Eye on efficiency:
top clinic’s AI solution saves patients 5,000 hours
A top Otolaryngology care hospital implemented an AI voice assistant for appointment management in 2021. This system allows patients to handle tasks like confirmations and cancellations without wait times. It reduced human-assisted calls by 40% and improved call handling time by 55%, saving patients over 5,000 hours. The AI solution enhanced patient satisfaction and allowed staff to focus on complex tasks, showcasing technology’s potential to improve healthcare efficiency.
At a glance
40%
reduction in appointment-related calls needing a human agent
55%
faster appointment management than calls with human agents
5000+
hours of patient time saved
The Customer
A leading healthcare institution specializing in ears, nose, and throat care manages nearly half a million outpatient visits annually. With a thousand physicians across 20 clinics, it’s recognized as the world’s largest research center for vision and hearing, consistently ranked as the top U.S. facility for eye, nose, and ear care.
The Challenge
Long hold times were a significant issue for patients trying to manage their hospital appointments. Typically, patients would be transferred multiple times before reaching a resolution, repeating their call reason at each transfer. The healthcare provider identified these challenges as an opportunity to leverage AI to enhance patient satisfaction, speed up resolution times, and reduce staff burnout caused by repetitive, low-level tasks.
The Solution
In 2021, the healthcare provider introduced a voice-based patient-facing conversational AI assistant to streamline appointment management. This AI solution allows patients to instantly confirm and cancel appointments, receive clinic directions, and access up-to-date appointment information without any wait times. When human intervention is necessary, such as for rescheduling appointments, the AI authenticates the user and transfers the call to the appropriate practice, sharing call details to eliminate the need for information repetition.
The Impact
The AI assistant’s rapid adoption by patients led to a 40% reduction in appointment-related calls requiring human agents and an average time savings of over 3 minutes per call – a 55% improvement over human-handled calls. This has saved patients over 5,000 hours in appointment management. Additionally, the solution has improved the work experience for human agents by handling routine tasks, allowing them to focus on more complex calls and strategic initiatives that better utilize their training and skills.
