AI Voice Agents in Healthcare: Cut Wait Times & Boost Efficiency

Since the end of Covid, the limitations of the healthcare system have become increasingly evident: medical desertification, paramedical staff shortages, hospital crises, and the precarious situation of general practitioners... These pressures highlight the urgent need for a structural transformation to ensure equitable and efficient access to care.

The ongoing technological revolution presents a major opportunity to enhance healthcare system efficiency. Among these innovations, AI voice agents could play a crucial role in streamlining care pathways and reducing the administrative burden on healthcare professionals. It is in this context that Donna, the voice agent developed by Rounded, was designed to automate medical appointment management and relieve secretarial staff of repetitive tasks.

What are the concrete use cases? How can these technologies transform the experience of both patients and healthcare professionals? Here is an overview of current applications and future perspectives for voice agents in the medical field.

1. Optimizing Appointment Scheduling and Management

Issues in medical appointment organization are a key factor in healthcare system congestion. Too many administrative calls, poor management of available slots, and saturated phone lines complicate access to care.

AI voice agents offer a solution by automating repetitive tasks:

• Scheduling and modifying appointments without human intervention.

• Automatic confirmation of appointments to prevent errors.

• Managing cancellations and immediately rescheduling vacant slots.

• Simultaneously handling multiple requests to reduce phone waiting times.

By integrating with medical software (Doctolib, hospital management systems), these agents enable smooth and optimized consultation management.

2. Reducing No-Show Rates and Optimizing Doctors’ Schedules

Booking an appointment isn’t enough—patients must show up.

In France, 27 million medical appointments go unattended every year. According to the French National Medical Council (CNOM), this translates to a loss of two hours per doctor, per week—time that could be reallocated to treating other patients.

📉 This isn’t just a French problem.

Missed medical appointments are a global issue, no-show rates ranging from 23% to 33% in outpatient settings. In the U.S., primary care sees a 19% no-show rate, pediatrics 30%, and sleep clinics up to 39%, costing the healthcare industry $150 billion annually.

AI voice agents help combat this waste of medical time by:

• Automatically reminding patients before their appointment.

• Offering an option to cancel or reschedule via a simple call.

• Reallocating canceled slots to patients on the waiting list.

This approach improves overall medical scheduling efficiency and reduces system congestion.

3. Streamlining Care Pathways

Better coordination of patients before their appointments prevents unnecessary or poorly prepared consultations.

AI voice agents can:

• Verify that patients have completed necessary preliminary tests (blood tests, imaging, specific preparations).

• Remind patients of pre-appointment instructions (fasting, stopping certain medications). Imagine a gastroenterology virtual assistant calling each patient five days before a colonoscopy to instruct them to stop eating legumes and ensure they have purchased the prescribed preparation solution.

• Ask pre-consultation questions to ensure the scheduled visit is relevant and productive.

This prevents unnecessary consultations, optimizes healthcare professionals' time, and enhances the patient experience.

4. Prevention and Screening

In many countries, Personal Health Records (PHR) centralize patient health information for optimized follow-up. However, their usage remains limited and underutilized. AI voice agents could be connected to PHR systems to:

• Automatically notify patients eligible for screenings (e.g., mammograms, colonoscopies) based on their medical history.

• Send preventive follow-up reminders according to medical guidelines.

• Directly schedule preventive exams in coordination with the patient’s records.

These applications could enhance preventive care by ensuring proactive patient monitoring. Health insurance providers and public health institutions are in the best position to implement these initiatives!

5. Remote Monitoring and Post-Operative Follow-Up

Continuity of care is crucial to ensure proper recovery post-surgery and minimize complications. Yet, post-hospitalization patient follow-up is often insufficient.

AI voice agents can:

• Conduct post-operative follow-up calls to check on the patient's health and detect potential warning signs.

• Perform regular follow-ups for chronic patients (e.g., oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases).

• Automatically escalate alerts to healthcare providers in case of detected issues.

This automated monitoring reduces the workload of medical teams and enhances the quality of patient follow-up.

Conclusion: The Technical and Political Challenges of Voice Agent Integration

The integration of AI voice agents into the healthcare system is not without challenges. Connecting with existing medical software, ensuring patient data security, and gaining acceptance from healthcare professionals are all technical and operational hurdles to overcome. But beyond these technological aspects, this transformation requires a strong political commitment, given the highly regulated and state-structured nature of healthcare systems.

At Rounded, we collaborate with engaged ecosystem players to integrate these technologies in a pragmatic and effective way. Our goal is clear: to demonstrate that AI voice agents are not just a technological novelty but a concrete tool for improving healthcare efficiency and quality. By optimizing patient pathways and reducing the administrative burden on medical staff, we aim to make the healthcare system more resilient, accessible, and efficient.