How Can Automated Workflows
Give Clinicians Back Their Most Valuable Asset—Time?
You can give clinicians back their time by automating repetitive administrative tasks, streamlining data flows between systems, and integrating devices directly into care workflows. The result? More high-value interactions with patients, better outcomes, and a measurable return for health systems and the investors backing them.
In healthcare technology, “time” isn’t just a metric—it’s a multiplier. Every minute a clinician spends searching for patient data, duplicating documentation, or toggling between incompatible systems is a minute stolen from patient care.
A 2023 Mayo Clinic study found that clinicians spend nearly 49% of their workday on administrative tasks, not direct patient interaction. For health tech investors, this is both a market gap and a growth opportunity: platforms that reduce administrative burden don’t just improve satisfaction—they increase adoption, retention, and ROI.
In this article, we’ll explore how automated workflows—when designed with end users in mind—create scalable, sustainable value in healthcare delivery.
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Live Interview
What Administrative Tasks Can Be Automated Without Risking Patient Safety?
You can safely automate repetitive, low-value tasks like appointment scheduling, data entry, device integration, and routine reporting without compromising patient care.
Sandra Johnson, Senior VP of Client Services at Clinacomp, explained it simply:
“Automation isn’t about replacing people—it’s about giving them back their most valuable asset: time with patients.”
Automating these functions has measurable impacts:
- Device integration alone can cut data entry time by 30% (source: HIMSS 2023).
- Automated reporting can reduce manual documentation by up to 40%, according to a 2024 MGMA analysis.
When clinicians are freed from low-value work, they can focus on complex care decisions that require human expertise—a shift that directly improves patient satisfaction and outcomes.
How Does Workflow Automation Improve Clinician Adoption Rates?
Automation improves adoption by embedding itself into existing workflows instead of adding extra steps.
Too often, healthcare software “improves” processes in theory but adds friction in practice. By contrast, solutions like Clinacomp’s integrate automation within familiar steps, making the platform feel like a natural extension of the clinician’s workflow.
The result? According to KLAS Research (2023), health IT platforms that align with existing workflows see a 32% higher adoption rate compared to those that require major process changes.
For investors, this means faster ROI and less churn—a critical factor when evaluating SaaS health tech scalability.
Why Should Investors Care About Interoperability in Automation?
Investors should care because interoperability determines how much value the automation actually delivers.
If your platform automates data capture but can’t pull in information from other systems, you’re solving only part of the problem. Clinacomp’s architecture integrates data from multiple EHRs to create a unified longitudinal patient record—giving clinicians a complete, real-time view of the patient’s history.
In the 2023 HIMSS survey, 70% of healthcare leaders cited lack of interoperability as their top barrier to improving patient care. Platforms that overcome this barrier not only gain competitive advantage but also open up enterprise-level contracts.
When Does Automation Have the Highest Impact on ROI?
Automation has the highest ROI when deployed in high-volume, high-complexity settings like inpatient hospitals, critical care, and perinatal units—where each minute of clinician time is disproportionately valuable.
For example:
- In critical care units, automating vitals capture and integration can reduce documentation time by up to 60 minutes per shift, freeing time for direct patient care (source: Critical Care Medicine Journal, 2024).
- In large multi-site health systems, automating interoperability between inpatient and outpatient EHRs can prevent costly duplication of tests, saving millions annually.
For investors, these high-impact settings signal faster payback periods and stronger case studies for scaling into new markets.
Who Benefits Most from Automated Clinical Workflows?
The primary beneficiaries are clinicians, patients, and ultimately, the organizations (and investors) funding the technology.
Clinicians gain more time for patient care and less burnout risk—a crucial factor in retention.
Patients receive more attentive care and fewer delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Organizations and investors see higher adoption rates, stronger retention, and greater scalability across multiple care settings.
In Bain & Company’s 2023 healthcare SaaS analysis, solutions that improved both patient outcomes and clinician satisfaction had 40% lower churn rates and 25% higher lifetime value compared to purely administrative tools.
What’s the Smartest Way to Ensure Automation Scales with the Organization?
The smartest way is to build automation on a scalable, interoperable platform that adapts to new workflows without requiring complete rebuilds.
Sandra Johnson describes their approach:
“We partner to evolve the product with our clients over time, so it grows with their needs instead of getting left behind.”
Gartner research (2024) shows that modular, API-friendly architectures reduce upgrade costs by 30% over five years and make it easier to layer in new automation features as regulations, patient expectations, and technology evolve.
Final Takeaway for Investors
Workflow automation that truly gives clinicians back their time is not just a cost-saving feature—it’s a growth driver. Platforms that combine automation, interoperability, and scalability will win long-term contracts, improve adoption, and protect ROI.
For health tech investors, the message is clear: look for companies embedding automation into workflows clinicians already use, integrating across systems, and building for adaptability.
Those are the companies positioned to lead the next decade of healthcare delivery.
Investors seeking healthtech solutions that integrate seamlessly, boost clinician adoption, and scale without costly overhauls—Clinacomp is one to watch. Their “system as a service” model not only accelerates implementation but locks in long-term retention by evolving with client needs.
And if you’re an investor managing a portfolio of healthcare founders, PulsePoint Path can help you grow those companies with less risk and more return:
- Leadership Maximizer: Strengthen executive team alignment, reduce internal friction, and find the right strategic hires.
- Pathfinder: Conduct deep-dive SWOT analyses to focus portfolio companies on the right business strategies.
- Capital Readiness Scorecard: Identify cash burn risks early, organize operations, and clearly communicate value to future funders.
- HealthTech Showdown: Spotlight your strongest ventures in front of aligned capital and health system leaders.
About Sabrina Runbeck
Sabrina Runbeck, MPH, MHS, PA-C helps healthcare technology companies scale sustainably—without burning out their teams or running out of cash.
She is the Co-Founder of PulsePoint Path and works alongside a 12-integrated board of advisors to help founders make strategic decisions that multiply impact and protect capital.
Her signature 5D Integrated System helps companies move beyond one-dimensional problem solving—what they think the issue is—and instead, builds an Empowered Ecosystem across leadership, team dynamics, and systems alignment. This is how founders evolve from early traction to 10x growth.
Sabrina is also a TEDx speaker, former Cardiothoracic Surgery PA, and trusted advisor with over 15 years of experience in public health, neuroscience, and business acceleration.
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