How healow Genie will transform patients’ perception of care
Appearance isn’t always reality, but appearance can certainly impact how people feel about the realities around them. That is as true in healthcare as in any other area of life: Patients’ perception of the accessibility and quality of care turns out to be closely tied to the amount of time they wait for their appointments.
A 2019 study in The American Journal of Managed Care found an association between “decreased telephone waits with improved perceptions of urgent care access even without concomitant decreases in observed appointment waits.”
Think about that for a moment: The study found that even if they had to wait just as long as before, patients seeking care at Veteran’s Administration facilities felt better about their healthcare experience once they were able to navigate the VA’s phone system more easily.
Why AI-powered contact center solutions matter
Today’s medical practices understand that they must balance patients’ needs for on-demand care with the reality that they have limited resources. There are only so many providers, so many front-office staff, and so many hours in a day.
And that’s exactly why contact center solutions powered by artificial intelligence are playing a critical and expanding role for practices of every size, location, and type.
As First Choice Neurology, Florida’s largest and most prominent neurology center, continued to grow, they also began to see a significant rise in the number of patient calls — to an astounding 35,000 calls per month on average in 2024.
For a practice that is open five days a week, that works out to receiving a phone call approximately every 20 seconds. That volume of phone traffic would be overwhelming for any front office. And even if staff could keep up with the phones, they would likely have little time left to do any other work.
“Integrating healow Genie is like having a 24/7 attendant, reducing overtime work and enabling faster processing of important appointments,” said Jose Rocha, the director of the corporate business office at First Choice Neurology.
healow Genie: It’s about more than the phone calls
Effective customer service in healthcare is, of course, about a lot more than answering the phone, and healow Genie delivers, functioning as an AI medical receptionist by providing round-the-clock support and efficient appointment management.
healow Genie answers patients’ calls instantly, can provide answers to many common questions, and allows patients to manage appointments — all without any need for a human agent.
But Genie’s innovative and flexibility design recognizes that there will be times when patients need additional information or simply need or prefer to speak with a human being. Genie is built to recognize those situations and can escalate more complex calls to human agents.
United Digestive: Round-the-clock support at a large network practice
United Digestive, a leading provider of gastroenterology services across the Southeast, is another major provider that has taken a significant step towards enhancing patient communication by selecting healow® Genie.
With a network of nearly 600 providers and staff members, United Digestive is committed to providing round-the-clock support and streamlined healthcare operations for its patients. The implementation of healow® Genie will revolutionize patient communication by offering 24/7 access to vital health information through text, chatbot, or voice call.
The AI medical receptionist will assist patients in scheduling appointments, making bill payments, and managing medication refills or referral requests, all while lightening the workload of the medical staff.
That amounts to a powerful new tool for a practice network that fields more than a million patient inquiries annually.
Dr. Neal C. Patel, CEO of United Digestive, expressed enthusiasm for the enhancements that healow® Genie will bring to the organization’s call center efficiency.
“By leveraging AI call solutions to streamline operations and support our team members, we will ensure faster and more accurate responses to patient inquiries, maintaining the personal connection central to our approach,” Dr. Patel said.
Key benefits of healow Genie
Enhanced patient satisfaction: With 24/7 accessibility and immediate response time, patients experience a higher level of satisfaction. There is no more waiting on hold; patients’ needs are promptly addressed.
Reduced administrative burdens: By handling routine inquiries and tasks, Genie allows medical staff to focus on in-clinic patients and high-priority tasks, significantly reducing their administrative workload.
Operational cost savings: Reducing the need for additional staff and overtime work, Genie helps lower overall operational costs.
Ready to transform your patient engagement strategy?
For medical practices of every size and specialty, healow Genie offers a scalable and efficient solution to enhance patient engagement and streamline operations.
Visit https://genie.healow.com/ to learn more.