In the rush to adopt AI, healthcare organizations are often caught between hype and reality. Headlines promise revolutionary breakthroughs, but many teams just want to fix the everyday bottlenecks: long phone queues, missed appointments, overflowing fax inboxes, and staff who are stretched too thin.
That’s why we created Hayes Valley Health, a fictional mid-sized, multi-site provider group, to illustrate how real-world problems in patient access and operations can be tackled with the right kind of automation. This is not a real health system. But their story reflects what we’ve heard from countless clinics and health systems navigating the complex intersection of care delivery and administrative efficiency.
This illustrative case study explores how a group like Hayes Valley might evaluate AI tools and what results they could realistically expect. It’s not about chasing buzzwords. It’s about making care easier for patients and staff alike.
Phase One: Identifying the Real Gaps
Hayes Valley brought together leaders from scheduling, clinical ops, and IT to define the actual outcomes they needed:
Some vendors and even their EHR’s native solution claimed to offer AI-driven insights, like predicting who might miss an appointment. But when staff still had to call those patients manually? It wasn’t a true solution.
Phase Two: Seeing Beyond the Buzzwords
They explored several tools, including options from their EHR vendor. One solution offered fax extraction and no-show prediction, but it required human intervention for the next step. The IT team noted the lack of customization. Clinical admins were concerned about per-use pricing. Most importantly, the access team still had to act on every insight manually. The team asked a simple question: If our staff still has to follow up manually, what exactly is the AI doing?
Then came a different approach: a platform that automated entire workflows, not just flagged problems.
Phase Three: Finding Automation That Actually Closes the Loop
Hayes Valley piloted a system that didn’t just predict a no-show — it took action automatically:
They also saw intelligent fax handling in action: new referrals were triaged and routed without manual review. No inbox chaos. No more staff “cherry-picking” easy faxes and delaying the rest.
Early Wins That Mattered (Even in a Hypothetical World)
In this fictional pilot, within weeks, Hayes Valley Health saw measurable improvements:
While these figures are made up, they represent the kinds of early improvements we’ve seen in real Luma Health implementations. The difference? Automation that does the work, rather than just suggesting what the work should be.
Staff weren’t just relieved — they were finally able to focus on the patients in front of them.
Four Lessons to Take from What Hayes Valley Learned
Hayes Valley Health may not be real, but the takeaways from their fictional journey echo the needs of real clinics and health systems that are evaluating AI tools:
Conclusion: It’s Not About AI—It’s About Impact
Hayes Valley Health didn’t choose a platform because it had AI. They chose it because it solved their problems by automating patient engagement in a way that scaled across locations, specialties, and care teams.
For health systems evaluating the next generation of patient engagement, the takeaway is clear: AI is only valuable when it turns insight into action—and reduces the burden on staff.
While Hayes Valley Health may be made up, Luma’s solutions are already in use at real practices across the country. From pediatric clinics to specialty providers to large health systems, our customers are reducing no-shows, automating referral management, and helping their teams get back to patient care.
To see how it might work at your organization, get in touch with us today
FAQs
What EHRs does Luma integrate with, and how deep is that integration?
Luma offers bidirectional, seamless integration with major EHRs, including Epic, Oracle Cerner, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, athenahealth, NextGen, and more. This integration enables functionalities like patient self-scheduling, EHR-integrated intake and consent forms, and reminders synchronized with your EHR schedule.
How configurable is the automation—can I tailor it to different departments or clinics?
Luma’s platform is highly configurable. Its Novel Workflows feature allows you to build unique workflows, customize patient outreach, and streamline care, enabling you to tailor automation to specific departments or clinics.
What’s the typical implementation timeline and lift for my internal teams?
Most organizations see their first AI workflows live within weeks. Luma’s dedicated team handles the heavy lifting of the initial implementation, requiring minimal demands on your IT resources. The rollout is tailored to your existing workflows, with hands-on support to ensure a smooth transition.
Do I need to replace any existing tools, or can Luma layer onto what we already use?
Luma is designed to integrate with your existing systems, including EHRs, RCM, payments, CRM, call center solutions, telehealth, population health systems, and homegrown tools. This allows Luma to layer onto your current infrastructure without necessitating the replacement of existing tools.
What kind of support or training does Luma provide post-launch?
Luma provides hands-on support during the rollout and offers self-serve tools for building workflows. Additionally, Luma U Live is a learning opportunity where users can bring questions to the training team and subject matter experts.
How does Luma ensure compliance with HIPAA and protect patient data?
Luma is HIPAA-compliant and has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, ensuring secure handling of sensitive health information. Their dedicated, in-house Security and Compliance team ensures adherence to the latest information security frameworks and data privacy regulations.
Are there real-world case studies or references from similar organizations I can review?
Yes, Luma’s Learn Hub features stories, tips, and resources from Luma and its community members, including case studies from various organization types such as enterprise health systems, regional health systems, FQHCs, and specialty clinics.
How does Luma’s automation compare to what my EHR vendor already offers?
Luma provides deeper EHR integration and a more comprehensive product with experienced customizability and support, distinguishing it from standard EHR vendor offerings. It is designed to work alongside your EHR to enhance patient engagement and operational efficiency.