Driving transformation in healthcare with Intelligent Automation

Automation strategic leadership

In 2018, Sandra Schlösser was entrusted by the CFO Hafid Rifi of Asklepios with the responsibility of spearheading the organization’s automation strategy. As the newly appointed Head of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), she embraced this role with clear strategic intent.

With UiPath as our chosen platform, I quickly familiarized myself with its capabilities and led our first automation project, Schlösser recalls. Our objectives were straightforward, she explains. We wanted to get process stability, improve the quality of both our processes and data to alleviate employee workloads, and ultimately enhance overall operational efficiency.

Sandra Schlösser • Head of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Asklepios

With over a decade of experience at Asklepios, Schlösser has held several key positions, including Senior Expert in Financial Systems, demonstrating her deep expertise in SAP and project management. Her extensive experience uniquely positioned her to lead this transformative initiative.

Scaling automation to new heights

What began as a series of pilot projects quickly evolved into a comprehensive automation program. Under Schlösser’s leadership, Asklepios has successfully automated over 120 processes, with an additional six processes in the development pipeline. Her unwavering focus on continuous improvement and operational excellence has been instrumental in achieving these milestones. Schlösser’s forward- thinking approach has set new standards in the healthcare industry, making Asklepios a pioneer in automation. Recognizing the need for specialized expertise, Schlösser established a strategic partnership with Lunatec, one of Germany’s leading intelligent automation providers and a UiPath Platinum Partner. “While we initially collaborated with a global consultancy, we ultimately chose Lunatec due to their outstanding developers and deep industry expertise,” she explains. This partnership has significantly enhanced the scalability and success of Asklepios’ automation projects. Since January 2024, Asklepios has processed 1,700,000 transactions with a remarkable 97.5 % success rate—1,600,000 successful transactions and only 40,000 failures—demonstrating the reliability of their automation systems. These transactions represent the equivalent of 5,000 workdays saved in less than 1.5 year underscoring the efficiency gains delivered through automation.

Enhancing efficiency and precision

When discussing the criteria for selecting automation projects, Schlösser remarks, “In the early stages, we focused on automating repetitive tasks to free up employee time and improve process stability. Now, our focus has shifted to enhancing data quality and process accuracy.” While not all automations directly reduce manual labor, their collective impact on data integrity significantly supports better decision making.

Automation not only helps us manage increasing workloads but also creates additional capacity and improves employee satisfaction.

Sandra Schlösser • Head of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Asklepios

To date, Asklepios has saved thousands of hours annually while improving operational accuracy, directly addressing workforce challenges such as employee turnover and overall work quality.

Key automations driving results:

• Order Confirmation Automation: automatically extracts and compares data from emails and PDFs with SAP order numbers, verifies accuracy, and forwards relevant information to the respective departments for further action.

• Customer Setup Automation: automates the verification of duplicate customers and facilitates the setup of new customers in SAP, utilizing data from formatted Excel files received via email.

• Discount Alert: automatically checks all creditor invoices daily for upcoming discount deadlines and notifies the relevant contacts. This enables monthly savings through timely discount utilization.

• Goods Receipt Loop: the bot sends receipts to the automated goods receipt inspection, ensuring the goods receipt is recorded automatically.

• Posting Blocked Documents: occasionally, an SAP user blocks documents that cannot be posted. The RPA bot identifies these blocked documents and posts them automatically once all required information is verified.

• Vendor Mismatch: when the vendor on the purchase order differs from the vendor on the invoice (e.g., due to different worksites or factoring), the bot redirects the document to procurement to ensure the correct vendor is identified.

• Duplicate Document Deletion: the bot detects duplicate documents in SAP based on an information message and automatically deletes them, eliminating the need for manual intervention.

Pioneering AI-driven automation: the next phase

Building on its automation success, Asklepios is now integrating AI to further streamline its operations. The company is currently implementing an optical character recognition (OCR)-based solution to manage order confirmations, significantly reducing manual intervention. This intelligent automation reads documents, updates SAP, and communicates with suppliers, offering a significant improvement in efficiency. “The combination of AI and RPA—what we call intelligent automation—represents the future of process automation at Asklepios,” says Schlösser. Reflecting on the broader impact of automation in healthcare, Schlösser offers key advice for organizations embarking on similar journeys: “Start with small, manageable projects and build from there. The initial challenges will be outweighed by the transformative results. Healthcare systems are complex, so it's essential to start small, build trust within the organization, and gradually scale up your initiatives.”

Conclusion: A vision for the future of healthcare

Under the leadership of Sandra Schlösser, Asklepios has become a trailblazer in the healthcare industry by leveraging intelligent automation to drive operational excellence, improve employee satisfaction, and deliver significant efficiency gains. As the organization continues to evolve, its focus on integrating AI and RPA will remain central to its strategy, positioning Asklepios as a leader in the future of healthcare innovation.