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Right now, uncertainty is the only constant in healthcare. Leaders are grappling with budget cuts, shifting policies, legal challenges to long-standing mandates, and an exhausted workforce. The landscape is evolving rapidly, often without clear guidance on what’s next or how to prepare.

But throughout this unpredictability, one thing hasn’t changed: people still get sick. Families still need answers. Communities still rely on timely, high-quality care. In fact, the need for accessible, efficient healthcare has never been more urgent.

This is not a moment to pause. It’s a moment to refocus — and double down on patient access and operational efficiency.

The New Normal of Uncertainty

Across the industry, leaders are feeling the squeeze from every angle. At the policy level, questions around Medicaid expansion, telehealth reimbursement, and DEI initiatives have created a fog of confusion. Funding windows open and close without warning. Priorities shift seemingly overnight. And no one’s quite sure what will be funded — or when.

Operationally, the pressure is relentless. Staffing shortages are hitting hard, not just in clinical roles, but also in IT departments and access centers. Burnout is no longer just a concern; it’s the reality. At a recent industry event, one executive remarked that call volumes at their access center were spiking — not because of new demand, but because frustrated patients couldn’t navigate existing digital tools. The system is overloaded.

Financially, most health systems are operating with little room for error. Margins are flat or shrinking. IT teams are being asked to stretch aging systems further while driving innovation on tighter budgets. In this environment, every inefficiency becomes a liability.

And then there’s the patient experience — the part of the story that can get overshadowed. 

This isn’t just noise. It’s a call to act.

The debates about policy are ongoing, but one thing is clear: people still need care. Delaying that care doesn’t make the need go away, it just makes it more urgent later.

What Happens If We Wait

In times of uncertainty, it’s tempting to hold still. To wait for clarity before making changes. But in healthcare, waiting often makes things worse.

Delaying or deprioritizing access initiatives won’t stabilize the system — it will destabilize it further:

And once patients disengage from the system, rebuilding that trust is possible but it takes more time, and money, to bring them back. 

Focus, Not Freeze

Instead of freezing, healthcare organizations must focus. That means getting smarter about where and how they invest in access and efficiency.

Lean Into Efficiency

Efficiency doesn’t mean doing more with less. It means doing the right things, better.

Small improvements in how appointments are booked, how reminders are sent, or how patients are guided through the system can lead to big wins — for both experience and revenue.

Prioritize Access

Even modest improvements in scheduling or communication can yield major results:

Remember: prioritizing access is essential to healthcare because access is the gateway to outcomes. If patients can’t get in the door (whether that door is physical, digital, or operational) nothing else in the care journey can happen.

Build Resilience Into Your Tech Stack

Technology, too, plays a key role. The future isn’t about ripping out what’s already in place. It’s about building resilience into what’s already working. 

This isn’t the time for short-term patches. Invest in systems designed to evolve:

When done right, these investments don’t just help organizations weather uncertainty. They make them more agile, more adaptive, and ultimately more effective.

Leading Through Uncertainty: A Call to Action

This moment calls for leadership — not paralysis. The health systems and clinics that come out stronger won’t be the ones that waited. They’ll be the ones that acted with purpose, even amid ambiguity, in order to:

Because at the end of the day, uncertainty doesn’t change the mission. It clarifies it. If anything, uncertainty makes it clearer than ever: every patient deserves access to timely, compassionate, and efficient care. People still need care. They always will. And the systems that serve them need to be ready — not someday, but now.

In healthcare, solving challenges always requires more than a single step. From scheduling appointments and verifying insurance to managing care transitions and reducing no-shows, the path to better patient outcomes is rarely straightforward. Just as healthcare organizations rely on interconnected systems like electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management software, AI solutions are most effective when they work together seamlessly.

This is where agentic AI comes in. Agentic AI refers to a system of specialized AI agents—each designed to perform specific tasks—working in coordination to achieve a larger goal. Think of it as a team of experts, each contributing their skills to move a patient smoothly through their care journey. By handling tasks autonomously, these agents reduce administrative burdens and allow healthcare teams to focus on what they do best: caring for patients.

At Luma Health, we believe the future of healthcare lies in the collaboration of AI agents. Our AI-powered Navigator solution uses agentic AI to streamline workflows, improve patient experiences, and drive measurable outcomes. From automating routine tasks to providing actionable insights, our network of AI agents supports both operational and patient care teams in delivering exceptional care.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how multiple AI agents work together to solve complex healthcare challenges, the benefits of agentic AI, and how Luma Health is helping providers navigate this new era of intelligent automation.

What is Agentic AI and How Does it Work?

Agentic AI is like having a team of digital assistants, each with its own role, working together to achieve a common goal. Each agent is specialized, meaning it has a clear task—whether that’s gathering data, analyzing information, or triggering actions.

As Ivan Viragine, AI Engineering Manager at Luma Health, explains: “An agent is a combination of a large language model (LLM), a prompt, and a set of tools. In Navigator’s case, we have one agent for verifying a patient’s identity, another for listing appointments, and others for tasks like confirming visits. These agents work together to achieve their goal of understanding and fulfilling the user’s request.”

These agents coordinate in real time, adjusting their actions based on new information. For example, if a patient cancels an appointment, one agent verifies the patient’s identity, another lists the upcoming appointments to confirm which one to cancel, and a third cancels it directly in the EHR. This intelligent division of labor reduces administrative burden and ensures patients receive timely care.

This multi-agent or “agentic AI” approach also improves accuracy and reliability. Instead of relying on a single AI to parse an overwhelming set of rules or data—like expecting one person to memorize and apply a 100-page manual—agentic AI distributes the cognitive load. Each agent focuses on a smaller, well-defined domain (like one chapter of that manual), and a coordinating supervisor directs requests to the most relevant agent. This specialization not only speeds up performance but also reduces the risk of error or confusion—especially critical in healthcare, where mistakes can have serious consequences. The result is a system that’s more capable, precise, and less prone to “I can’t help you with that” dead-ends.

