# AI Phone Agents * **Definition:** AI Phone Agents are automated systems that utilize artificial intelligence technologies to interact with patients and healthcare providers via telephone. They are designed to handle tasks such as appointment scheduling, patient inquiries, symptom assessment, and follow-up communications, thereby enhancing efficiency and accessibility in healthcare services. * **Taxonomy:** CTO Topics / AI Phone Agents ## News * Selected news on the topic of **AI Phone Agents**, for healthcare technology leaders * 1.1K news items are in the system for this topic * Posts have been filtered for tech and healthcare-related keywords | Date | Title | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 5/29/2025 | [**Future of Work in Healthcare Strategic Intelligence Report 2025: Explore the Impacts of AI, Wearable Tech, and Automation Technologies**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/future-healthcare-strategic-intelligence-report-131100470.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 5/29/2025 | [**Top 20 SMEs Driving AI-Driven Predictive Healthcare in 2025 - LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-20-smes-driving-ai-driven-predictive-healthcare-2025-omdena-jhzsc) | [[Linkedin]] | | 5/27/2025 | [**Rural Healthcare Challenges: How AI & Telemedicine Can Improve Access - HIT Consultant**](https://hitconsultant.net/2025/05/27/rural-healthcare-challenges-how-ai-telemedicine-can-improve-access/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 5/27/2025 | [**VC Survey: The biggest impacts of AI on health care? - STAT News**](https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/27/health-tech-news-novo-nordisk-venrock-ro-hinge-livestrong-otsuka-anthropic/) | [[STAT]] | | 5/22/2025 | [**NVIDIA GPU marketplace bridges chip supply and AI demand - Healthcare IT News**](http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/nvidia-gpu-marketplace-bridges-chip-supply-and-ai-demand) | [[Healthcare IT News]] | | 5/21/2025 | [**Global AI in Diagnostics Market to Register Stunning Growth at a CAGR of ~22y 2032 - DelveInsight**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/21/3086050/0/en/Global-AI-in-Diagnostics-Market-to-Register-Stunning-Growth-at-a-CAGR-of-22-by-2032-DelveInsight.html) | [[Globe Newswire]] | | 5/21/2025 | [**How Mercy is advancing AI across the enterprise - Becker's Hospital Review**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/how-mercy-is-advancing-ai-across-the-enterprise/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 5/21/2025 | [**Redefining Access and Outcomes in Behavioral Health: A Conversation with Talkiatry CEO ...**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/podcasts/podcasts-beckers-hospital-review/redefining-access-and-outcomes-in-behavioral-health-a-conversation-with-talkiatry-ceo-robert-krayn/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 5/17/2025 | [**Driving Healthcare Innovation from the Frontlines with Dr. James Snyder**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/podcasts/uncategorized/driving-healthcare-innovation-from-the-frontlines-with-dr-james-snyder/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/9/2025 | [**The Future of Patient Monitors: Innovations and Market Growth - News-Medical**](https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Future-of-Patient-Monitors-Innovations-and-Market-Growth.aspx) | [[News Medical Net]] | | 3/19/2025 | [**AI-Driven Digital Pathology Poised for Breakthrough Adoption in Hospitals - Yahoo Finance**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-driven-digital-pathology-poised-123000626.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 3/7/2025 | [**Japan In-Vitro Diagnostics Market Forecast Report and Company Analysis 2025-2033 ...**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/japan-vitro-diagnostics-market-forecast-123200207.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 3/7/2025 | [**Ultra Active Technology Limited: Cutting-Edge Innovations - by Ammara Sabir - Medium**](https://medium.com/@ammarasabir367/ultra-active-technology-limited-cutting-edge-innovations-398e7bc3f0f6) | [[Medium]] | | 2/26/2025 | [**LBMC Unveils Key Healthcare Trends for 2025: AI, M&A, Cybersecurity, and Policy Shifts ...**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lbmc-unveils-key-healthcare-trends-192100608.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 2/25/2025 | [**24 Key Trends Expected to Dominate HIMSS25 from Executives - HIT Consultant**](https://hitconsultant.net/2025/02/25/executives-shares-24-key-trends-expected-to-dominate-himss25/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 2/25/2025 | [**AI in Life Science Research Report 2025 - Yahoo Finance**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-life-science-research-report-090300096.