At Becker's 12th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, Tessya Federico, director of healthcare partnerships at EliseAI, discussed the transformative potential of conversational AI for healthcare call centers.
Highlighting a significant challenge, Federico pointed out that 20% of calls to call centers go unanswered. This issue not only frustrates patients but also escalates operational costs. By implementing AI, healthcare providers can dramatically reduce hold times to under 10 seconds, allowing technology to efficiently manage routine tasks such as insurance verification and appointment reminders.
Three key takeaways on AI’s capacity to cut costs, enhance efficiency, and boost patient satisfaction are summarized below.
1. Automating non-clinical tasks can significantly improve the patient experience and workflows.
In the context of a call center, AI technology is transforming operations by managing tasks such as automated call handling, appointment scheduling, and patient engagement. Federico highlighted that EliseAI can handle up to 50,000 conversations daily and has managed 70 million calls since its launch.
Federico shared that operators are often overwhelmed and lack the time to address every concern. Typically, call center staff manage at least 100 calls per day, with each patient interaction lasting between 20 to 30 minutes. Considering that average hold times in healthcare range from five to 10 minutes — and 30% of patients hang up if kept waiting for more than a minute — Federico advocates for the integration of AI to enhance cost-efficiency and patient satisfaction.
"Imagine being able to schedule or reschedule an appointment and get your questions answered after just one ring," Federico explained. "For clinical questions, we still triage the call to a provider, but having quick access to information available on your health system's website is extremely valuable."
2. Customized, human-like AI voices are crucial for building trust and improving patient engagement.
Federico acknowledges the hesitation some individuals have about using AI, particularly in direct patient interactions. She emphasizes, however, that AI is designed to supplement call center staff, with human interactions remaining an essential part of the process.
To increase comfort with AI, customizing tools for specific applications is crucial for building trust and enhancing the patient experience. Federico ensures that every provider she collaborates with has access to a customized voice tailored to their specifications.
"If you want to increase access and encourage patients to answer your calls, it’s important they feel comfortable," Federico stated. "The aim is to make interactions more human-like. No one wants to engage with a robotic voice; instead, it should feel as authentic as possible while consistently handling operational tasks.”
This level of customization also facilitates faster and more adaptable appointment scheduling, aligning with the unique needs of patients. Text interactions have transitioned from simple prompts to a conversational style to further enhance the patient experience.
3. Choosing the right partner and integrating AI with existing EMR systems leads to increased return on investment
With EliseAI, each call is recorded and transcribed immediately after completion, seamlessly integrating into whichever EMR system an organization uses. This allows clinicians to access transcriptions in both audio and written formats. Such integration is essential for maximizing AI's utility and impact, facilitating efficient data exchange, and ensuring data security and compliance.
Federico highlights that EliseAI automates and handles over 80% of calls within the defined scopes of their partners. This results in an average reduction of 66% in costs associated with call center tasks. Achieving these savings involves closely collaborating with partners to determine their call costs, evaluate all call center-related expenses, and analyze factors such as call answer rates.
Handling an average of 60,000 calls daily, with each call traditionally costing between $4 to $8 without AI, Federico asserts that EliseAI can deliver significant cost savings while enhancing the patient experience. AI-powered call centers dramatically reduce hold times, improve appointment scheduling efficiency, and streamline administrative tasks, ultimately leading to better patient experiences and cost savings for healthcare organizations.
"It doesn't matter if the AI handles a conversation for 30 minutes or 30 seconds. Federico explained. “It serves as an AI assistant for your teams, maintaining and boosting office morale."
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