How the Florida DOH Reduced Healthcare Licensure Processing Time from 6 Weeks to 3 Days with Digitization

Each year, Florida’s Department of Health processes licensure applications for over 600,000 healthcare professionals — including initial licensure and renewals. Specifically, tasks included in this process are the handling of incoming mail, processing payments, reviewing applications, sending notifications, and issuing licenses.

These tasks need to be managed efficientlremy to guarantee timely processing of healthcare licenses. However, with the number of applications outgrowing the resources and manpower at the department, it became clear that a significant change in processes was necessary to ensure the DOH’s ability to provide services to their constituents.

The Florida DOH’s challenges may be yours, too

The Florida Department of Health’s challenges, outlined in detail below, greatly hampered their efficiency and threatened their ability to maintain compliance. These issues affect many government agencies and may sound painfully familiar to you.

Their challenges

• Tasks related to maintaining compliance were difficult to implement and track.
• The staff was overwhelmed by increased workloads and outdated and labor-intensive processes.
• Customer satisfaction rapidly declined as wait times for healthcare licenses increased.

Before Image API’s involvement, the typical processing time for Florida DOH healthcare licenses was about 6 weeks. When processes cause slow-downs, customer service always suffers. With the rapid adoption of technology by consumers, the expectation for immediacy is prevalent.

Challenge met: The results of digitization

Florida’s DOH was not only able to create a more efficient, streamlined digital process to replace the outdated, labor-intensive one — they also improved customer service and reduced their processing time from 6 weeks to 3 days.

Here’s how they did it:

• They digitized their information and files.

Using Image API’s content services platform, Axiom Pro, the DOH now has the ability to receive, create, store, and update both critical and administrative information all in one place. This ensures that those who need access can get it, but through security measures and updated access controls, they have a safe, secure, compliant, and trackable path to all of their information.

With an increasingly remote workforce, the ability for your team to access the information they need to do their job is crucial to their success and yours.

• They worked with a Business Process Operations team to streamline their document processes.

By partnering with Image API, the Florida DOH was able to work with our Business Process Operations team to create new streamlined processes and support services to handle their high volume of applications, notifications, payments, and more.

What Florida’s DOH new healthcare licensure processes look like after digitization

Utilizing both our document management system, Axiom Pro, and our Business Process Operations team means Florida’s DOH was able to combat their efficiency and compliance issues in the most powerful way by marrying digitized documents, new processes streamlined by digital experts, and support of critical tasks handled by Image API’s team.

Florida’s updated processes:

• The Axiom Pro systems allow applications ready for review to go to the Department automatically.
• Image API’s Business Process Operations team now handles license fulfillment once approved by DOH staff, sends notices for license renewals or application issues, and helps on-going digitizing efforts.
• Our team also manages mailing and payment processes, meaning we handle licensure payments. For the Florida DOH this is typically more than 280,000 checks and $50 million in payments every year.
• Axiom Pro also allows for automated notifications regarding compliance updates and retention deadlines so that there is no lapse, no update missed, and no document gone before its time.

Your agency can increase efficiency, too

Most companies understand that the way business is done is changing rapidly, but they also understand that failing to work ahead of the curve could lead to financial hardships and an impairment of the way they can successfully execute on their work.

• 87% of businesses think that digital tools and platforms will disrupt their industry but only 44% are prepared to handle the disruption’s effect on their services and their clients. (Source)
• Executives say the top three benefits of digital transformation are improved efficiency (40%), faster time to market (36%), and the ability to meet customer expectations (35%). (Source)
• 27% of companies say that digital transformation is a matter of survival. (Source)

Increasing workload, decreased staff sizes, smaller budgets, and more demands on customer services have businesses across verticals struggling to keep up.

Using digitization to implement digital processes that replace your paper-based processes will save time, cut costs, increase efficiency, and decrease waste. Many of our clients, like Florida’s DOH in this instance, also find they update their outdated processes during the transition and make room for better, faster, and easier processes that cause positive ripple effects across departments and services.

If you’re not sure what to do or where to start, start here. Our team is ready to help agencies like yours work at the speed of digital.

Want to see other real-world examples of digitization? Check out our case studies here.

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