Ace the 2026 CAHIMS Challenge – Boost Your Healthcare IT Career Now!

A workflow describes how work items move through a set of steps, with who does each step and the rules that govern routing and timing. That means a workflow is essentially a formalized way of carrying out a process, focusing on the sequence, handoffs, and decision points that shape the flow of work. Because of this, the statement is true: a workflow is a process.

In real-world settings, workflows are used to automate and enforce how tasks are completed, such as in lab result processing or patient intake, where each step follows a defined path. There can be processes that aren’t formalized as workflows—more ad hoc or loosely organized—yet they still describe work being done. The key idea is that a workflow is a codified way to execute a process with a clear flow of activities.