Addressing Staff Productivity Issues with Cloud EHR’s Workflow Automation Tools

EHR systems have become ubiquitous in modern health care. The United States now reports EHR adoption rates of 86% among office-based physicians and 94% among hospital-based physicians. Although these systems were introduced to improve quality and efficiency, clinicians often see them as a source of frustration and burnout.

Studies describe how EHR design frequently emphasizes billing and administrative functions over care delivery, resulting in archaic paper‑based workflows being “digitized” rather than improved. As a result, clinicians spend half to two‑thirds of each workday on EHR and desk work instead of direct patient care. 

Excessive documentation requirements and multiple clicks lead to “note bloat” and the phenomenon known as “death by a thousand clicks”. Alert overload is another burden; nearly half of in‑basket messages are auto‑generated by the EHR, and physicians are twice as likely to experience burnout when their message volume is above average.

These productivity issues hinder staff efficiency, contribute to burnout, and impede the patient‑clinician relationship. However, cloud‑based EHR platforms with integrated workflow automation tools offer a pathway toward relieving these burdens. 

By automating routine tasks and optimizing workflows, cloud EHRs can return clinicians’ time to patient care and reduce operational costs.

Productivity Pain Points in Traditional EHRs

Traditional client‑server EHR systems are often characterized by static interfaces and rigid workflows. Key productivity challenges include:

• Excessive administrative burden: Many EHRs replicate paper processes rather than redesign them. Clinicians must enter detailed billing data, answer numerous system alerts, and search through lengthy documentation. These design flaws mean clinicians spend more time clicking and documenting than communicating.
• Inefficient task routing: EHRs routinely send refill requests, preventive‑care reminders, and other tasks directly to physicians regardless of whether another team member could handle them. Delegating tasks through protocols reduces message volume; for example, one health system rerouted certain message types to nurses or medical assistants and reduced physician inbox volume by 25 %.
• Notification overload: Automatic alerts and messages can overwhelm clinicians. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported that standardizing and restricting notifications reduced the average daily alert count and saved physicians roughly 1.5 hours per week.
• Documentation complexity: U.S. physicians’ notes are four times longer than those of their peers in other countries. Long notes combined with numerous click‑steps slow clinicians down and shift focus away from patients.

Related: How Cloud EHR’s Workflow Automation Cuts Down on Manual Tasks in Your Clinic

Why Cloud Matters: Capabilities of Cloud EHR Platforms

Cloud computing delivers EHR services via networks of remote servers rather than on‑premises infrastructure. This architecture offers several advantages for improving productivity:

• Anywhere, anytime access: Cloud computing provides centralized storage and online access to services; authorized users can access records from any location or device. Easy access to a comprehensive patient history improves care and reduces diagnostic errors.
• Centralized data sharing: Cloud platforms facilitate data sharing across providers and systems. Transmission of patient information between care sites promotes rapid communication and reduces duplicate tests and prescriptions.
• Reduced IT overhead: By delivering infrastructure as a service (IaaS), cloud EHRs lower costs for hardware, software, and maintenance. Cloud computing reduces hardware and software costs and increases the speed of data access. Updates are handled centrally, so practices can quickly adopt new features without downtime.
• Scalability and reliability: Cloud platforms can scale resources dynamically to handle higher demand. Scalability allows systems to increase performance when adding resources, helping to reduce workloads during busy periods.
• Interoperability and flexibility: Cloud services use standard protocols and open application programming interfaces that improve interoperability across systems. Cloud EHRs are also device‑agnostic, allowing access via PCs, tablets, or smartphones, and they support add‑on applications through standards such as SMART-on-FHIR.

These technical foundations create fertile ground for automation. When combined with workflow‑automation tools, cloud platforms can transform the clinician experience.

How Workflow Automation Tools Improve Productivity

Workflow automation refers to the use of software to perform routine tasks without human intervention. In the context of EHRs, automation can eliminate manual data entry, improve coordination among care team members, and support evidence‑based decision making. Key categories of automation include:

1. Patient Intake and Appointment Management

Automated appointment scheduling and digital intake forms reduce administrative overhead. Patients can self‑schedule visits, complete pre‑visit questionnaires, and update demographic or medical history information via secure portals. 

This data flows directly into the EHR, sparing staff from transcribing paper forms. Automated reminders via SMS or email reduce no‑shows and optimize clinic utilization.

