Kainos Smart automation transforms compliance and efficiency post-merger for OU Health
90%
96%
10 FTE
83%
“Automation has allowed us to do more with less. We’ve been able to accelerate updates, manage risks proactively, and focus on strategic priorities. We’re excited to keep enhancing our system with Kainos."
About OU Health
OU Health, in partnership with the University of Oklahoma, is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system. With over 11,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians, OU Health offers Oklahoma’s largest physician network, providing advanced medical care and training of healthcare professionals.
Navigating post-merger challenges
In 2019, OU Health implemented Workday, covering key areas such as Human Capital Management (HCM), Payroll, Finance, and Supply Chain. However, in 2021, a major merger occurred, bringing OU physicians and their clinics into OU Medicine and consolidating them under OU Health. This transition added an additional 2,500 employees and heightened operational complexity. The merger resulted in OU Health becoming a new company twice within three years, introducing significant changes to its organisational structure. This posed new challenges, especially in managing supervisory roles, compliance, and data security.
Julie Barnett, Associate Vice President of Enterprise Business Solutions, explains, “When we brought in the physicians it meant employees were working in both clinical and academic spaces at the university, effectively with dual roles. We also had a large number of contingent workers managing clinics and offices for physicians who are now part of OU Health. We had to ensure that supervisory organisations were properly structured so that there was always an OU Health employee in the approval chain to ensure compliance.”
Following the merger, organising reporting structures became crucial. “Initially, contingent workers could report to other contingent workers, so we needed a clear structure to follow policy requirements for things like approvals,” Julie noted.
Moreover, balancing data access with security was a significant focus. Julie adds, “We had to step back, assess the landscape, and ensure people had the right access to do their jobs, while keeping sensitive data secure. This was critical for ensuring compliance with our policies and mitigating potential concerns about PII (Personally Identifiable Information) in Workday.”
The merger also introduced additional operational challenges for OU Health such as segregation of duties, especially as the organisation scaled and BAU (business-as-usual) tasks piled up. Julie explained, "We had overlapping responsibilities in small operational areas. In some cases, employees had the ability to both request and approve payments. These issues surfaced after implementation, particularly during audits."
Automation to drive efficiency
To manage the increased complexity, OU Health partnered with Kainos and deployed Smart automation tools - Smart Test, Smart Audit, and Smart Shield - focusing on automating change management, compliance, and integrations. The automation solution quickly streamlined the organisation’s Workday processes, reducing manual workloads and improving efficiency.
“Automation allowed us to plan, test, and implement updates faster, minimising disruptions,” Julie shared. “Smart Test made change management seamless, cutting down on manual work significantly by automating thousands of tests.”
Ensuring proactive compliance
One of the most significant benefits came from Smart Audit, which automated security audits, ensuring compliance across all roles, including contingent workers. Julie highlighted the importance of this feature, "With Smart Audit, I don't really have to lift a finger to audit the contingent workers. The system automatically audits roles, responsibilities, and processes, ensuring compliance from day one or even day fifty after the reorganisation. It’s incredibly proactive and ensures we're always on top of potential issues."
Julie also noted the broader impact on the organisation, “We’re proactively auditing our systems to ensure appropriate access and catch any mistakes. This isn't just limited to Workday - it affects everything across OU Health. Every employee uses Workday in some way, and I need to be able to tell them, ‘Your data is safe, and we’re managing it responsibly.’ Smart Audit helps me deliver that confidence.”
Efficiency and compliance transformed
The implementation of Kainos Smart automation tools had a transformative impact at OU Health, resulting in significant improvements in operational efficiency and compliance management.
• Change management efficiency: Automation allows OU Health to run 35,000 tests during Workday updates. "We were able to complete all the testing that would’ve needed 21 people manually,” Julie shared. "This significantly reduces staffing needs and rework."
• Enhanced security and compliance: Automation enables 198 daily control checks and has reduced what would be the equivalent team size from 10 to one. "Smart Audit saves us 83% of the effort required for control checks. It also cuts prep time for audits from weeks to minutes," Julie emphasised.
• Streamlined integrations maintenance: Managing over 1,700 daily integrations, Smart automation reduces manual work by 96% and defects by 80%. “Automation gives us confidence in our data flow, with issues detected and resolved swiftly,” Julie said.
Deepening the Kainos partnership
Looking ahead, OU Health is focused on continuing its automation journey. It plans to further optimise processes with AI-powered tools to meet emerging challenges. Expanding Smart Shield’s data privacy features and refining audit procedures are also on the horizon.
“Automation has allowed us to do more with less,” Julie concluded. “We’ve been able to accelerate updates, manage risks proactively, and focus on strategic priorities. We’re excited to keep enhancing our system with Kainos.”