Client Profile
Heartland Health System, a regional healthcare network with five hospitals and many outpatient clinics was struggling with high call volume to its centralized call center. They handle everything from appointment bookings to prescription refills and post-discharge check-ins. Their human agents were overworked, particularly outside peak hours.

Challenges

• Large volumes of repetitive calls: “When is my next appointment?”, “Can you refill my prescription?”, “How do I cancel?”
  
• After-hours bottlenecks: patients calling at night would get voicemail, or wait long before speaking to someone.
  
• High no-show rates: patients forget or don’t confirm appointments.
  
• Post-discharge follow-up was manual and resource-intensive.
  
• Risk management: missed red flags during follow-up could lead to readmissions.
  

Our Solution (Implemented by Implement Artificial Intelligence)

• We built a HIPAA-compliant AI voice agent, trained to handle patient calls around the clock.
  
• The AI integrates with Heartland’s EHR and scheduling systems, allowing it to check appointments, refill prescriptions, and verify patient identity securely.
  
• We designed structured follow-up flows: after discharge, the AI automatically calls selected patients (based on a schedule), asks them standardized questions (“How are you feeling?”, “Did you get your medication?”, “Any pain or issues?”), and flags high-risk responses to care managers.
  
• For inbound calls, the AI routes non-critical requests (rescheduling, refills) to self-service, but escalates urgent health issues (such as new symptoms) to a nurse or clinician.
  
• We created voice flows that are empathetic, patient, and easy to follow — reducing confusion and frustration.
  

Outcomes & Metrics

• The AI now handles about 45% of all inbound calls, significantly offloading the call center.
  
• Average wait times dropped by 50%, especially during evenings.
  
• No-show rates for appointments fell by 15%, thanks to reminder calls and confirmations.
  
• Post-discharge AI check-ins identified 20% more patients with early signs of complications, allowing for earlier intervention.
  
• The health system lowered call center staffing costs by approximately 30%, due to fewer live-agent hours needed for routine tasks.
  
• Patient satisfaction with phone interactions improved by ~25%, based on survey feedback, especially praising the 24/7 availability.
  

Lessons Learned

• Voice AI in healthcare must be deeply integrated with EHR systems to provide accurate, personalized service.
  
• Safety and escalation protocols are non-negotiable: when patients mention red-flag symptoms, the AI must immediately escalate.
  
• Scripts should be empathic and human-like — not “robotic” — especially for vulnerable patients.
  
• Regular review of call data, sentiment analysis, and transcript refinement is essential to maintain trust and quality.
  

How IAI – Implement Artificial Intelligence Delivered Value

By working with Implement Artificial Intelligence, Heartland Health System:

• Improved access (24/7) to support for patients
  
• Reduced administrative burden on call center staff
  
• Enhanced post-discharge care and early detection of issues
  
• Lowered operational costs while improving patient outcomes