Why Healthcare Needs Agentic AI Systems

Healthcare operations are inherently complex. From scheduling and follow-ups to prior authorizations and patient communications, these processes often require complex coordination with large groups of people. Disconnected systems lead to inefficiencies, delays, and frustrated patients. On top of that, healthcare staff are burdened with administrative tasks—research shows that clinicians spend nearly 50% of their time on paperwork and administrative work, taking away from patient care.

Healthcare needs multi-agent AI systems. Many real-world patient interactions are too nuanced for a single agent to manage. Imagine a patient who wants to cancel her upcoming PCP appointment and refill her child’s prescription—all within one call to the clinic’s access center. A common scenario, yet far too intricate for traditional, monolithic AI systems to handle effectively. This is where multi-agent AI shines.

One way to understand the power of agentic AI is through analogy: imagine asking a person to memorize a 100-page instruction manual and then locate the answer to a very specific question. The likelihood of them missing or mismanaging the task is high—because the answer might live in a tiny paragraph on page 56. But if you break the manual into chapters and assign a smaller expert to each one, then have a supervisor route questions to the right expert, accuracy improves dramatically. Each specialized agent only needs to sift through a narrow slice of information, which significantly reduces the risk of misunderstanding or error.

This is especially critical in healthcare, where the consequences of a mismanaged task can directly affect patient safety or delay care. Smaller, specialized agents reduce cognitive load and hallucinations—two well-documented risks in large language models—resulting in more reliable performance.

Think of agentic AI like a surgical team. Each member—surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurse—has a well-defined role. Similarly, AI agents specialize in distinct functions:

As Hwee Min Loh, Senior Product Manager at Luma Health, describes it: “Agentic AI means that the reasoning framework is spread across multiple specialized agents, rather than relying on one massive list of instructions. This reduces common issues like hallucination and enables more accurate, reliable outcomes. Navigator ensures all patient requests are directed to the right specialized agents.”

Real-World Use Cases of Agentic AI in Healthcare

At Luma Health, we see the impact of agentic AI systems every day. One compelling example is our work with UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences). Faced with rising call volumes and patient communication challenges, UAMS partnered with Luma Health to deploy our Navigator AI platform.

With Navigator’s agentic AI approach:

The results were transformative—UAMS saw a 20% decrease in patient no-shows and significantly reduced call center volume. Staff were freed from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on providing high-value care. Learn more in our UAMS case study.

Looking Ahead — The Future of Agentic AI in Healthcare

The future of multi-agent AI in healthcare is exciting. As AI systems become more adaptive, predictive, and personalized, hospitals will increasingly rely on agentic AI to anticipate patient needs and proactively manage care.

Healthcare organizations will further integrate agentic AI for proactive care management—reducing administrative burdens, improving operational efficiency, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. At Luma Health, we’re excited to continue leading this transformation, empowering providers to deliver exceptional care through the power of many AI agents.

AI Agents Must Collaborate

No single AI agent can solve healthcare challenges alone. Just as healthcare providers work as teams, AI agents are most effective when they collaborate to streamline operations and enhance patient care.

At Luma Health, we are committed to applying the power of multi-agent AI to make healthcare easier for providers and patients alike. By leveraging Navigator’s agentic workflow, we help healthcare organizations reduce administrative burdens, improve operational efficiency, and ensure patients receive timely, high-quality care.

Want to see how multi-agent AI can transform your organization? Learn more about Navigator or request a demo today to experience the Luma Health difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does agentic AI integrate with our existing systems like EHRs or practice management software?

Luma’s Navigator platform is designed to integrate seamlessly with leading EHRs, scheduling systems, and communication tools. Whether you’re using Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth, or other platforms, our AI agents can access and act on real-time data through secure API connections and industry-standard integrations.

What is the implementation timeline? How much lift is required from our IT team?

Most organizations see their first AI workflows live within weeks. Our dedicated team handles the heavy lifting of that first implementation, with minimal demands on your IT resources. We tailor the rollout to your existing workflows and provide hands-on support to ensure a smooth transition. There are also self-serve tools available so that you can build your own workflows in a no-code, easy-to-use interface using Navigator’s individual agentic AI skills. 

Is this secure and HIPAA-compliant?

Yes. Security and compliance are non-negotiable. Luma Health is HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST-certified, and all agent actions are fully auditable. Our platform ensures patient data is handled securely at every step, with encryption and strict access controls built in.

Will Navigator replace my staff?

Navigator is designed to augment, not replace, your team. By taking on repetitive and time-consuming tasks like scheduling, appointment reminders, and eligibility checks, our AI agents free up your staff to focus on high-value interactions that improve the patient experience and operational outcomes.

What happens when the AI doesn’t know what to do?

Agentic AI is built to collaborate—with each other and with your team. When an agent encounters a complex or ambiguous request, it automatically escalates the task to a human staff member. Patients never hit a dead end, and your team is always in the loop.

How do I measure the ROI of agentic AI?

Navigator includes built-in analytics that track key performance metrics—reduction in call volume, no-show rates, scheduling efficiency, and more. Our clients often see measurable impact within the first few weeks of deployment.

Can we customize workflows or agent behavior?

Yes. Each Navigator agent can be configured to fit your needs, such as modifying the welcome and end message, the agent’s voice, and the action it can take with your patient. Whether you want agents to follow specific scripts, recognize custom intents, or trigger internal protocols, we give you the flexibility to stay in control. There are also self-serve tools available so that you can build your own workflows in a no-code, easy-to-use interface using Navigator’s individual agentic AI skills. 

How do patients feel about interacting with AI agents?

Patients appreciate fast, 24/7 access to the help they need—without waiting on hold. Our Spark AI is designed to be transparent and patient-friendly, clearly indicating when they’re interacting with a digital assistant. When needed, agents seamlessly hand off to staff, ensuring a smooth and trusted experience.

Changing your electronic health record (EHR) system is one of the most significant technology decisions a healthcare organization can make. But while most teams are laser-focused on the EHR transition itself, they may miss a critical opportunity: reevaluating their broader tech stack.