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 2/24/2025 | [**U.S. Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostics Market Size to Surpass USD 4.29 Billion by 2034**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-artificial-intelligence-diagnostics-market-171000067.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 2/17/2025 | [**How AI Is Reshaping Healthcare for Patients & Providers - HIT Consultant**](https://hitconsultant.net/2025/02/17/how-ai-is-reshaping-healthcare-for-patients-providers/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 2/15/2025 | [**Health IT Issues that Deserve a Second Read - January 2025**](https://www.healthitanswers.net/health-it-issues-that-deserve-a-second-read-january-2025/) | [[Health IT Answers]] | | 1/30/2025 | [**AI in Clinical Settings Research Report 2024 and Global Forecasts 2025-2030 ... - Yahoo Finance**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-clinical-settings-research-report-105200674.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 12/23/2024 | [**United States Digital Transformation Market 2024-2029: Cloud Investments and Strategic ...**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-states-digital-transformation-market-160700801.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 12/14/2024 | [**Weekly Roundup - December 14, 2024**](https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2024/12/14/weekly-roundup-december-14-2024/) | [[Healthcare IT Today]] | | 10/16/2024 | [**Parakeet Health raises $3M for expansion, development - MobiHealthNews**](https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/parakeet-health-raises-3m-expansion-development) | [[MobiHealthNews]] | | 10/14/2024 | [**Suki Secures $70M To Expand AI Offerings - MedCity News**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/10/suki-funding-ai/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 8/29/2024 | [**BEN Contracts with INTERVENT® and Members Only Health® to Elevate Professional ...**](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/ben-contracts-with-intervent-and-members-only-health-to-elevate-professional-development-and-healthcare-access-with-ai-1033734292) | [[Business Insider Markets]] | ## Topic Overview (Some LLM-derived content — please confirm with above primary sources) ### Key Players - **Vida**: A company that has developed AI phone agents capable of engaging in lifelike conversations and performing tasks like scheduling appointments, integrating with over 7,000 applications. - **Parakeet Health**: An AI patient communication startup that has developed an AI call center agent to improve patient interactions and reduce administrative burdens. - **Hello Patient**: A startup that has developed generative AI call agents to automate patient communication tasks, allowing healthcare staff to focus on patient-facing work. - **TrialWire**: A company that launched the AI Voice Screen service to enhance clinical trial recruitment through improved patient communication. - **Outbound AI**: A company specializing in voice AI technology aimed at reducing administrative burdens in medical billing. - **Thoughtful AI**: An AI-powered revenue cycle automation company that has launched fully human-capable AI Agents for healthcare revenue cycle management. - **Microsoft**: A tech giant introducing AI tools for healthcare to create customized agents for tasks like appointment scheduling. - **Regal**: A customer-centric contact center software provider that has raised $40 million to enhance its AI Phone Agents, focusing on personalized communication in sectors like healthcare. - **NTT DATA**: A technology services company that launched Agentic AI Services to help organizations adopt AI-powered agents for improved customer experiences. - **Ultra Active Technology Limited**: A leading technology company specializing in AI solutions, including chatbots and robotic process automation, aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery. - **Hippocratic AI**: A company co-founded by healthcare professionals and AI researchers, focusing on developing safety-focused AI healthcare agents. - **SoundHound AI**: Developed the AI agent Emily for MUSC Health to improve patient access and self-service capabilities. - **Zocdoc**: A healthcare technology company that has introduced an AI phone assistant named Zo, aimed at improving appointment scheduling efficiency and reducing hold times for patients. - **Fair Square Medicare**: Launched Vox, a generative AI platform designed to enhance customer experience for Medicare carriers using AI voice agents. - **Suki**: A leader in AI technology for healthcare, providing voice AI assistants that streamline clinician workflows and reduce administrative burdens. - **Epic**: Enhancing its EHR system with AI agents to improve patient care and operational