2. Clinical Documentation Support

Voice dictation, templated notes, and AI‑enabled scribe tools transform documentation. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have yielded “AI scribe” applications that listen to physician–patient interactions, convert speech into text, and generate structured SOAP notes with draft follow‑up emails. These tools leverage large language models like GPT‑4 to create complete medical notes within seconds. 

• The result is unprecedented efficiency and increased cognitive freedom for physicians, who spend less time interacting with the EHR. 
• In early deployments, a healthcare group reported that more than 3,400 physicians used ambient AI scribe technology across 303,266 patient encounters in just ten weeks. 
• AI scribes also facilitate more patient‑focused encounters by allowing clinicians to maintain eye contact and engage in active listening, while the AI captures details, recommends diagnostic tests, and drafts summaries.

Related: How AI Scribes Can Cut Documentation Time by 50%

3. Task Routing and Team‑Based Workflows

Automation enables care teams to work at the top of their licenses. EHR platforms can automatically route medication refills, lab follow‑up requests, or preventive‑care reminders to nurses or medical assistants. 

At one health system, creating EHR protocols for medication refills and delegating tasks to registered nurses reduced turnaround times and improved documentation completion. Standardizing and restricting EHR notifications, another form of automation, reduced daily messages and saved clinicians time.

4. Order Sets and Decision Support

Order sets, macros, and hot keys allow clinicians to complete common tasks with fewer clicks. The NAM report notes that vendor‑provided metrics such as mouse‑click counts and the use of EHR‑embedded efficiency tools can guide optimization. These tools reduce repetitive entry and standardize care pathways, improving both productivity and quality.

5. Revenue Cycle and Administrative Automation

Cloud EHRs integrate billing, coding, and claims management functions. Automated charge capture and coding suggestions reduce claim denials and accelerate reimbursement. Integrated payment processing and patient‑statement workflows minimize manual entry. Automation also supports inventory management and referral tracking, ensuring that supplies and referrals are processed without manual follow‑up.

Related: Maximizing Revenue Cycle Management with Cloud EHR: A Guide for Large Hospitals

Evidence of Impact

Health systems implementing workflow automation report measurable improvements:

• Enhanced productivity and satisfaction: An EHR optimization “Sprint” program that combined workflow redesign, efficiency training, and customized tools increased clinicians’ Net Promoter Score from –15 to +12 and reduced documentation time.
• Decreased Records Burden: As part of its “Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff” program, Hawaii Pacific Health asked clinicians to propose pointless EHR chores. Over half of the recommended modifications have been made or are being worked on. Eliminating unnecessary documentation and optimizing workflow procedures have been the main goals.
• Better Message Management: By reducing the number of daily notifications, the Department of Veterans Affairs was able to save doctors 1.5 hours every week. By standardizing alerts and educating clinicians on how to tailor notifications to their own needs, this was accomplished.
• AI Scribes Save Time and Money: With monthly fees of about $100 per user, AI scribe services provide substantial time and expense savings. A human scribe, on the other hand, charges roughly $2,800 a month. In only a few minutes, AI scribes can produce comprehensive notes and follow-up correspondence, freeing up physicians to focus more on patient care.

Best Practices for Implementing Cloud EHR Automation

Making the switch to an automated, cloud-based EHR demands careful planning. Human factors engineering and physician involvement are essential to optimization. Among the suggested best practices are:

1. Early stakeholder engagement: Collaborate with nurses, clinicians, and administrative personnel to pinpoint issues and establish automation priorities. The University of Colorado Health uses EHR optimization sprints, which offer scheduled time for user training, feedback collection, and tool deployment.
2. Redesign processes: Avoid digitizing outdated paper-based procedures. Prioritize team-based care models and assign responsibilities properly. Physician burden is decreased by protocols that assign regular activities or refills to non-physician staff.
3. Use SMART-on-FHIR apps: Add-on applications that expand EHR capability are made possible by standards like SMART and FHIR. Without modifying the main EHR, utilize these tools to integrate specialist programs, such as AI scribes, chronic disease management dashboards, or telemedicine modules.
4. Track metrics: Measure efficiency using keystrokes, mouse-click counts, automated data, and after-clinical hours. Regularly gather feedback and modify the tools as necessary.
5. Assure compliance and security: Cloud EHRs are subject to stringent security and privacy regulations. Strong audit trails, role-based access controls, and encryption that complies with HIPAA all contribute to preserving patient trust. Select suppliers who have clear data-deletion and security procedures.
6. Continued training should be given: Staff members are guaranteed to use automation tools efficiently through regular training and peer-led sessions. “Super users” and clinical informatics teams can promote and support optimal practices.

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