How AI-Powered Voice Solutions Are Transforming Patient Communication in Healthcare

By: Amber Hull, Marketing Manager

In today’s fast-paced healthcare landscape, connecting with patients continues to be an operational challenge. With methods of communication ranging from SMS to voice to email to web chat, hospitals and health systems are struggling to staff and maintain each channel effectively.

At TeleVox, we’ve been champions of an omnichannel approach to patient relationship management while seeking solutions to improve the accessibility and efficiency of the various channels for patients and providers alike. This year at ViVE, a leading event for digital health decision makers, we conducted a focus group of hospital and health system CIOs to dive deeper into the opportunities that exist in patient communication.

We aimed to leverage healthcare technology leaders all gathered in one place to gain a clearer understanding of the industry’s current state and future direction. What are hospitals and health systems doing now to connect with patients? What are the biggest pain points in their operations? What are they looking for in a patient relationship management platform?

The Changing Landscape of Patient Communication

As expected, the CIOs we spoke to offer multiple channels for patient interactions, including:
· One or more phone numbers available for patients and families to call and engage in synchronous interactions
· Manual or automated outbound calls
· Live chat conversations with patients
· And SMS notifications that are typically outbound messages only with limited interactions

These traditional patient engagement methods—inbound and outbound phone calls, SMS notifications and live chat—have long been the norm. However, these channels often fall short in delivering the seamless, 24/7 support that patients expect.

The Potential for AI-Powered Voice Technologies

Next, we shifted to the rise of AI-powered conversational voice technology and its potential to transform patient interactions. The focus group participants expressed a mix of optimism and apprehension regarding AI-powered voice solutions. While they recognized the efficiency and scalability these technologies offer, they also highlighted challenges such as inconsistent adoption, underutilization of resources and the need to maintain a balance between automation and human interaction.

Several CIOs said they see opportunities to enhance patient access and streamline workflows but acknowledged that improvements are necessary to fully integrate AI-driven voice technology into their institutions. Their patients largely find the solutions convenient, though some referenced lack of personal connection, reinforcing the need for a thoughtful approach to digital transformation.

Vijay Verma, TeleVox’s VP of Product Strategy, helped coordinate the focus group and was intrigued by what he heard.

“There’s no question that the healthcare industry has room for growth in adopting AI-powered communications to improve the relationship with their patients,” Verma said. “Technology can help personalize communications across various channels and socio-demographic profiles. Collaboratively, we can break down the barriers that exist to showcase how transformative these solutions can be to improving the patient-provider relationship.”

The TeleVox POV: Embracing Transformation with Voice Solutions

At TeleVox, we’re all about driving meaningful patient relationships with AI powered technology. Our omnichannel Digital Front Door solution, powered by TeleVox SMART Agent is the market’s only persistent, actionable and conversational AI solution enabling the full patient journey.
So, what makes up a meaningful patient relationship, exactly? We believe it entails everything from appointment management—ensuring timely access to care, reducing wait times and missed visits—to care programs that promote proactivity while lowering the risk of complications and hospital readmissions and care gap outreach that empowers patients to engage, take action and participate in their care.

This is what makes voice as a communication channel so ideal: an intelligent virtual agent can automatically handle inbound and outbound patient phone calls using conversational AI – and machine learning technology can facilitate this relationship more efficiently. Despite using AI, virtual agents can offer human-like conversations and personalized interactions to solve patient problems and offer customer service around the clock.

As healthcare continues to evolve, AI-powered voice solutions will play an increasingly vital role in shaping patient experiences. TeleVox remains committed to driving innovation and ensuring that healthcare providers have the tools they need to offer efficient, personalized, and scalable patient engagement.