At Luma, we’ve seen firsthand how organizations like University Hospitals took a comprehensive approach to their EHR migration. Stacy Porter, who previously served as the VP of Digital Transformation at University Hospitals in Cleveland, says: “When you’re implementing a new EHR, it’s not just an opportunity — it’s an obligation to look at your entire digital portfolio.”

Here’s why evaluating your IT landscape during an EHR transition can unlock long-term value and how Luma can be an invaluable partner in the process.

1. Consolidate and Simplify Your Digital Portfolio

An EHR change often reveals redundancies and inefficiencies. Before University Hospitals switched to Epic, according to Porter, they completed a capability mapping exercise to compare their existing digital tools — including platforms like Salesforce, Conversa, and RevSpring — against Epic’s capabilities. This allowed them to make informed decisions about what to keep, what to replace, and where gaps existed.

Rather than defaulting to piecemeal solutions like Twilio for patient reminder texts, Porter asked: “Is there a vendor that can consolidate these functions and provide additional value?” Enter Luma Health. By selecting a partner like Luma, they reduced their vendor sprawl and ensured seamless interoperability with Epic from day one.

“When you’re implementing a new EHR, it’s not just an opportunity — it’s an obligation to look at your entire digital portfolio.”

Stacy Porter, former VP of Digital Transformation at University Hospitals

2. Co-Design for Long-Term Success

When evaluating vendors during an EHR transition, consider how co-designing can prevent future headaches. Porter emphasized this strategic approach: “We co-designed with Luma, so when we turned on both Epic and Luma, everything worked by design — no overlap, no retrofit.”

By collaborating with Luma early in the process, University Hospitals avoided unnecessary IT buildout later. This streamlined implementation and reduced the burden on their IT team, with Luma handling most configurations and only needing operational input.

3. Minimize Change Fatigue

For both patients and staff, transitioning to a new EHR means significant change. University Hospitals took a “rip off the Band-Aid” approach to minimize disruption. “Change once, change deep,” Porter said. Rather than subjecting patients and staff to waves of adjustments, they implemented Epic and Luma Health simultaneously.

This reduced the need for multiple rounds of training and communications, ultimately leading to smoother adoption and fewer frustrations.

4. Communicate Effectively

One of the most critical factors in a successful transition is proactive communication. Porter highlighted the importance of clear, consistent messaging to both patients, staff, and providers about what’s changing and why. Now imagine repeating that process three, six, or nine months later when introducing another solution — it’s a scenario best avoided.

By implementing Luma alongside Epic, University Hospitals ensured that everyone was aligned and informed upfront, reducing confusion and frustration.

5. Choose the Right Partners

Not all vendors are equipped to navigate the complexities of an EHR transition. Aditya Bansod, Luma’s co-founder, advises organizations to think holistically: “Every EHR conversation is part of a larger IT conversation. Use this as a moment to clean up your tech stack. Luma can be part of that.”

By choosing a partner like Luma, healthcare organizations can consolidate disparate tools, bring legacy systems into the future, and maximize their EHR investment.

EHR conversions take a lot of consideration from all fronts, and these five reasons make it clear: an EHR migration isn’t just a system switch — it’s a strategic opportunity to modernize and streamline your entire digital infrastructure. Here’s a quick recap to guide your planning:

An EHR migration is not just a software upgrade — it’s a pivotal moment to evaluate and optimize your entire digital strategy. With the right planning, stakeholder engagement, and vendor support, your organization can turn this period of change into a long-term advantage.

At Luma Health, we’re here to help you make the most of your EHR investment. Let’s reimagine what’s possible together.

At Luma, we believe the healthcare industry has moved beyond the initial hype of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI once dominated conversations with grand promises and speculative claims, it has now become table stakes. The industry is entering a new phase, one where AI is treated like any other technology investment — evaluated with rigor and held accountable for delivering real outcomes. For healthcare leaders, this shift requires a focus on practical applications and measurable impact.

AI should not be designed or deployed with the intent to replace your workforce. Instead, it enables your workforce to focus on patient-facing interactions over administrative busywork.

To explore what this shift looks like in practice, in this blog post we’ll follow the journey of Hayes Valley Health Center, a mid-sized hospital navigating the realities of AI adoption. Hayes Valley is fictional, but its challenges are anything but. Modeled after the experiences of Luma customers, the health center faces mounting pressure to improve operational efficiency, deliver high-quality care, and enhance experiences for both patients and staff. Like many health systems, they’re excited by AI’s potential but have struggled to move beyond the buzzwords.

Throughout this post, we’ll explore how Hayes Valley Health Center approaches AI adoption with a focus on outcomes, applying the same level of diligence and strategic thinking they would with any other technology. From identifying clear goals to measuring success, their story serves as a practical guide for healthcare organizations striving to turn AI’s promise into real-world progress.

AI as a Productivity Booster, Not a Workforce Replacement

Like many health systems, Hayes Valley’s leadership initially viewed AI as a way to reduce staff costs. They hoped that chatbots could replace human schedulers, handling appointment management and patient inquiries with minimal human intervention. It seemed like a quick win to drive efficiency and lower expenses.

The reality didn’t match expectations. While the AI chatbot excelled at simple tasks, it struggled with more complex patient requests. Patients seeking specialized care, needing to reschedule complicated procedures, or asking detailed insurance questions grew frustrated. Staff often had to step in without sufficient context, leading to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction on both sides.

Recognizing this challenge, Hayes Valley recalibrated their approach. Instead of positioning AI as a replacement for human schedulers, they deployed it as a productivity booster. The AI was assigned three key tasks:

This shift freed staff to focus on higher-value patient interactions. Without the burden of routine tasks, they could provide more compassionate and personalized support. AI operated behind the scenes to streamline workflows, while human schedulers brought empathy and expertise to complex situations. The result was a better experience for both patients and employees.

Luma’s AI-powered Navigator product supports this kind of balanced approach. Navigator uses conversational AI to assist with appointment management and patient inquiries, ensuring staff can dedicate their time to what matters most. By handling the repetitive, AI enables healthcare organizations to scale their services without sacrificing quality.

The key lesson Hayes Valley learned is clear: AI is not a substitute for human expertise. Instead, it’s a powerful tool to enhance productivity, reduce operational friction, and improve care experiences. When thoughtfully applied, AI empowers staff to excel in their roles, making healthcare more efficient and empathetic for all.

