Tremendous opportunities exist to leverage AI to improve healthcare and solve major challenges, in areas such as patient engagement, brand differentiation, revenue optimization and more.
It’s important to remember, however, that because healthcare organizations have such incredibly high standards for the services they provide, hospitals and health systems must meet those standards as they deploy AI solutions.
To learn more about the potential uses and opportunities for AI in healthcare, Becker’s Healthcare recently spoke with Kristen Jacobsen, VP of omnichannel engagement at RevSpring.
Becker’s: AI is dominating healthcare headlines right now. From your perspective, how should industry leaders approach AI adoption to ensure it delivers real value?
Kristen Jacobsen: The buzz around AI is omnipresent in conversations today. It’s a cool technology with a broad set of applications. But, to some extent, it reminds me of that old adage — when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In some cases, it seems like AI technology is in search of a solution. Just because you can do something innovative doesn’t mean you are solving real problems.
As providers think about AI, they need to think about using AI to solve important problems — like improving the patient experience, the staff experience and operations. I believe the best ideas from AI stem from solution providers that already have a particular area of expertise. Healthcare leaders will find the most rewarding and valuable AI solutions at existing partners and vendors.
RevSpring focuses on accelerating the revenue cycle, driving meaningful connections with patients and understanding patient preferences. We already have solutions and technology focused in those areas. AI provides an opportunity to take those solutions even further.
Q: What are examples of current patient engagement or operational processes that could benefit the most from AI — areas where it can enhance, rather than replace, what healthcare teams are already doing?
KJ: AI solutions are important in three areas of healthcare right now: staffing challenges, patients’ desire for convenience and self-service, and personalization.
When you think about staffing and the power of AI, it’s important to make the employee experience better. In the contact center, for example, front-line employees field inquiries from patients. Knowledge sharing can be accelerated by AI by helping staff find answers. The technology isn’t replacing employees, but it is augmenting their ability to provide great service and it lightens their workload.
When it comes to self-service, consider patients who need help at 2 a.m., when no one is working. How can we provide service at times convenient to them and automate those interactions? As we learn the types of questions that patients have, we can open up AI to support self-service capabilities.
As healthcare becomes more consumer based, how can we ensure that healthcare brands provide personalized experiences? AI is a great tool to mine vast amounts of patient data and better understand patients’ needs. With AI, we can match experiences to patients in ways that were impossible before we had this technology.
Q: How do patient expectations, such as demand for convenience, self-service and personalization, shape the kinds of AI applications that are most meaningful or effective in healthcare today?
KJ: At the end of the day, patients want convenient service. If they choose self-service, the technology must work. As organizations consider advancing the solutions they’re already providing, priority one is ensuring that AI-enabled solutions are as effective or more effective than what’s offered today. If patients don’t trust a tool, they aren’t going to use it.
We frequently survey patients about their expectations and experiences. One in five patients said they would prefer to use AI automation for routine tasks, over speaking to a human. When we asked them how long they had to wait for service from an agent or staff member, their tolerance increased and one-third of survey respondents were willing to try AI.
There’s a real opportunity for healthcare organizations to use new technologies to provide enhanced services to patients. As long as solutions are high quality, patients are willing to give them a shot.
Q: There’s a growing interest in the idea of “empathetic AI.” What does that mean to you and what would it take for AI to genuinely support more compassionate patient interactions?
KJ: We must be compassionate and careful about how we use AI for certain patient situations. We may decide to use AI for billing-related questions, but not for questions about a patient’s cancer care. The choices we make about how to apply AI to certain situations relate to empathy, as well as the technology’s ability to match the tone and emotion of the patient.
At RevSpring, we match our interactions with patients’ needs, behaviors and tendencies. The more we can create personas that engage patients in ways that fit them, the better they will respond. And they will feel better about the experience.
