Better health outcomes with AI-powered virtual assistants

Healthcare chatbot diagnosis

Chatbots are commonplace in the online retail space, but only now emerging in the healthcare sector. And it’s about time. Well-designed chatbots can help retain or attract new customers, communicate more efficiently with a target audience, and provide solid customer service.

The trend toward healthcare consumerism—a movement to make the delivery of health services more efficient, convenient, and cost-effective—means the industry needs to find better ways to connect members and patients. The good news is that, with masses of plan information and mounds of data sprung from digital health records, the healthcare industry has the input needed to provide enriched consumer interactions from top to bottom. AI-enabled virtual assistants for payers, providers, and members can help make user experiences simpler and highly personalized.

Steps to better health

Studies show that where and how a person lives has a greater impact on wellness than institutional healthcare.¹ Value-based health focuses on the determinants of health, such as diet, exercise, and the daily stresses of life, and relies on the capture, aggregation, and analysis of local and regional data to uncover value. In today’s era of consumerism, that means identifying where patients get lost in the labyrinth of the healthcare system and providing information to help guide them through it.

As such, the role of the payer is changing from a transactional customer engagement to an experience-based model to help drive better patient outcomes. Successful payers will be able to provide better experiences, resulting in higher satisfaction and better outcomes for plan members. This is important to the industry since value-based payment programs have increased industry complexity, making it even harder for consumers to know how to navigate the healthcare system.

Enhanced consumer experiences

Whether searching for a doctor in their network, asking a question about a bill that’s due, or proactively checking if they’re covered for an upcoming medical event, members often dread having to call their health plans for help. Their expectations for great customer service aren’t very high, and most members are sick or in need of care when they call.

The lack of digital administrative processes has heightened frustration for the new breed of healthcare consumers who have become accustomed to online bill pay in banking and instantaneous information when web shopping. In fact, 60 percent say they’ve requested expected out-of-pocket costs from providers ahead of care, but barely half were able to get the information they wanted.²

Price transparency can often determine whether a patient will choose to undergo treatment, regardless of doctors’ orders. A recent survey found that 82 percent of respondents who sought pricing information said costs influenced their healthcare decision-making process.³ That rate was highest among Millennials—those aged between 23 and 38—at 88 percent.⁴