Prioritizing Real Use Cases Over Shiny Tech

What can all of us learn from the missteps of the fictional Hayes Valley? We must shift focus to AI solutions designed to solve practical, high-impact problems, and it should integrate seamlessly with existing systems and staff workflows.

Before adopting any new AI tool we recommend asking four critical questions, based on input from health system leaders we work with who have successfully adopted and deployed AI:

Future-proofed, AI-native platforms like Luma’s are designed with these principles in mind. Built to adapt and grow with healthcare organizations, they ensure today’s AI solutions won’t become tomorrow’s technical debt. Platforms that anticipate industry needs and prioritize interoperability are the ones that will drive lasting impact.

Moving Forward with Practical AI

Hayes Valley Health Center’s journey offers lessons for effectiveAI adoption — avoid the hype, invest in practical solutions, and ensure AI tools support (rather than replace) healthcare teams.

By aligning AI investments with clear goals, empowering staff with adaptable tools, and maintaining a disciplined roadmap, organizations can drive meaningful improvements.

The key takeaway is simple: AI should empower, not complicate. With the right mindset and technologies, AI can become a powerful tool for transforming healthcare—enhancing experiences, improving outcomes, and making care more accessible for all.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences handles 95% of after-hours calls with AI automation for healthcare call centers

Healthcare call centers are overwhelmed. Agentic AI can help – right now.

Like many access leaders, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Michelle Winfield-Hanrahan had a legacy workflow in her contact center – and it was hurting patient experience and staff efficiency. 

When a patient called after the contact center – also commonly known as an access center or call center – had closed for the day, they left a voicemail on a dedicated after-hours phone line. The workflow had been created to avoid costly overnight staffing. “Staff shortages don’t only affect nursing and clinical roles, but their effect spans into the call center as well,” said Winfield-Hanrahan.

UAMS’ Epic-integated Luma AI solves healthcare call center challenges

But the after-hours line presented a challenge for staff the next day. Many patients used it to let UAMS know that they needed to cancel an appointment – and staff needed to take action on those requests right away. 

“The team was using three hours’ worth of time every day just listening to voicemails from patients who called in after hours. Then, they had to manually cancel appointments,” said Winfield-Hanrahan. “We had to try to backfill those appointments or lose the revenue.” 

UAMS needed healthcare call center automation to improve the patient experience, save time for staff, and avoid this lost revenue.

The AI-powered healthcare call center agent that cleared 800+ hours of work overnight

Luma’s Navigator AI concierge was the solution. With HIPAA-compliant, zero-retention agentic AI that integrated with UAMS’ Epic EHR, patients easily cancel their appointments after hours. The next day, staff simply see an up-to-date schedule – no manual follow-up required.

“We were looking for efficiency — and we found it with Navigator,” said Winfield-Hanrahan. “Navigator completely took that manual work off our plates.”

Winfield-Hanrahan cites Epic integration, a quick implementation time, and minimal change management as benefits that encouraged her to use Navigator. “Implementation took just three weeks from start to finish,” she said.

UAMS also chose Luma’s AI concierge because it complemented and expanded on the patient access options UAMS already offered with the contact center and MyChart. “Navigator sounds and acts like a human, and it’s so helpful,” said Winfield-Hanrahan.

With Navigator, UAMS has seen results including:

Results at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) using Luma’s Navigator

To hear more about UAMS’ story and their results from Navigator, check out the following resources:

To learn more about Navigator and how it could help your organization, check out these resources:

In this webinar, Michelle Winfield-Hanrahan dives deep into how she chose and implemented Luma’s AI concierge in UAMS’ call center.

AI that works with Epic (not against it)

Today, your staff might be dealing with overwhelming call volumes – and many of these calls are for simple needs, such as a cancellation or an FAQ, that don’t require the experience and knowledge of a dedicated staff member.

But calling a business or health system and reaching an AI agent is no longer in the far-off future. Organizations like UAMS are using them every day to provide a better patient and staff experience, and ultimately serve more patients with fewer resources.

An AI concierge allows you to decant, or deflect, simple calls to an AI agent while your staff handle higher-complexity calls and patient needs. Worried that patients won’t want to use AI, or that AI lacks a personal touch? This strategy gives you the best of both worlds. Patients who are comfortable with self-service can quickly meet their own needs using AI, while those who need to reach a staff member can stay on the line. 

Here are some of the benefits of AI in healthcare call centers:

Legacy workflows and the potential for problems in healthcare call centers

Maybe your organization doesn’t struggle with an overloaded after-hours phone line, like UAMS did. But don’t discount the value that AI might bring to other challenges your call center is facing. Winfield-Hanrahan, an experienced access leader who has consulted with many health systems to improve their call center workflows, encourages fellow leaders to consider other legacy workflows that might create problems in healthcare call centers and impact your patients and staff.

Call centers are costly to staff, and agents can be difficult to retain, said Winfield-Hanrahan. “It’s a challenging job, and we want to make sure that our agents are spending time on ‘true-to-task’ work helping patients – not on hours of administrative tasks,” she said. 

Research backs up this challenge. Contact center attrition rates are anywhere from 30% to 60%, with one poll of 400 contact center employees placing it at 42%. And the attrition rate for agents is about 1.3x higher than the average annual attrition rate in the US. Another recent study reported that more than half of contact center agents are on the verge of burnout.

If your organization is experiencing any of the following challenges, you might have legacy or manual workflows that AI could help automate with minimal process changes or change management:

Think AI isn’t for you? Here are an access leader’s tips for evaluating and choosing an AI concierge

Not sure whether AI is the right fit for you, or how to go about evaluating and selecting the right AI concierge? The benefits of AI in healthcare call centers don’t require you to reinvent all of your workflows – a smart application of AI automation, like UAMS’, can make a big difference overnight.

Winfield-Hanrahan offers these tips for fellow access leaders:

Ready to see Navigator in action?

We’re here if you want to chat about Navigator, how UAMS is using it, or creative ideas for how it could solve inefficiencies in your call center. See Navigator in action here. 

