Every doctor is familiar with the problem: Instead of concentrating fully on patient care, doctors spend a large part of their working day on administrative tasks and bureaucracy. Applications, forms, prescription requirements and documentation often take more time than the actual medical activity.
But does it have to be that way? No!
Thanks to modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, there are now opportunities to minimize bureaucratic effort and relieve medical practices. In this blog, we show which tasks are particularly time-consuming and how digital solutions can help make them more efficient.
1. Bureaucracy: The secret time waster in medical practices
According to a study by the German Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), doctors spend an average of up to 60% of their working time on administrative tasks. That is many hours per week that cannot be used for direct patient care.
The biggest time wasters are:
✔ Appointment management & patient communication
✔ Documentation & medical history recording
✔ Prescription and referral requirements
✔ Billing & insurance inquiries
📌 Example:
A general practitioner carries out 40 consultations per day. Each individual consultation requires an additional 10-15 minutes of administrative tasks — from documentation to recipes to appointment coordination. That quickly adds up to several hours a day!
2. Automate appointment management & patient communication
The problem:
• Congested phone lines — Patients often have to wait a long time to book appointments.
• Practice staff must manually manage, rebook and remind appointments.
• Many appointments are cancelled because patients forget their booking.
The solution:
✔ AI-supported online appointment booking — patients can book appointments themselves without the intervention of the practice team.
✔ Automatic appointment reminders via WhatsApp or SMS — This drastically reduces “no-shows.”
✔ Dynamic appointment scheduling — If a patient cancels, the appointment can automatically be offered to another patient.
✅ Advantage for doctors: No administrative burden for appointments
✅ Advantage for patients: Instant appointment booking without waiting time
3. Automate prescription and referral requests
The problem:
• Patients must call or appear in person for any prescription or referral.
• The practice team must process all inquiries manually.
• Delays and duplication of work due to missing documents or incorrect forms.
The solution:
✔ Digital prescription request via chatbot — Patients can simply request repeat prescriptions via chat.
✔ Automated processing by the practice team — The request is checked directly and digitally approved.
✔ Fully automated transfer creation — If a transfer is required, the AI can pre-fill all relevant data.
📌 Example:
A patient needs a repeat prescription for blood pressure medication. Instead of calling, he can send his request via the chatbot. The practice team approves the recipe with one click — no paper, no duplication of work.
✅ Advantage for doctors: less administrative work, more time for patients
✅ Advantage for patients: No unnecessary practice visits for simple inquiries
4. Make documentation & anamnesis more efficient
The problem:
• Each consultation requires additional documentation for the doctor.
• Medical histories must be manually recorded and transferred to the patient record.
• The dictation function is often cumbersome and requires additional editing.
The solution:
✔ AI-based voice recognition for dictations — doctors can speak directly into the system, the AI transfers the text to the patient record.
✔ Automated medical history assistants — patients can enter relevant information via a digital questionnaire before the doctor's appointment.
✔ Structured templates for common treatment cases — AI can automatically generate suggested documentation.
📌 Example:
A patient comes to the practice with back pain. Before the appointment, he fills out his symptoms using an AI-based questionnaire. The doctor receives a structured anamnesis preview, which he only has to complete.
✅ Advantage for doctors: Faster documentation, less paperwork
✅ Benefit for patients: More precise anamnesis, more efficient treatment
5. Reduce bureaucracy in billing
The problem:
• Settlements with health insurance companies are complicated and prone to errors.
• Incorrect or incomplete information leads to inquiries and delays.
• The practice team must prepare invoices and cost estimates manually.
The solution:
✔ AI-powered billing tools that automatically suggest the correct digits.
✔ Automatic verification of invoices to avoid errors.
✔ Digital transmission to health insurance companies to speed up processes.
📌 Example:
Instead of having to deal with piles of paper and incorrect invoices, an AI can automatically suggest appropriate billing numbers and complete the billing digitally with just a few clicks.
✅ Advantage for doctors: Fewer billing errors & queries
✅ Advantage for patients: Faster processing by health insurance companies
Conclusion: Physicians should focus on medicine — not on bureaucracy
✔ An average of 60% of working time in practices is lost for administrative tasks.
✔ With AI-powered automation, many of these tasks can be made more efficient.
✔ Doctors should use AI as a tool to relieve the burden — for better patient care.
Digital solutions such as AI-based appointment booking, chatbots for recipe requirements and automated documentation help drastically reduce bureaucracy. This not only saves time, but also increases the satisfaction of patients and the entire practice team.
Would you like to relieve your practice of bureaucracy?
Amplinome offers intelligent, GDPR-compliant AI chatbots & digital assistance systems for medical practices.
➡ Request a free demo now: www.amplinome.com