efficiency. - **LM-Kit.NET**: Recognized as a top performer in AI agent building, showcasing excellence in developing AI solutions for various applications. ### Partnerships and Collaborations - **Cleveland Clinic**: Implemented Microsoft's AI agent service to assist patients in navigating health questions. - **Fangzhou Inc. with Tencent Healthcare and Baidu Health**: Launched an AI Agent Solution to enhance access to healthcare information for consumers and professionals. - **Digerati Technologies and Vida**: Partnered to incorporate Vida's AI agents into Digerati's UCaaS offerings, highlighting the demand for AI-enabled communication solutions. - **Gozio Health and Hyro**: Collaborated to enhance customer service at Baptist Health, deploying AI assistants that reduced call wait times and improved service levels. - **CHAI's Health and AI Working Group**: A collaboration of 14 experts focused on ensuring AI applications in healthcare are inclusive for underrepresented communities. - **Hippocratic AI and Nsight Health**: This partnership aims to integrate Nsight Health's platform with Hippocratic AI's healthcare agents to provide real-time responses to patient events. - **CareMessage and Google Gemini**: Developed an AI Assistant to enhance patient communication and identify needs in underserved populations. - **Suki and Google Cloud**: Suki collaborates with Google Cloud to enhance its AI assistant's capabilities, including patient summaries and Q&A features. - **Illumina and Tempus AI**: Collaborating to accelerate the clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing tests by integrating AI technologies with multimodal data platforms. - **SoundHound AI and MUSC Health**: SoundHound AI's Emily is integrated with MUSC Health's systems to improve patient engagement. - **Skyflow with Databricks and Workato**: Enhancing AI data stack for secure AI agent deployment focused on privacy and compliance. - **Suki and MEDITECH**: Integrated Suki's voice AI assistant with MEDITECH Expanse to streamline clinician workflows. - **Thoughtful AI and Drive Capital**: Secured $20 million in Series A funding to enhance R&D and expand market strategy. - **Abridge and Mayo Clinic**: Partnered to develop AI tools for nurses, focusing on improving documentation workflows. - **Expeflow Inc.**: Partnered with DIGITAL, iClerk, and InnerQore Health to automate mental health administration. - **Aptar Digital Health and AstraZeneca**: Entered into a licensing agreement to develop algorithms for early detection of chronic kidney disease and other conditions, utilizing AI-driven screening methods. - **NVIDIA and various U.S. tech leaders**: Collaborating to develop custom AI applications using NVIDIA's technologies. - **Corti and Electronic Health Records**: Corti aims to integrate its AI technology into electronic health records to enhance clinician workflows. - **Viz.ai and Softek Illuminate**: This expanded partnership focuses on enhancing AI-powered disease detection for patients with cerebral aneurysms. - **Charles River Laboratories and Deciphex**: A strategic collaboration to enhance image management solutions and develop AI tools for toxicologic pathology. ### Innovations, Trends, and Initiatives - **AI Phone Agents in Healthcare**: AI phone agents are being tailored for specific use cases in healthcare, such as appointment scheduling and patient communication, improving operational efficiency. - **AI Phone Agents**: AI-powered tools like chatbots and virtual assistants are transforming healthcare delivery by automating routine tasks, improving patient engagement, and enhancing diagnostic accuracy. - **AI Phone Assistant by Zocdoc**: The launch of Zo aims to streamline appointment scheduling, enhancing patient engagement and access to healthcare services. - **Regal's AI Phone Agents**: Focus on high-touch, personalized communication models that prioritize customer engagement over cost-cutting. - **AI Call Center by Parakeet Health**: Designed to automate appointment scheduling and enhance patient communication, addressing staffing challenges in healthcare. - **AI Agents in Healthcare**: AI agents are increasingly being used to automate administrative tasks, improve patient engagement, and enhance clinical workflows. - **AI Voice Screen by TrialWire**: This service aims to improve clinical trial recruitment by addressing communication challenges and enhancing patient engagement. - **AI Agents in RCM**: Thoughtful AI's agents automate tasks in revenue cycle management, significantly reducing operational costs and claim denials. - **Integration of OpenAI's Realtime API by Vida**: Enhances AI phone agents to deliver emotionally expressive and multilingual conversations, improving customer engagement. - **SoundHound AI's Emily**: A 24/7 AI agent that assists patients with appointment management