Ready to learn more? Schedule a meeting today!

Want to join the conversation with other healthcare leaders talking about the latest technology, challenges and opportunities, and creative ways to improve healthcare delivery? Tune in to Digital Health: On Air, our podcast discussing pressing healthcare topics with experts and leaders like you. You can find it on Spotify or YouTube, too!


You might be especially interested in episodes featuring CHIME’s Keith Fraidenburg (AI in Action: How Health Systems are Approaching the AI Boom) or Ardent Health Services’ Anika Gardenhire (Innovating with Purpose: Strategies for Meaningful Investment in AI).

Insights from CHIME Fall Forum Focus Group show common trends

Ask two different CIOs what they’re focused on for 2025, and you might get very different answers. But when we asked in the context of an “EHR-first” approach that many CIOs say they adopt, we uncovered several similarities. 

A group of CIOs came to our CHIME Fall Forum focus group specifically focused on maximizing their EHR investments and the rest of their tech stack. They were asked what they loved – and what they didn’t. From academic medical centers to regional health systems to behavioral health, from the Midwest to the coasts, they pinpointed three similar themes. Here’s what they said:

  1. An EHR-First Approach is Working – Mostly

It’s no secret that Epic is much beloved among its customers, especially CIOs. Several CIOs using Epic said it was a great investment. Epic’s integration and interoperability capabilities in particular got shout-outs:

But Epic wasn’t the only EHR with devoted customer advocates – MEDITECH received high marks for its collaboration and ability to support co-development with its customers. 

Investing in the EHR was consistently highlighted as a priority, with the EHR driving many strategic investments and programs. But these pain points were common, even among EHR advocates:

  1. The Brightest Spots: Co-Creating Clinical Innovations

Focus group attendees often called out clinical workflow improvements co-created with their EHR vendor as a source of pride. Examples included:

However, these workflows might not be perceived as bright spots for the EHR vendor as much as organizational points of pride. Several attendees called out their organization’s own reputation for high-quality clinical care as a driving factor in their technology strategy, and many of the same clinical workflows that were highlighted as co-innovations came with their own EHR challenges like speed of deployment. 

  1. No-Shows Remain a Persistent Challenge

When asked what they’d most like to change, or what would be their top priority for improvement, the leaders were unanimous. No-shows and related schedule utilization challenges, like filling the open slots and getting patients who missed appointments back on the schedule, were the top answer across the board. 

Even CIOs at organizations with robust EHR tools for schedule management and patient self-service called out no-shows as the biggest challenge that technology could solve. Some highlighted the significant revenue losses when slots aren’t filled or the heavy staff lift to fill last-minute openings.

The no-show challenge fit into the larger theme of CIOs’ EHR wish lists: they wanted less maintenance, less manual work, and less starting from scratch to solve the same problems as peers – with great results for basic workflows, plus the opportunity to innovate.

—

At the 2024 CHIME Fall Forum, attendees had begun looking ahead. They looked to 2025 and to ways to solve pain points while remaining EHR-first (or, in some cases, switching EHRs to begin building an EHR-first strategy). 


For the most part, they felt they were on the right track. An EHR-first strategy unified the technology stack, enabled innovation, and facilitated core workflows well for the majority of attendees. Efficiency was the main pain point, with maintenance, training, and support coming up frequently. No-shows united the entire group as a common and persistent challenge. 

Based on the feedback, in 2025, we can expect to see leaders like these focusing on efficiency. Innovative clinical care is a bright spot, but enterprise-wide efficiency and access will likely drive strategy. 

This article was originally published in Becker’s Hospital Review.

Across the health IT industry, leaders are balancing pressing concerns like increasing call volume and the need to maximize revenue with limited resources. And nice-to-have initiatives just don’t cut it anymore, with those that don’t drive revenue left on the cutting room floor. So how do you balance building for the long term with the pressures you’re managing right now? 

In the webcast Digital Health: On Air, leaders in a variety of roles have shared the challenges they’re facing – and the strategies they use to achieve success in spite of them. Here are some of their takeaways: 

Take an incremental approach 

In healthcare, “change can be very, very challenging,” says Arz Raheem, Sr. Director of Digital Transformation at Montefiore Health System. “[But] I think, after many years, healthcare is open to the change that is needed. And even if that’s iterative, that’s fine.” 

Investing in a large-scale transformation project might be off the table for your organization right now. That’s okay, according to Raheem and Tarun Kapoor, MD, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Virtua Health. And it can even be an asset. 

“In our hypercompetitive market, speed to impact is worth a lot,” says Kapoor. “And so you have to think about, ‘What is the problem that the consumer is facing in this specific situation? How can I make them successful?’” 

At Virtua Health, Kapoor’s iterative approach created real clinical impact. Realizing that some patients weren’t responding to colonoscopy reminder outreach, he took a step back. “Traditionally, we say, ‘you have a care gap. Come into the office so we can talk to you about this care gap.’ Instead, we said, ‘we know you might not have time to come in right now. Can you do a Cologuard® test at home?” After this more tailored outreach to a specific subset of patients, Virtua Health got thousands of home tests back and found nearly 300 patients with positive results. 

Instead of taking months to work toward a larger project and hit a number of defined milestones, Raheem says, he’s also seen results from an agile approach where projects are smaller-scale and can be expanded later, if they’re successful. An important caveat: “Be brave enough to kill it if there’s no value.” 

Bring varied stakeholders to the table 

So, what’s the most important ingredient in this iterative approach?

“We try and find people from operations; finance; security; compliance and legal; who are open to change, who can be our champions,” says Raheem. “[Then] we can take good ideas from ideation to implementation and make sure that we’re creating value,” he says. 

Gathering this multi-stakeholder group and approaching challenges from this lens requires a culture shift, says Raheem, from the traditional health IT implementation model. 

“Technology has had, in my opinion, a culture of more preservation and maintenance. I say, ‘I’m going to try small things. I think I’m onto something and want to show you what I’ve got.’ But if you don’t have the right support, great ideas will die on the vine.” 

