Exploring Intelligent Automation at Mayo Clinic: An Interview with Dr. Anjali Bhagra

October 14, 2024 – By Jennie Kung, Vice Chair – Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange

Automation is a key component of Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy, driving the transformation of healthcare. With a focus on a people-first approach, Mayo Clinic is using automation to tackle today’s challenges while shaping the future of healthcare. The Mayo Clinic Automation Hub plays a central role, collaborating across all areas of the organization to bring automation ideas to life, integrating and scaling solutions to improve patient care and operational efficiency.

In this interview, Jennie Kung from the Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange speaks with Dr. Anjali Bhagra, Physician Lead and Chair, Enterprise Automation and Medical Director of Enterprise Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EID), about the role of intelligent automation at Mayo Clinic and how it is reshaping healthcare delivery. Dr. Bhagra shares insights on the integration of automation into Mayo’s strategy, its impact on various roles, and ways staff can get involved in this transformative journey.

Interview with Dr. Anjali Bhagra

Question: Can you help define what intelligent automation means to our readers?

Dr. Bhagra: Automation is broadly defined as the application of technology, programs, robotics, or processes appropriate to a task to achieve desired outcomes. An example of traditional automation is robotic process automation, where predefined rules determine routine tasks and how they should be completed (e.g., outside materials management). Intelligent automation also uses artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models and generative AI, to learn from data (e.g., operating room insights).

Question: How does automation fit into Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy?

Dr. Bhagra: Automation is one component of Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy to transform healthcare by leading change with new capabilities. This includes delivering an unmatched experience to all who interact with Mayo Clinic and providing trusted clinical expertise and knowledge locally and globally. Automation is not new to Mayo Clinic. Throughout Mayo Clinic’s history, staff have recognized how automation can complement their work, enhance clinical processes, and improve patient care and experience.

For example, in 1972, Mayo staff asked if there was a better way to handle patient information such as appointments and registration, test scheduling, laboratory reporting, service accounting, report summaries, and patient dismissals. They wanted to eliminate the need for time-consuming report writing and minimize the creation, duplication, and processing of many printed records. Mayo Clinic’s Board of Governors approved a five-phase plan for an automated patient information system. This included computerizing the Registration and Central Appointments Desk and Laboratory orders and results.

Question: When you consider the different applications of automation, what does that mean for various roles such as clinicians, researchers, educators, allied health staff, and administrators?

Dr. Bhagra: Our staff plays a key role in identifying and testing potential automation solutions. Numerous automation projects are underway across our sites, shields, and core business functions. These initiatives are focused on workflows, documentation, patient care and safety, data-driven solutions for supply chain efficiency, clinical trial optimization, systems connectivity, patient care team engagement, and more. Some examples include:

  • Extending nursing workforce capabilities and patient engagement through virtual nursing (ViRN) solutions and automated bedside applications.
  • Transforming workforce management through automation in pre-boarding, candidate matching, and recruitment.
  • Enhancing patient access and scheduling through automated decision trees and improving document processing.

Question: How is Mayo Clinic leading the way for patient and staff-centered automation?

Dr. Bhagra: Patients and staff are at the heart of our automation efforts. Since its founding more than 150 years ago, Mayo Clinic’s primary value has been “the needs of the patient come first.” Gathering feedback from our patients and anticipating their needs is at the center of all we do. A pioneering spirit and culture of innovation are in our DNA. Our values of teamwork, respect, integrity, healing, innovation, stewardship, and excellence guide our approach to automation and have been foundational to our global leadership. Our staff pilot and test solutions to learn what works and doesn’t. We’re focused on meeting short-term challenges and applying sustainable solutions that can be accelerated and scaled quickly to support and augment our staff’s work and bring patient care and experience to the next level.

Conclusion: Driving Automation to Transform Healthcare

Automation plays a critical role in Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy, helping to reimagine healthcare delivery for the future. Under the leadership of Dr. Bhagra, Mayo Clinic is adopting advanced technologies such as robotic process automation and artificial intelligence to support staff and enhance patient care. From improving operational efficiencies to extending workforce capabilities, the automation work at Mayo Clinic reflects a long-standing commitment to innovation.