3 Keys to Driving Document Automation with Reusable Data

3/16/2021 Nicole Williams

Generating compliance documents in the health plan space isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Tight timelines, strict deadlines, governmental regulations — that’s more like it. The frustrations and roadblocks can seem overwhelming (and expensive), especially during annual refresh or AEP.

The good news? There is plenty of upside when it comes to generating documents more efficiently. If you’re pursuing the idea of doing more with less, give automation some serious thought.

Unleashing locked data in ANOCs and EOCs

Consider the content in your ANOCs and EOCs. These documents are packed with data that can potentially deliver greater efficiency.

The data that is “locked” inside these essential documents appears in a number of other documents as well. There are ways to automate the use and re-use of this data beyond the ANOC and EOC, opening doors for greater efficiency. 

For those continually being asked to accomplish more (with fewer resources) in a compressed timeline, this is welcome news. Chunks of value-laden data are living in the health plan document ecosystem. They are embedded in pre-sales materials, the summary of benefits, and welcome kits.

Leveraging this data in a more impactful way is truly low-hanging fruit for most organizations in this space.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: DOCUMENT AUTOMATION IN HEALTHCARE
How to optimize reusable data, drive efficiency, and maintain compliance

What it takes to produce automated content

Every step in the process of creating compliance documentation presents an automation opportunity. Automating content reduces manual labor hours and improves timelines, boosting efficiency — a top priority in document generation. 

To better understand the automation process, start by getting to know the three facets that are key to making it go:

1. Data-driven versioning 

Creating all the versions needed for ANOCs and EOCs can be a heavy lift, especially given resource constraints. The concept of reusable content can lighten the load.

The goal here is to link your data to appropriate document types and then use that data to drive the variation in your document templates.

So how does this happen? By looking at the documents’ pieces and parts and determining how they can be re-shared across multiple other documents. Reusable sections or paragraphs can be assigned business rules (basic logic), and with your data, automatically generate those documents and output all of your plan variations. 

There should always be an opportunity to make non-automated adjustments where necessary. But for the sake of efficiency, time-consuming manual editing requirements (especially those later in the process) should be minimized.

2. Approachable AI processes 

Q: What drives the ability to zero-in on reusable content? 

A: Artificial intelligence processes with tools that can analyze documents. 

Bots can be deployed to inspect different versions of documents, looking for variations and making comparisons. The data identified using AI gets placed into the content system as reusable pieces that are tagged for the appropriate document and version. Ideally, this process includes a human UI tool as well to manipulate particular variations in content as needed.

3. Optimal data management

Multiple data sources must merge into a single main data source to drive document generation. When using automation, there is a lot of value in all of that combined data and how it helps you generate documents. Keeping that data current and managing it across multiple document types can be a full-time job in some cases.

Making sure that the master document source is available for various other document types is critical, too. It’s not just about ANOCs and EOCs; handbooks, plan guides, sales quotes, and a whole host of other variables go into document versioning. 

The best way to manage this? Short answer: Centralize your data. Longer answer: This will most likely require a well-vetted web-based tool that’s collaborative by nature and can be managed by multiple stakeholders.

By bringing your data into a single location via the right tool will allow authenticated users with assigned roles to modify content as needed. It will also improve transparency into any updates that are made. Once the data is managed optimally, the potential for using it increases.

Reusable content: The New Frontier

After spending a good deal of effort creating content and centralizing data sources, you might wonder where else can all this work be proactively put to good use? And how can the content become even more valuable? 

Leveraging plan data from summary comparisons or handbooks to produce benefit charts is one such example. Here are a few more high-level and highly relevant examples of how document automation optimizes reusable data: 

• Sales quote tools – sales teams generating benefit grids on demand
• Sales kit workflows – digital sales kits, online sales, or brokers’ needs
• Multimedia bundles – enrollment guides with auto-generated microsites, commercial, and EGWP
• Related document opportunities – plan summary comparisons, member handbooks, plan brochures
• Standing order mailings (STOM) – additive to ANOC mailing
• All-in-one book solutions – technology to manage AIO programs

Unleashing the data that is locked in your compliance documents can yield powerful new efficiencies, including cost savings and improved timelines. With the right automation technology in place, leveraging the true potential that already exists is not only realistic but also well within reach.

Interested in learning more about document automation in healthcare (and how it can help your team drive efficiency and compliance as they leverage reusable content and data)? Then check out our latest on-demand webinar on this very topic.

 

Nicole Williams is Director of the Healthcare Practice for RRD Healthcare Solutions.