At the same time, this “coalition of the willing” across different areas of expertise is especially important for Raheem, who serves one of the country’s leading academic medical centers, to avoid introducing risk with an agile approach. 

“We’re agile, but we have to be extremely careful about how we implement change and how we’re introducing new technologies because we’re in an environment that is heavily regulated,” he says. So, “if you don’t have that support, then speed to impact doesn’t really happen.” 

Pinpoint your pain points 

Another way to create outsize success? Pinpoint very specific use cases for new technology, like Main Line Health. 

First, Main Line Health identified that their call volume was too high for staff to handle. Having already successfully transitioned to a centralized call center and offloaded some calls to an external resource, they needed another lever to help patients get to the right place without waiting on hold. 

Next, they identified that a majority of incoming calls were to schedule mammograms and DEXA scans. “The largest service line supported by central scheduling is radiology and imaging,” said Noreen Friel, Director of Call Center Operations. “And we’ve been trying to increase access to our digital front door and enable patients to schedule themselves.” With a defined scope of the types of calls they wanted to assist with self-service, they were able to quickly add a call-to-self service workflow for patients that would allow scheduling for mammograms and DEXA scans by SMS if the patient desired. 

Since adding in the self-service option for these types of calls, Main Line Health has saved 900+ hours in a single year while still getting patients what they need. Pointing to the success of the project, Friel says: “We already had self-scheduling, and we kept it pretty simple. So it was implemented very fast.” 

Look for hidden barriers

As your health system is evaluating what’s necessary for the short-term and where to focus for the long term, Elizabeth Woodcock, DrPH, MBA, FACMPE, CPC, founder and executive director of the Patient Access Collaborative, encourages looking for hidden access barriers. 

Hidden barriers, says Woodcock, exist throughout the patient experience and can often be resolved to create more equitable and smooth access to care. These barriers could include:

Better patient access or transformation of the experience doesn’t have to be out of reach if your health system is focused on containing costs through this year and next. Consider low-cost changes that could address these hidden barriers, such as: 

Woodcock says that the number one best tool leaders can have for transforming patient access is to “really, really listen.” And as part of this listening, understand that finding hidden barriers requires more creative thinking than simply consulting patient feedback surveys, as these are often a “biased sample” of only patients who have been reached in the right way and in the right language, Woodcock says. 

Ultimately, Woodcock points out, searching for and addressing hidden barriers is worth it. “Our most vulnerable patients’ voices are not being heard. And because of that, they’re fighting to get in our system.” 

Take a look at cybersecurity basics 

The rising threat of cyberattacks means it’s impossible to focus on iterative, impactful changes without a strong security infrastructure. And the very digital transformation that helps create these changes creates more risk, according to security expert Brent Williams. 

“Healthcare is a target-rich environment,” he says. “Think about the datasets that are out there – it’s really powerful in terms of stealing identities. In the last 10 years, malicious actors have definitely noticed that, as the digital aspect of the healthcare business continues to grow.”

A core component of a secure health system, according to Williams, is a company culture of security. “The term I use is ‘business as usual.’ Security, when it’s done well, should just be part of the fabric of your processes, your technology, your business,” he says. To enable this culture, he recommends: 

“It’s the same weaknesses over and over,” like unprotected VPN endpoints or login pages, that lead to significant cyberattacks, says Williams. “So I keep coming back to the basics.” And over time, Williams says, “the team starts to get a bias toward, ‘oh, this is working well.’” 

While the added scrutiny needed for cybersecurity at today’s health systems can be stressful, says Williams, this basic hygiene can protect against costly and disruptive cyberattacks and allow your health system to focus on other impactful initiatives. 

Conclusions 

The CIO is at the center of a number of challenges, from serving more patients with fewer staff to remaining competitive without overspending on expensive digital tools. But amidst these challenges, you’re still responsible for directing your organization toward long-term success. 

The experts featured in season 1 of Digital Health: On Air are creating immediate impact with long-term potential with: 

If you’re interested in topics like these or would like to hear more from these speakers, follow Digital Health: On Air on Spotify or subscribe for a monthly episode digest.

Guest post by Renee McKibben, RN, BSN, Regional Operations Director at Maury Regional Health. This article was originally published in Becker’s Hospital Review.

A key strategy for access leaders looking to reach more patients is to think “EHR Plus.” 

At Maury Regional Health, we serve patients across eight counties in southern and middle Tennessee, with a lot of variance in how they want and need to access care. We have patients in rural areas with less reliable internet, and we also know that patients have high expectations for their consumer experience. 

To be able to provide the access that our patients expect, Maury Regional Health uses the EHR as the key source of truth and expands the channels available to patients through integration. 

Three key pieces of our “EHR Plus” strategy: 

1) Keep the EHR the source of truth. 

Everyone from our staff to our technology and access leaders is aligned in keeping Oracle Cerner our source of truth. 

When we evaluate any technology additions, we look for FHIR API connectivity with our EHR to communicate using the most up-to-date information and write back any changes such as scheduled appointments. 

In fact, our goal is that our staff don’t even realize all the different vendors we have attached to Oracle Cerner – they simply see it as the EHR. One example is our patient engagement platform. Patients see the messages and self-service options as communication from MRH, and staff see all updates in Oracle Cerner. 

What to consider: Especially when short on staff, it’s not sustainable to ask staff to jump through hoops or double-document information. A new system must be deeply integrated to reduce, not add to, the tasks completed day-to-day by staff. 

2) Choose additions to the EHR strategically to offer new modes of access. 

At Maury Regional Health, we serve an incredibly diverse population with all sorts of technology infrastructure. We know that healthcare isn’t necessarily accessible to everyone out of the box, and we need to match our technology both to what’s available to our patients and to their expectations for their care. 

One common request from our patients was the ability to communicate by text message – it’s more convenient for many of our patients and is more accessible if someone doesn’t have reliable internet connectivity.

On the system side we also needed the ability to reach more of our patients at once, such as when a provider is out sick. 

By adding on the ability to ingest information from Oracle Cerner, text the patient, and bring back their responses into the EHR, we were able to match our patients’ expectations and give them better access to our services. We’ve been able to create a consumer experience our patients want, while also recognizing $500,000 more in revenue by reducing no-shows across key departments. 

