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It’s easy to say you want no-code software. But there’s a lot that happens between researching solutions and actually building your first workflow.
We should know—we’ve helped more than 32,000 organizations do it for nearly 20 years.
In healthcare, there isn’t much room for risky solutions, clashing stakeholders, or failed integrations, which is why we’ve compiled this list of seven steps to streamline your transition. Don’t dip your toe in the no-code pool without reviewing these tips first!
#1 Organize Your Stakeholders
First, you’ll need internal support. To gather buy-in from your administrator(s) and other key stakeholders, you’ll need to prove how a no-code solution will add value to your organization.
- Understand the needs and abilities of your back office and administrative staff who will use the no-code software on a daily basis.
- Identify and share with team members how no-code tools can save time, money, and resources for each department.
- Cultivate no-code champions within multiple departments across your organization.
- Create a proposal that projects overall ROI, such as improving the patient experience or supporting interoperable data sharing.
- Coordinate with the decision maker who is responsible for giving the final yay or nay on your no-code solution.
#2 Identify Your Needs
Does your healthcare tech stack look more like a messy collection of apps than a stream of flowing solutions? The best way to halt mounting point solutions is by assessing what you truly need most. Start by evaluating technical gaps in your organization to identify the problem(s) a new solution would solve (and that your current solutions should be solving).
- Which of your healthcare workflows are working the way they were originally intended? Which workflows need to be updated, removed, or added?
- How much is your limited or inefficient tech stack costing your health organization? You may be able to recoup that cost by investing in no-code tools!
- Where would no-code tools be most beneficial in your organization? (Hint: Ask your back office and administrative staff.)
- What would your ideal timeline look like for no-code software implementation? Outline a plan remembering that no-code software is built to be easy to adopt and start using right away.
- How could you use your new no-code software to solve multiple solutions instead of just one? For example, you could choose an integrated platform solution over multiple point solutions.
#3 Consider Your Integrations
Your organization is dependent on tools for nearly everything you do, from onboarding new patients to sending referrals to invoicing for services. So you’ll want to choose a solution that integrates with the tools you already use. Here are some things to consider as you identify which tools you’d like your no-code solution to integrate with:
- Could data in your electronic health record (EHR) or healthcare marketing automation software be more effectively used if you were able to easily and quickly connect workflows?
- How well is the data in your priority systems maintained? Could a simple no-code solution help back office and administrative staff keep information up-to-date?
- Would you be able to more effectively collaborate between teams if your new, no-code solution integrated with a priority solution in another department?
Once you’ve outlined the workflows you’d like to build or optimize with a no-code solution, take time to make a list of any software you currently use—or would like to use—in these processes.
#4 Make a List of Must-Haves
No-code and low-code tools come in all shapes and sizes, so take time to consider what’s most important to your team. Maybe you need a tool that integrates with your EHR or a solution that helps you maintain HIPAA compliance.
What’s important to your organization? You might be in the market for a tool with:
- High ease of use
- Multiple integration options (including open API for custom integrations)
- Accessible customer support
- Quality professional services
- Transparent pricing (initial costs versus long-term costs) and high-value
- Ease of setup
- Scalability
- Customization
- Security and compliance requirements
- Reporting and analytics
- Ongoing maintenance requirements
- Agility and flexibility
#5 Research Solutions
Now that you know what problems your organization needs to solve and what you want out of a no-code solution, it's time to do some research. These resources will help you narrow down your search and compare tools based on your outlined criteria.
Once you’ve read the reviews and done your research, make a list of your top five no-code solutions.
#6 Schedule a Demo
Now that you’ve made your list of candidates, you’re ready to schedule some demos. Share your list of must-haves with the sales rep for each tool you’re considering and have them respond to every line item. Remember, there may never be a one-size-fits-all solution, but knowing where each one falls short or rises above the rest will help make your decision easier.
Take these steps to get the ball rolling:
- Book a demo.
- Start a trial.
- Have your everyday users test possible tools for usability and functionality.
- Connect with each candidate solution’s customer support or professional services to see what kind of assistance you’ll receive when you need it most.
#7 Implement and Launch Smoothly
Once your stakeholders are on board and you’ve narrowed down your no-code choices, it's time to make things happen! No-code tools are built to be implemented quickly and scale with your organization so you’re up and running in no time.
- Identify how you will measure the success of your no-code software implementation. These key performance indicators might include:
- The number of departments adopting the solution
- Time saved on workflows
- Reduced volume of IT support tickets
- The number of workflows improved with no-code tools
- Choose a couple of key workflows to test before rolling out your chosen no-code solution to a department or the entire organization.
- After testing, identify best practices for creating new no-code workflows.
- Task your no-code champions with showing fellow staff in each department how to quickly create and implement new workflows.
- Document the entire process from start to finish in simple steps and terms.
- Designate a person or team to handle all questions, concerns, and issues related to implementation.
Automate the Mundane So You Can Fulfill Your Purpose
It’s time to get back to the things that matter: caring for patients, finding cures, and supporting your staff—not wasting time on manual data input, approvals, or workarounds. Formstack has developed an all-in-one platform and data fabric that makes it easy to streamline forms, documents, and eSignatures so your healthcare organization can execute at its best.
Discover how Formstack helps you achieve your overarching mission, whether your top priority is patient satisfaction, revenue, or productivity. We make it easy to digitize any healthcare use case, save time, and do your best work for the benefit of patients, providers, and staff.
See what our single, no-code Formstack solution can do for your team.