and non-clinical inquiries, improving operational efficiency. - **AI-Powered Virtual Health Assistants**: These tools are transforming patient care by providing remote support and facilitating telemedicine consultations. - **AI Assistants for Patient Engagement**: CareMessage's AI Assistant aims to improve health equity by addressing barriers faced by underserved populations, potentially saving healthcare providers millions annually. - **AI in Healthcare**: The integration of AI technologies is transforming healthcare by improving diagnostic accuracy, personalizing treatment plans, and enabling 24/7 access to medical advice through AI-driven chatbots. - **Agentic AI Development**: Emerging trend of AI agents capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human oversight, enhancing operational efficiency. - **AI Agent Builders Recognition**: LM-Kit.NET's recognition as a top performer highlights the growing importance of AI technologies in healthcare and business sectors. - **Generative AI Voice Platforms**: Platforms like Parakeet Health's are transforming patient communication by automating contact center tasks. - **Agentic AI Services**: NTT DATA's new suite designed to help organizations build and manage AI-powered agents, enhancing operational efficiency and customer experiences. - **AI in EHR Systems**: Epic's upcoming AI features aim to streamline healthcare processes, including automated scheduling and patient guidance. - **Hello Patient's Generative AI Agents**: Designed for HIPAA-compliant non-medical workflows, automating tasks to improve patient engagement. - **Voice AI Technology**: Outbound AI's platform has shown significant cost savings and speed improvements in administrative tasks. ### Challenges and Concerns - **Administrative Overhead**: Medical practice staff spend significant time on phone communications, leading to inefficiencies that AI phone agents aim to address. - **Data Privacy and Security**: As AI agents become more autonomous, concerns about data privacy, security, and compliance with regulations grow. - **Cybersecurity Risks**: The increasing use of AI in healthcare necessitates a focus on cybersecurity measures to protect AI agents from potential cyber threats. - **Validation of AI Tools**: The challenge of validating AI tools in real-world settings, as emphasized by the FDA, to ensure they perform as intended. - **Adoption Barriers**: Despite advancements, healthcare professionals have been slower to adopt AI technologies compared to other sectors, with only 15% utilizing AI in operations. - **Ethical Considerations**: Discussions at industry conferences highlight the need for ethical considerations and safety issues related to AI in healthcare. - **Skepticism Among Healthcare Workers**: Despite the benefits of AI, there remains skepticism among healthcare professionals regarding its role in clinical decision-making. - **Ethical AI Deployment**: Mercy has developed a framework to ensure ethical AI deployment, emphasizing the need for discernment in AI tool development and implementation. - **Regulatory Concerns**: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf highlighted the need for a balanced regulatory approach to ensure AI tools do not exacerbate health inequities. - **Operational Inefficiencies**: Healthcare providers face labor shortages and high operational costs, necessitating the adoption of AI solutions. - **Integration into Clinical Practice**: Despite the potential of AI biomarkers, challenges such as validation, cost-effectiveness evaluations, and regulatory frameworks hinder their integration. - **Trust and Accuracy**: Executives emphasize the importance of clinician trust and accuracy in AI tools for successful adoption in healthcare settings. - **Cautious Adoption of AI**: Many healthcare organizations remain cautious about using AI in clinical decision-making, emphasizing the need for supportive technology. - **Equitable Use**: Experts and lawmakers have raised concerns about the safe and equitable use of AI tools in healthcare. - **Integration Challenges**: The lack of standardization in data formats and clinical practices complicates the integration of AI systems into existing healthcare infrastructures. - **Job Displacement**: Concerns about AI advancements leading to job losses, although historical trends suggest potential for job creation. - **Regulatory Oversight**: There is a call for increased FDA oversight of AI medical devices to ensure safety and efficacy. - **Data Privacy and Ethical Considerations**: The integration of AI in healthcare raises concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the need for rigorous testing and regulation. - **Cybersecurity Concerns**: As AI becomes more integral to healthcare, organizations must balance leveraging AI with data security and compliance.