What to consider: It’s worth strategically expanding your tech stack to give patients access to their care in the way they want it. Look for opportunities to improve the experience for a wide variety of patients, as well as staff. 

3) Prioritize real-time customization integrated with the EHR. 

With multiple specialties and sites spread across eight counties, Maury Regional’s access technology needs to offer real-time communication and updates. Healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all, and customization is a huge priority for all of the products we integrate with our EHR. 

For example, we have a lot of demand for our specialists who have very limited availability. It’s crucial that we’re able to prepare patients for those appointments and make sure the care is completed successfully, so patients aren’t delayed waiting for the next available slot. Different specialists and types of appointment might have sequenced diagnostic tests, specific patient forms, or other information that requires very clear communication to the patient. 

With our access tools, tight integration with our EHR and customizability of the tools makes sure that the patient gets the right communication, at the right time, specific to their care journey and the way they want to communicate with us. 

What to consider: Balance standardization with customization when selecting and implementing access tools. Ensure that your tools have the capability to use EHR data to customize patient communication to each person, while keeping the EHR up to date. 

Interested in hearing more about Maury Regional Health’s approach? Learn more here.

Today, we announced the achievement of Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle Health Expertise. This recognition, along with our ability to deploy Luma’s platform directly from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), demonstrates our deep commitment to the Oracle community and the success of our customers.

We’ve long heard from leading health systems that they have the powerful data and patient journey context they need to create great patient journeys, but they need a system to orchestrate and take action on this data set. Luma’s mission is to be that system of action, with next-level orchestration integrated into Oracle Health including:

More than a suite of capabilities, Luma’s platform is designed to guide each patient along their journey while keeping Oracle Health the source of truth.

Every health system wants to provide best-in-class patient journeys. We’re excited to have achieved Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle Health Expertise because it further demonstrates our commitment to the success of our customers. Luma supports our customers with experienced implementation, data-driven best practices, and personalized solutions that meet their patients’ needs. Additionally, Luma’s validated Oracle Cloud Build Expertise and ability to deploy the platform directly from Oracle Cloud fully support our customers leveraging Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Some notable successes by our customers integrating Luma with Oracle Health include: 

We’re honored to be recognized by Oracle for our continued investment in providing integrated, end-to-end capabilities to our customers.

Utilizing an enterprise EHR system is like traveling on a cruise ship. You and hundreds of fellow passengers are on the same journey, for better or worse. The ship is designed to keep everyone onboard happy. You know which destinations lie ahead, but the schedule may be impacted due to weather.

 But what if you want to stay a little longer in one port? What if you need to hurry up and meet friends at a different destination? What if you’re a little seasick and want to slow down? You’re out of luck. There’s no diverting the cruise ship from its set route, even when passengers aren’t on board.

We often observe this in healthcare. Many complex organizations benefit from the immense scope and scale of an enterprise EHR to care for a broad patient population, but one size does not fit all. Patient experience and engagement varies widely. Healthcare is a competitive market. In many regions, patients have a choice about where to seek care. Without IT tools in place to smooth the patient journey, this looks like:

Patients’ unique needs would benefit from speedboat flexibility to react to market conditions as they change. Enter patient engagement platforms: a solution that natively integrates with your EHR can implement new outreach strategies and realize results now. 

In competitive marketplaces, this is not a luxury but a necessity. If you don’t have the ability to reach patients now, you risk losing them to a facility that can. How do we know? Because 87% of surveyed healthcare decision-makers agree that ability to compete in a marketplace is a driver for implementing patient engagement solutions (source). Fortunately, you don’t have to lag behind.

Fill the Cracks, Fast

What if your organization could start seeing changes in a matter of weeks?

Most systems are designed to work when everything is going right: when patients are fully engaged with all of their tools. In an enterprise health system, the multitude of available tools can flow through a patient portal for a streamlined patient experience. But data shows that more than half of patients aren’t using patient portals, even after receiving opportunities to register.

A platform approach to patient engagement can integrate into the native EHR and bridge some of the cracks with a medium that everyone uses: SMS text messaging.

Unlike enterprise EHR modules, API-integrated platform solutions can be implemented and launched within 45 days – enabling your organization to not just keep up with the Joneses, but surpass their assets.

Break Free from Boilerplate

Why are 89% of patients between the ages of 17-74 reluctant to use online scheduling options? Reasons include lack of access to internet, lack of awareness that options exist, low computer skills, and resistance to changing habits (source). It can be challenging to change their ways when limited to boilerplate messaging options and a set number of scenarios. To activate these patients and keep them within a healthcare network, organizations must be able to think outside the box – and step outside of boxes, too.

Partnership with a flexible patient success platform keeps patients on that journey.  Over 1,000 messaging scenarios, and the ability to develop more, will accommodate your unique organization – and your patients – right from implementation.

Don’t Despair: Automate

When complexity abounds, organizations hesitate to adopt patient engagement technologies because their processes can vary wildly across the system. Specialities following different workflows keeps organizational knowledge siloed and ensures that valuable staff time is required to keep patients in-network. Many are surprised to learn that complexity doesn’t have to be a barrier to modernization. In fact, implementation of a platform is often an opportunity to simplify workflows and identify streamlined ways to automate tired processes. Administrators and staff alike are often pleasantly surprised to learn that people don’t have to manually undertake every step of the scheduling and intake processes.

The perfect mix

Automation is a hot topic right now, but it’s important to deploy a strategy that keeps humans involved when necessary. Sometimes it’s best to simplify the easy stuff and leave the personal touch for when it’s needed most. Main Line Health saved 15,000 minutes of human time per month when they implemented Digital Call Deflection. Inbound calls could be diverted to conversational SMS text messaging, enabling the call center to focus on patient interactions that benefited from a human touch.

What next?

Learn how an out-of-box solution can reach and activate the 40% of patients who aren’t using your organization’s patient portal. Request a demo here.

