It’s no secret that healthcare is slow to adopt new technology, but it’s not without reason. It doesn’t get more sensitive than protected health information (PHI), so practices cling to the tried-but-true fax for sharing data, despite it being considered outdated technology. Still, faxed information is not available immediately, and when it comes to treatment, time is of the essence, not just for serious issues but for proactively keeping healthcare on track. Being stuck in a phone tree when seeking timely answers can be extremely frustrating for patients.
Enter the artificial intelligence voice agent (AI voice). This digital assistant leverages AI to understand and respond to natural conversation. Already used in various industries for customer service, sales and more, AI voice has matured, overcoming the robotic tone and clunky capabilities that made it unpopular in healthcare environments. Today, thanks to sophisticated development, healthcare is finally giving AI voice a listen – and it likes what it hears.
The Virtual Receptionist
AI voice agents are now being used to manage patient appointments via voice, text or email. They can also sync updates in real time to electronic medical and health records (EMRs/EHRs) for immediate data availability. This minimizes no-shows and the likelihood of manual human error. AI voice agents also ensure quality of care with automated follow-up calls and by routing prescription refills to the right provider for approval. Not only are AI voice agents available 24/7, but they can also answer common insurance and billing questions to improve collection rates.
Patients once frustrated by phone trees or being placed on hold no longer have to wait for answers or a live person with an AI voice. As a result, practices are seeing cost-efficiency gains such as reduced call handling by as much as 80%. And it comes in the nick of time as 15% to 30% of most practices’ budgets are being consumed by administrative tasks. Basically, we’re talking about a virtual receptionist, and one that not only automates functions and workloads, it does the job of many, freeing up healthcare employees to focus more on patient care.
Acceptance and Adoption
Key to healthcare’s new acceptance of the technology has been the evolution of AI voice quality itself, which is not only more human-like today but can also work with a multitude of languages. Also important is its greater affordability: It’s now possible to implement AI voice solutions without additional hardware or even software downloads.
Further, because AI voice agents can automate activities like call handling, not only are patient wait times reduced, but practices no longer need in-house or outsourced call centers. This, of course, eliminates problems inherent in managing call centers, such as high turnover, ramping up and training new staff.
There are upsides for smaller practices, too. This includes alleviating front desk staff from answering phone calls all day long and eliminating customer frustration from repeated voicemails. And with the maturity of the technology, security and compliance issues have long been put to rest – areas that have long stymied the technology’s consideration.
All of this is overcoming healthcare’s technology wariness and giving AI a voice and a time to shine. And the benefits are clear and powerful, including streamlined patient communications and enhanced satisfaction. Equally important has been the greater cost efficiency AI voice provides, which is now driving adoption.
Choose Wisely
When looking into AI voice agents, there are a few key things healthcare practices should consider. First, any solution needs to integrate with EHRs and EMRs and must be able to access all related documentation so patient data can be used in real-time. What’s more, it must play nice with all the key systems an entity uses for such things as referrals, scheduling, practice management and prior authorization. Only through this can functions be triggered and automation take over.
With the right solution, a medical practice can have an out-of-the-box AI voice agent running in minutes. Not only will it answer calls, but it can also quickly integrate with systems to automate a breadth of administrative tasks. This is facilitated by AI’s ability to process and synchronize data from unstructured sources – fax, email and phone – which is critical for workflow automation.
While investigating solutions, do keep in mind that recent research estimates a clinical workflow solutions market of about $16 billion will reach roughly $30 billion by 2030. With increased investment in the space, a gold rush mentality will likely set in, marked by inexperienced vendors with unproven technology hoping to quickly cash in.
Not only is having proven technology with AI critical to future position, it must work with all types of medical practices, partners, even pharmacies and tech companies. With venture capital flooding the market and healthcare straining under its own weight, the rise of AI voice is imminent – just be sure to listen.
