Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Hospital Administrative Systems: A Scoping Review

Background: Hospital administrative processes including billing, scheduling, and medical records management—are critical to health system performance but are often characterized by inefficiencies, high operational costs, and workforce burden. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies, including robotic process automation (RPA) and natural language processing (NLP), have emerged as potential solutions to streamline these processes and enhance productivity.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on the use of AI and automation in hospital administrative functions, focusing on efficiency gains, cost savings, implementation barriers, and ethical and regulatory considerations.

Methods: A scoping search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted across major electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Studies published between 2015 and 2025 that examined AI-based or automation-driven interventions in hospital administrative settings were included. Eligible studies addressed applications in billing, scheduling, records management, hospital information systems, or workflow optimization. Data was extracted and synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity in study designs and outcome measures.

Results: The review identified substantial evidence that AI and automation improve administrative efficiency through reduction of processing time, minimization of manual errors, and optimization of resource allocation. RPA demonstrated significant benefits in billing and claims processing, while NLP enhanced documentation accuracy and records retrieval. Several studies reported measurable cost savings and productivity improvements following implementation. However, common barriers included integration challenges with legacy systems, limited interoperability, data quality concerns, staff resistance, insufficient training, high upfront costs, and uncertain short-term return on investment. Regulatory and governance challenges, particularly data protection compliance and algorithm transparency were also frequently highlighted.

Conclusion: AI and automation technologies show considerable promise in transforming hospital administrative processes by improving efficiency and reducing operational costs. Nevertheless, successful implementation requires strong governance frameworks, workforce capacity building, financial planning, and ethical oversight. Future research should focus on longitudinal cost-effectiveness evaluations and context-specific implementation strategies, particularly in resource-limited health systems.