Patient care extends well beyond the minutes that a clinician and patient pass in an exam room together. The ensuing visit notes are just one piece of the continuum. Healthcare systems have long integrated selections from a smorgasbord of technology tools to document care, optimize practice operations, and integrate patients’ financial journeys…with varying degrees of interoperability and success. 

Moving into 2024, healthcare providers report momentum towards consolidating tech stacks, looking to existing solutions for add-on capabilities before evaluating new vendors. Many EHR vendors are expanding beyond their core functionality of care documentation with solutions across the patient care journey. But organizations should tread with care.

Enterprise EHR is not one-size-fits-all

Every organization has unique aspects that influence operation. The gap between patient expectations and system capabilities can be massive, presenting many opportunities for patients to fall into the chasm between.

What’s holding patients back? Research indicates that barriers to self-service include access to the internet, lack of awareness of services, low computer skills, and change in the habit of making appointments over the phone or face-to-face. But even for patients who engage with technology, a challenging process is likely to disenchant and deter. Patients expect a frictionless experience. Anything less will stand between them and a completed appointment. No pressure, right?

The good news is, in a competitive marketplace, healthcare systems have a huge opportunity to deliver a seamless experience to keep patients coming back.

Most systems are designed to work when everything is going right: when patients are fully engaged with all of their tools. But data shows that only about 20-30% of patients make it through a manual scheduling process to a completed appointment. In their wake, they leave the debris of administrative burden, network leakage, missed appointments, and ultimately: lost revenue.

To capture maximum value from an enterprise EHR, you will need supplemental capabilities and patient engagement guardrails designed to keep the other 70 – 80% of patients in network.

10 Ways that Patient Engagement Platforms Support Patient Retention

  1. End-to-end SMS capabilities: Patient portals can be limiting – many features hide behind walls of clicks and require a patient’s full, unsustained attention. Text message outreach can go beyond directing patients to their portal. Reach more patients by enabling them to make an appointment or complete pre-visit paperwork by way of text messages, start-to-finish.
  2. Smart Waitlist Management: Automate the patient-cancel-staff-scramble with a graceful pivot to an integrated process, filling newly-emptied appointment slots as they arise via automated text outreach.
  3. Streamlined Appointment Management: Enable patients to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments through the platform, reducing no-shows and optimizing scheduling efficiency.
  4. Automated Appointment Reminders from a Recognized Phone Number: Text blasts are often ignored or filtered as spam. When patients receive reminders via a trusted organization’s phone number, practices realize improved appointment attendance rates and reduce administrative burdens.
  5. Secure Communication Channels: Stay HIPAA-compliant. Secure communication between patients and healthcare providers can be integrated within the platform.
  6. Health Risk Assessments: Administer and analyze health risk assessments through the platform, aiding in early identification of potential health risks and preventive interventions.
  7. Feedback and Satisfaction Surveys: Collect patient feedback and satisfaction surveys through the platform to gauge the quality of care and identify areas for improvement. Automate post-visit follow-ups and surveys to gather insights into patient experiences and monitor recovery progress.
  8. Pre-Visit Questionnaires: Collect relevant patient information before visits through digital questionnaires, optimizing visit efficiency and information accuracy.
  9. Remote Check-Ins: The digital front door is in patients’ fingertips. Conduct virtual check-ins through the platform, allowing healthcare providers to focus on what’s important and keep schedules on pace  patient well-being between scheduled appointments.
  10. Billing and Payment Integration: Streamline billing processes by integrating payment functionalities within the platform, enhancing the financial aspects of healthcare service delivery.

Simple, right?

Having all of these in place is great, but if they don’t integrate deeply with your EHR, your organization won’t reap maximum returns. Overworked staff can’t spend time tracking these things down manually. For true Patient Success, these workflows must be deeply embedded in a native EHR, automating processes with closed-loop referrals and EHR writebacks.

Navigating the happy path in the complex landscape of enterprise EHRs requires a thoughtful approach to patient engagement. By addressing gaps with personalized strategies, proactive waitlist management, and consideration of generational nuances, healthcare providers can guide patients seamlessly through their journey, leading to improved outcomes and increased value from their EHR investments.

RESOURCE: Learn more about how Luma integrates with EHRs like Epic to support patient retention.

OrthoNebraska is an innovator in orthopedic care, but accessing that care was challenging for patients. OrthoNebraska’s leaders knew they wanted to completely overhaul the patient experience and create a unified digital front door – not just look for a quick fix. 

“We wanted a great consumer journey to deliver ease of access as well as quality care,” said Nikki Green, senior manager of patient access. “But we didn’t want to select a vendor that would create redundancy or be unable to scale with us as we grew.” 

The first challenge to tackle: high no-show rates. Instead of requiring patients to call to change their appointments, which led to no-shows and thousands in lost revenue, OrthoNebraska envisioned becoming the first orthopedic practice in the region to offer self-scheduling. 

Because OrthoNebraska treats such a wide range of conditions, “implementing self-scheduling seemed like a daunting task,” said Green. “We need to get patients to the right provider. The patient’s current needs, their age range, their clinical history, the approach they’re looking for – all of these factors affect scheduling.” 

Deep integration with their Cerner EHR was a must-have. Other vendors OrthoNebraska evaluated weren’t equipped to match each patient with the right appointments and providers for them, according to Green.

Ultimately, Green and her colleagues chose Luma as the foundation for their digital front door. 

After integrating Luma with their Cerner system, “we felt more comfortable giving that self-scheduling power to patients,” said Green. “We were able to trust that the technical build itself would direct patients to the right provider.”

The choice of a platform over a scheduling point solution has already allowed OrthoNebraska to solve more inefficiencies on their journey to a unified, simple patient experience. 

“Our nurses are very busy, so patients calling with clinical questions would need to leave a message,” said Green. “With Luma, nurses can respond to patients via text while they’re multitasking, which has been huge for patient success and nurses’ job satisfaction.”

Green sees wins like these as the first steps in OrthoNebraska’s digital transformation. 

“It’s exciting that huge improvements like self-scheduling are just the beginning. We’re confident that Luma will complement the initiatives we’ll tackle in the future.”

Want to learn more? Book a quick call with a Luma + Oracle Health expert.