AHS Gains Global Recognition for Time-Saving Innovation
June 3, 2024
Jesse Tutt, the Program Director of Intelligent Automation at Alberta Health Services (AHS), proudly displays the newest addition to AHS’s awards collection: the Legend Award from the SS&C Blue Prism Customer Excellence Awards, received in May.
The recent accolade marks another significant achievement as the AHS Gains Global Recognition for Time-Saving Innovation, which has earned the Legend Award. It has received the award for its innovative use of intelligent automation to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing healthcare staff to focus on more complex duties.
The SS&C Blue Prism Customer Excellence Awards, held in New York City, honoured AHS with the Legend Award, a distinction comparable to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“It’s an exciting accomplishment for the organization, especially for those involved in championing this work,” says Penny Rae, Chief Information Officer.
AHS’s intelligent automation initiatives are powered by software from SS&C Blue Prism, a leader in the field. The award judges praised AHS for being a transformative force and for its innovative applications of intelligent automation.
Commenting on the award, the judges of the Legendary Award noted that “AHS is a true agent of change and utilizes intelligent automation in smart and innovative ways.”
AHS’s previous accolades include the SS&C Blue Prism Customer Excellence Award for Best Value Driver and the America’s All-Star Award for Best Newcomer.
Jesse Tutt, who heads the Intelligent Automation team, has also received the SS&C Blue Prism Change Agent Award for his pioneering work and dedication to training future automation leaders. Tutt regularly recruits computer science students from Alberta universities, providing them with hands-on experience in robotic process automation (RPA).
AHS’s journey into RPA began during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially automating HR processes to support the rapid expansion of the workforce.
“We’ve come a long way since we first started exploring robotic process automation and how it could be used within AHS,” says Glen Shortt, Executive Director of Centres of Expertise and IT Corporate Services.
Currently, AHS employs over 34 automations, completing tasks that would have taken staff across nine departments 170 years to perform manually.
“Robotic process automation technology can mimic the work that people do, like mouse clicks or keystrokes for simple, repetitive tasks,” explains Tutt. “By automating these manual tasks, which can be boring, we’re able to create capacity for staff to focus on other work that may be more engaging or interesting for them.”
Tutt and his team continue to encourage staff to suggest automation ideas, aiming to further advance the use of intelligent automation across the organization. This includes automating processes in clinical areas such as staff scheduling, data loading into Connect Care, granting access, and clinician onboarding.
“It’s a lot of work,” says Tutt, “but it’s exciting work. I’m looking forward to seeing where we can go with it as an organization.”