Introduction to Automated Software Testing in Healthcare
Healthcare IT software must meet rigorous standards for accuracy, security, and regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, FDA, ONC). Because healthcare applications operate within diverse client-specific configurations (integrating with EHRs, payer systems, and custom workflows), frequent, well-tested updates and rapid release cycles are critical. However, frequent updates increase the risk of regression issues, where new features may unintentionally disrupt existing functionality. Regression testing helps mitigate these risks, but manual testing, particularly for complex workflows, often slows releases. Robust automated software testing in healthcare is essential to accelerate testing, maintain software quality, and optimize costs without compromising compliance or security.
Automated software testing is a critical part of healthcare IT and offers proven improvements in testing, accuracy, agility, and coverage. A survey by Gartner1 revealed that organizations implementing test automation experienced a 43% increase in test accuracy, a 42% increase in test accuracy, and a 40% expansion in test coverage. However, despite these benefits, 15% of healthcare providers2 surveyed by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) adopted test automation platforms. 80% of early adopters of test automation from the same survey have expressed confidence in their organization’s ability to scale testing to meeting emerging requirements. The data highlights the transformative potential of automated testing in meeting the rigorous standards of healthcare software development.
In this blog, we will highlight how manual testing falls short and how automated testing can be transformative, followed by a brief case study.
Why Manual Testing Falls Short in Healthcare IT
Healthcare applications are uniquely complex due to their intricate workflows and integrations with EHRs, billing systems, lab systems, pharmacy management, and payer portals. Additionally, they must comply with stringent regulations like HIPAA, FDA requirements, and ONC certification standards. These applications must continuously adapt to evolving interoperability frameworks (HL7, FHIR), payer policy changes, and customer-driven enhancements.
However, manual testing presents significant challenges. It is time-consuming and struggles to keep up with frequent updates and regression testing needs, leading to deployment delays. Manual processes are also prone to human errors, inconsistent test execution, and gaps in test coverage, increasing the risk of compliance issues, interoperability failures, or performance bottlenecks. Finally, ongoing manual testing efforts are resource-intensive and costly, making it difficult to scale efficiently. All these factors necessitate test automation services in healthcare IT.
The Transformative Effects of Automated Software Testing in Healthcare
This is where automated testing holds a distinct advantage. Let’s explore how automated testing revolutionizes healthcare software with its multi-faceted benefits.
- Accelerating Release Cycles
Automated testing significantly shortens test cycles, enabling healthcare IT teams to release updates more frequently without compromising quality. It seamlessly integrates with agile methodologies and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring rapid validation of updates. Additionally, it accelerates the validation of security patches and compliance-related updates, reducing potential vulnerabilities.
2. Improving Accuracy & Reducing Risks
Automated testing eliminates human errors, ensuring consistent accuracy in critical healthcare workflows, such as:
- Claims processing (EDI & B2B validation)
- EHR clinical workflows (lab results, medication orders, and patient records)
- Interoperability standards (HL7 & FHIR message integrity)
By maintaining precision across these areas, automated testing mitigates risks and enhances overall software reliability.
3. Lowering Long-Term Costs
Despite the initial investment, test automation significantly reduces long-term testing costs. By eliminating repetitive manual testing, detecting bugs early, and reducing rework, it allows QA teams to focus on high-value exploratory testing that enhances software quality.
4. Supporting Scalable and Continuous Testing
As healthcare software scales, automated testing facilitates parallel execution across multiple devices, environments, and configurations. It enables performance testing to ensure scalability and stability under peak loads. Moreover, regression testing proactively detects unintended issues after updates, ensuring system stability and compliance.
How HealthAsyst Implemented a Scalable Automation Framework for a HealthTech Solutions Provider
By implementing a scalable automation framework, HealthAsyst revolutionized the customer’s regression testing process. Despite challenges like multi-environment testing, cross-browser compatibility, and client-specific configurations, we built a tailored solution on their pre-selected UI testing tool. A Proof of Concept (PoC) validated feasibility, followed by a robust JavaScript-based framework that automated over 1,000 test cases across QA, UAT, and Production Support environments.
- Faster testing cycles, with regression testing completed in just two days.
- Higher operational efficiency, saving 40 days of manual testing effort per release cycle.
- Annual cost savings of $150K through reduced manual testing, leading to full investment recovery within 10 months.
- 85% reduction in production defects.
- Enhanced developer productivity, with regression issues identified and resolved within the same sprint.
Conclusion
Effective automated software testing in healthcare can help reduce costs, speed up Quality Assurance (QA), enhance productivity, quality, and save costs. Most importantly, it can empower innovation at scale.
If you’re looking to optimize your testing processes and drive efficiency, please get in touch with us at itservices@healthasyst.com.
Read the full case study here.
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References:
1 https://www.gartner.com/peer-community/oneminuteinsights/omi-automated-software-testing-adoption-trends-7d6?utm_source=chatgpt.com
2 https://www.keysight.com/blogs/en/inds/swat/2023/06/07/the-rise-of-automated-healthcare-software-testing
