Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is used in healthcare to automate simple, repetitive tasks like scheduling patients, processing claims, and managing data in electronic health records (EHR). RPA uses software bots that copy human actions in different applications. These bots can also work with older systems without changing the original software. This helps healthcare workers save time and do less manual work.
For example, hospitals in the United Kingdom saved 7,000 hours each year by using RPA to reduce paperwork. In the United States, healthcare providers use RPA to send appointment reminders, make patient access easier, and follow rules like HIPAA by keeping detailed records of all actions taken.
However, traditional RPA has some limits. It usually follows fixed rules and cannot easily handle tasks that need complex decision-making or unstructured data. Because of this, AI-powered tools are added to RPA to improve its abilities.
Many healthcare groups find it hard to replace old systems because it costs a lot and might cause interruptions. AI plug-ins help update these old systems. These plug-ins connect with RPA bots and add new skills like machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and predicting outcomes.
NTT DATA recently made a special plug-in that turns regular RPA bots into smart agents that can work on their own. This helps healthcare providers update many old bots without replacing the whole system. The new bots can sort insurance appeals, prioritize cases, summarize documents, and make early decisions on medical needs—all tasks that usually need people.
By adding AI to familiar RPA systems, IT managers can keep rules, increase security, and make operations more accurate. These AI plug-ins include automatic audit logs, role-based access controls, and encrypted data processing. These features help avoid problems from weak old software.
Still, working AI automation with old healthcare systems has challenges. Older systems might not have modern ways to connect, like APIs, which makes communication hard. They might not use updated security methods like OAuth or TLS, which can risk data safety.
One big problem is that old software often has poor documentation, making planning hard. Also, these systems might not easily grow or handle flexible automation, limiting their use as healthcare needs grow.
Experts say it’s important to carefully check systems before adding automation. Middleware or API gateways often serve as bridges between old platforms and new AI tools. They help manage data flow, security checks, encryption, and errors which old systems can’t do alone.
API wrappers can add a modern interface on top of old software. This lets old systems talk to new AI tools without changing the core software. This way, risks and costs stay lower while old systems get new functions.
Security and governance are very important for healthcare workers and IT managers. Protecting patient data and following laws like HIPAA and HITECH needs strong controls on all automated tasks.
AI plug-ins help enforce rules by adding role-based access controls. This means bots only do what they are allowed to do. Each task creates a detailed record, which helps with compliance and investigating problems. These records show who did what and when, which is needed for rules.
AI can also spot unusual behavior or fraud in real-time. Tools like payer checks, early warnings, and medication monitoring are part of these automation systems. They help reduce waste, mistakes, and abuse.
Security is also better with AI process tracking and constant monitoring built into automation tools. These find weak spots or strange activities early, allowing IT teams to act before problems happen. Using cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud with AI security frameworks supports safe and scalable automation.
One main benefit of using AI with automation is that it helps manage complicated workflows and makes better use of staff. AI-enabled automation platforms can handle many tasks at once. They assign work based on workload, skills, and priority. This improves how resources are used and helps make quicker decisions.
In U.S. medical practices, AI workflow automation makes operations stronger. For example, NLP can process forms to reduce errors in patient data and insurance claims. Predictive analytics forecast no-shows and help adjust schedules to improve patient care.
Hyperautomation combines RPA, AI, machine learning, and process discovery. It changes paper or partly digital processes into fully digital ones by smartly reading, checking, and routing documents. This stops manual hold-ups and data blocks.
Advanced AI automation can fix itself by finding broken parts and updating without human help. This reduces downtime and keeps workflows running, which is important in healthcare where delays affect patients.
The next step is agentic AI, which can make its own decisions and work with humans. This will change how healthcare front and back offices work, leading to better patient care, rule-following, and faster response.
From a planning view, U.S. healthcare groups need clear steps based on full system checks and risk control when adding automation. Working with technology providers who offer AI plug-ins that fit with old systems can make the process smoother.
Important points include:
NTT DATA’s work shows the importance of partnerships and cloud compatibility. AI agents can work across platforms such as Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud while keeping security and governance built-in.
By 2028, it’s expected that 15% of daily business decisions will be made automatically by agentic AI. Also, one third of enterprise software will include AI features. This trend shows more reliance on AI to help decisions and work efficiency in healthcare and others.
RPA alone has increased operational efficiency by 40% in many companies. When AI and machine learning are added, failure rates go down by over 50%. Healthcare can use these improvements to better patient services.
Companies like NTT DATA invest billions each year in AI research and responsible innovation. This shows their long-term plan to improve healthcare automation.
For healthcare managers, owners, and IT staff in the United States, adding AI plug-ins to old systems is a practical way to improve automation. Upgrading regular RPA bots to intelligent agents helps protect data, follow rules strictly, and make operations better, all while keeping existing IT investments.
As healthcare faces more regulations and higher patient expectations, intelligent automation is important not just for better workflows but also to keep services secure, rule-compliant, and focused on patients in changing situations.
It is an enterprise-grade AI ecosystem offering industry-specific solutions that integrate intelligent automation and agentic AI. It enables clients to transform businesses by autonomously managing complex processes, enhancing decision-making, and delivering assured outcomes across various sectors including healthcare, finance, automotive, and supply chain.
Healthcare agents autonomously classify insurance appeals, prioritize cases, and assess medical necessity. Future agents focus on early interventions, medication compliance, payer validation, and combating fraud, waste, and abuse, improving efficiency and accuracy in healthcare administration.
NTT DATA’s patented plug-in transforms traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bots into autonomous intelligent agents. This allows companies to upgrade existing automation assets into smart AI-driven agents that comply with security, privacy, and governance, facilitating AI adoption without replacing legacy infrastructure.
Besides healthcare, industries like automotive manufacturing, finance, supply chain, logistics, and marketing benefit. Applications include defect root-cause analysis, fraud detection, procurement management, and hyper-personalized marketing via multi-agent systems integrated with hyperscaler platforms.
The ecosystem is designed with security, governance, compliance, and ethical AI principles integrated by design. This commitment ensures AI solutions are trustworthy, secure, and aligned with responsible innovation standards to mitigate risks associated with AI deployment.
NTT DATA collaborates with world-leading technology providers including OpenAI, establishing an OpenAI Center of Excellence, and innovative startups like Rafay Systems and Kore.ai. These alliances enhance scalable AI infrastructure and integrate large language models for advanced automation and intelligent digital workplace services.
NTT DATA leverages multi-agent AI to orchestrate workflows across cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. This simplifies complex multi-agent deployments, enabling scalable, interoperable AI ecosystems that autonomously manage tasks collaboratively for enhanced operational efficiency.
NTT DATA offers end-to-end agentic AI services including advisory, managed agentic services, risk assessments, multi-agent management, and hybrid vendor environment support that guide clients through AI adoption and scale AI solutions effectively.
By automating sophisticated processes and decisions with intelligent agents, the ecosystem reduces dependency on scarce human skills, enhances productivity, and maximizes ROI while enabling clients to reimagine workflows with smarter automation.
Future healthcare agents aim to specialize in early medical interventions, ensure medication compliance, validate payer information, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, thus broadening autonomous capabilities and improving healthcare system integrity.