How Conversational AI Could Remake Health Care

One of the most pressing problems the United States faces is a shortage of access to health care. Some California politicians are trying to fix this with legislation that would improve access. While many are looking to policy to fix the problem, they should not overlook the role that emerging technologies can play in both managing health care and treating common conditions and diseases.

One of the places this is happening is the personal health care market, which includes family physicians and urgent care clinics, among other facilities. The adoption of "conversational artificial intelligence (AI)" by health care providers is part of a larger overall trend that will see the AI health care market rapidly expand in the coming years. Accenture predicts these changes could save the health care industry $150 billion a year by 2026.

Conversational AI offers a natural and intuitive method of communicating with customers. Traditional voice recognition systems are static. Customers need to navigate multiple menus and options and usually end up pressing zero for an agent. A conversational AI system starts with a question and then routes the customer to the right answer or solution, eliminating the wait and frustration. It's almost no different than talking to an empathetic person.

From faster claims to better management of chronic conditions, conversational AI could reinvent the global standard of health care. It could also help the industry save money and resources by ensuring that visits to emergency departments are only for severe or life-threatening conditions. 

The full Forbes article can be viewed at this link.