NC Health System Launches New Digital Care Access Tools
Novant Health has unveiled virtual assistant and physician matcher tools that can connect healthcare consumers to clinical support and medical information.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Novant Health has launched two new digital tools that aim to help patients access care and make informed decisions.
The tools, a virtual assistant and a physician matcher, will collectively be known as Novant Health Now and will provide users with real-time health information and clinical support. It is available on the health system's website.
Through the virtual assistant, individuals can use voice or text to get answers in real time to their healthcare questions. The conversational artificial intelligence-powered technology can help patients find physicians and services, schedule telehealth and in-person appointments, provide information on COVID-19 testing and vaccination registration, and offer live agent support.
The technology was piloted in October, facilitating 20,000 unique conversations, with 10,000 actions linked to the conversations, according to the press release.
The physician matcher tool helps patients find the right expert for their care needs. Designed like a dating application, the tool connects the user to a provider based on personal preferences like the provider's gender, years of experience, spoken language, and treatment expertise.
"During this pandemic, we have seen tremendous growth in the demand for virtual care, and also in our digital health and engagement capabilities," said Angela Yochem, executive vice president and chief transformation and digital officer at Novant Health, in a press release. "Novant Health Now streamlines and simplifies this enhanced online journey for patients looking for real-time, personalized health information, recommendations and care."
In addition to the virtual assistant and physician matcher, the health system has redesigned MyNovant, a health management app that provides access to care teams and health information. Patients can use the app to set their own health appointments, access medical records, and read curated health news.
The health system plans to continue adding digital health tools to Novant Health Now, including a symptom checker that can offer care recommendations. Novant Health will also continue enhancing the physician matcher tool by adding more personal identifiers and preferences, like transgender care and bedside manner .
"When our team goes to the drawing board to brainstorm how we meet the changing needs of our patients, we listen to the voice of the consumer and use these data insights to really inform our strategy," said Jesse Cureton, executive vice president and chief consumer officer at Novant Health, in a news release. "It's not enough to keep up with the trends, we are anticipating these changes and being proactive to ensure our capabilities to deliver the best care."
Healthcare consumers increasingly prefer using digital tools to seek and access care services. Around 60 percent of consumers say they conduct research online when looking for a new provider, and a similar proportion also go online to find healthcare services and care sites, according to a report released by patient access solutions provider Kyruus in October.
The same report, which is based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, shows that when searching for new providers or new services, more than half of the consumers relied on healthcare organization websites.