The economics of AI-powered workflow automation in medical practices

Healthcare providers are struggling with patient overload, labor-intensive tasks and communication gaps that hinder care. It’s estimated between 15% to 30% of medical practices’ budgets are consumed by the time, personnel and antiquated systems needed for administrative management. However, artificial intelligence (AI), if used correctly, can turn operations into a strategic advantage rather than a drain on resources and budget.

Key to this are modern platforms that leverage AI to process and synchronize data from unstructured sources like email, phone, and of course, fax. In doing so, workflows and patient communications can be automated, eliminating the need for staff to perform functions ranging from processing referrals to scheduling and managing patient requests. In turn, not only are operations streamlined for greater cost efficiency, providers and staff are freed up to focus on improving the quality and timeliness of patient care.

Not all AI is alike

Not all AI is the same and there are key traits to consider when looking to adopt medical and digital technology. Foremost, when looking at AI-driven workflow automation platforms, be sure they incorporate:

• Software-as-a-service (SaaS): This approach will make it easy to scale resources and accommodate your medical practice’s needs and growth quickly and cost-effectively.
• Pre-built integrations: Should work out-of-the-box with the top emergency medical and health records (EMRs/EHRs), healthcare apps and the data they hold.
• Ease of use: Should include a robust application programming interface (API) and have an intuitive web design. This is key to driving internal adoption and working with external partners.

Giving practices a voice

Navigating a phone tree when you’re a patient looking for immediate answers is very frustrating for patients. And at smaller practices, in particular, leaving and answering voice mails results in a seamlessly endless game of phone tag. This is where an AI voice agent (AI voice) that works with a workflow automation platform can pay great dividends.

AI voice is already being successfully used in key areas such as customer service and sales. Once plagued by robotic sounds and limited capabilities, the technology has matured. In fact, healthcare, which is widely regarded as a laggard when it comes to adopting new technology, is even getting on board. Today, AI voice agents manage patient appointments through voice, email or text. They sync updates so EMRs and EHRs provide immediate access to current data. All of this reduces patient no-shows and eliminates manual human error by staff.

What’s more, AI voice agents are now being used to ensure quality of care. They do this by automating follow-up calls, routing refills to providers for approval and providing around-the-clock service. AI voice agents are even answering typical insurance and billing questions, which also helps with collections.

When looking into an AI voice agent, again, be sure it integrates easily with EHRs and EMRs and delivers access to patient information in real time. It should work well with systems used for referrals, patient scheduling, practice management and authorization. An out-of-the-box AI voice agent can be deployed in minutes to immediately  answer calls and work with systems to automate functions. In fact, many organizations have found that they’ve been able to entirely do away with their call centers.

See more, help more

AI and workflow automation is having an impact on medical practices. Entities of all sizes are lowering call handling, reducing workloads and hundreds of staff hours monthly. And not only are processes conducted with newfound accuracy, customers are served faster. Simply put, providers can see substantially more patients and provide more care, all while removing a weighty burden from administrators.