

  • Rapid Development: Quickly create and deploy custom solutions to address inefficiencies in payment processes.

  • Seamless Integration: Connects with healthcare systems like EHRs, claims management platforms, and accounting software for unified workflows.

  • Scalability and Adaptability: Evolves with your organization, accommodating growth and complexity without frequent overhauls.

  • Automation of Repetitive Tasks: Handles processes like invoice processing, claims submission, and payment reconciliation, reducing manual effort.

  • Improved Efficiency: Lowers overhead costs, minimizes delays, and allows staff to focus on strategic and patient-centered tasks.

eSystems helps organizations implement OutSystems successfully.

5. Unqork

Unqork is a no-code/low-code platform designed to make healthcare payment automation accessible, enabling organizations to build and deploy solutions without requiring advanced coding expertise. Its customizable workflows and seamless integration capabilities make it a versatile tool for addressing complex payment processes.

Key benefits of Unqork include:

  • No-Code/Low-Code Accessibility: Enables non-technical teams to create automation solutions without writing code.

  • Customizable Workflows: Tailors solutions for tasks like claims management, patient billing, and accounts payable.

  • Seamless Integration: Connects with EHRs, claims platforms, and legacy systems for consistent data flow and operational continuity.

  • Rapid Deployment: Reduces development time, allowing organizations to address inefficiencies and achieve cost savings faster.

  • Regulatory Support: Ensures compliance with healthcare standards through flexible, secure, and scalable automation solutions.

When to Use Which Tool? 

If you need a platform that excels at seamless integration with existing healthcare systems like EHRs and claims management tools while embedding compliance and scaling with organizational growth, Appian is an ideal choice. 

For the rapid development of tailored automation solutions that address unique operational challenges like billing cycles or claims management, Mendix stands out, especially with support from eSystems to ensure seamless implementation.

If your focus is on simplicity and accessibility for organizations of all sizes, Zoho Creator offers a user-friendly interface for automating payment workflows, reducing errors, and streamlining processes. 

For healthcare providers seeking a scalable, adaptable platform with strong integration and rapid deployment capabilities, OutSystems delivers comprehensive solutions for enhancing efficiency and reducing manual effort.

Lastly, if your priority is a no-code/low-code platform that makes automation accessible without technical expertise, Unqork provides customizable workflows, seamless integration with legacy systems, and rapid deployment, making it a versatile option for tackling complex payment processes.

Why eSystems is a Key Player in Low-Code Healthcare Automation

eSystems is a trusted partner in the Nordic region, specializing in low-code consulting and implementation. While it doesn't offer its own platform, eSystems empowers organizations by deploying Mendix and OutSystems solutions tailored to their needs.

Its expertise in integration, automation, and value consulting ensures that healthcare organizations achieve streamlined workflows, cost savings, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Ready to Automate Healthcare Payments with Low-Code Tools?

Efficiency in healthcare payment processes is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. By integrating low-code tools, you can streamline accounts payable, optimize patient pay solutions, and improve overall revenue cycle management. At eSystems, we specialize in helping organizations like yours utilize low-code technologies to achieve seamless automation and lasting efficiency gains.

Ready to take the next step? Contact our team today to look into how low-code solutions can transform your healthcare payment systems. Together, we can drive your digital change forward.

FAQ

Can You Automate Medical Billing?

Yes, medical billing can be automated using low-code tools to streamline processes, reduce errors, and improve efficiency.

What Are the Three Main Payment Models in Healthcare?

The three main payment models in healthcare are fee-for-service, value-based care, and capitation, each focusing on different aspects of reimbursement and cost management.

How Is Automation Used in Healthcare?

Automation streamlines financial workflows like accounts payable and patient payments, reducing manual tasks and improving accuracy with low-code solutions.

What Is the Payment Automation Process?

Payment automation uses low-code platforms to optimize workflows, reduce manual errors, ensure compliance, and improve efficiency in healthcare financial systems.

What Are Low-Code Tools and How Do They Help with Healthcare Payment Automation?

Low-code tools enable quick development of tailored payment solutions, improving efficiency, reducing errors, and simplifying complex healthcare financial processes.

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Mika Roivainen

Mika brings over 20 years of experience in the IT sector as an entrepreneur – having built several successful IT companies. He has a unique combination of strong technical skills along with an acute knowledge of business efficiency drivers – understanding full well that tomorrow's winning businesses will be the ones that respond fastest and most efficiently to clients' needs. Contact: +358 400 603 436

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