Insight
Selecting a Conversational AI Partner: Key Considerations for Healthcare Organizations
As healthcare organizations increasingly turn to conversational AI (CAI) to streamline operations, improve patient engagement, and reduce costs, selecting the right vendor is crucial. A well-implemented CAI solution can offer significant time and resource savings; but choosing the wrong partner could lead to technical issues, integration challenges, and unexpected costs. This article outlines six key considerations healthcare organizations should keep in mind when selecting a conversational AI partner.
Client Success: The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network
Tegria recently conducted a full end-to-end conversational AI vendor assessment of 11 leading conversational AI providers. AI vendors’ capabilities were systematically reviewed, ranked, and prioritized to a unique client need driven by an extensive RFI and RFP process.
The project’s executive sponsor, Chief Digital Officer for The Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network Dr. Bradley Crotty, worked with Tegria through the AI vendor selection process and had the following to say:
Tegria played an instrumental and complete end-to-end role in identifying our preferred third-party conversational AI partner. From digital strategy recommendations to vendor selection, Tegria supported our executive facilitators and sponsors in identifying business requirements, conducting vendor outreach, leading vendor RFI, RFP communication, hosting product demonstrations, and soliciting participate feedback through qualitative and quantitative surveys. … While this effort was absolutely holistic and collaborative, Tegria’s leadership played a critical role in accelerating the end-to-end AI vendor selection process.
BRADLEY CROTTY, MD, MPHChief Digital Officer, the Froedtert & MCW health network
To help healthcare leaders assess and select the right conversational AI partner, we recommend that healthcare leaders consider the following:
1. Healthcare-Specific Use Cases
Before starting your vendor search, it’s critical to develop a detailed list of organizational requirements. Vendors must demonstrate a clear understanding of your healthcare-specific needs and show that they have experience in deploying relevant use cases, such as appointment management, password resets, or prescription refills. Ask vendors to demonstrate these use cases in a live environment to ensure they can meet your needs.
For example, if your goal is to implement end-to-end appointment management, ensure the vendor supports multi-channel scheduling—through voice, chat, mobile, and SMS.
2. Technical Compatibility and Integration
Evaluate your organization’s existing infrastructure and ensure any potential conversational AI solution integrates seamlessly with your IT systems, electronic health records (EHR), and customer service platforms. Involve IT, EHR, and product specialists early in the process to determine the technical complexity and potential costs of implementing a chat solution.
When reviewing vendor demonstrations, tailor them to your organization’s current environment. For instance, if you use Cisco for call management, confirm that the solution is compatible and ask for verifiable client references that support similar integrations.
3. EHR Readiness and Enablement
Assess your current EHR system’s ability to support CAI solutions. For example, if your organization uses Epic’s MyChart, ensure your CAI vendor can integrate with it to offer features such as password resets or appointment scheduling. Engage your EHR provider early in the process to discuss any required optimizations that may affect your CAI solution.
4. Preconfigured Use Cases
Speed and quality of implementation are key factors in achieving ROI. Ask vendors if they offer preconfigured use cases that can be quickly customized and deployed. Common use cases include appointment scheduling, bill payments, and Rx refills. Confirm that the vendor has a proven track record of deploying these features in live environments and can provide verifiable references.
5. Cost Considerations
In addition to monthly subscription fees, be aware of other variable charges, such as fees for SMS or voice services. Some vendors charge per interaction or minute of usage, while others offer prepaid bulk discounts. Additionally, verify whether there are extra costs related to integration with your EHR system, APIs, or infrastructure upgrades.
For example, some vendors charge separately for generative AI use or support for multiple languages. It’s essential to get a clear understanding of all potential costs before signing a contract.
6. Performance and Security Guarantees
Ensure your CAI vendor offers performance guarantees, especially around accuracy and recognition capabilities. These guarantees are crucial for achieving high system adoption and ROI. For example, ask about guaranteed recognition accuracy rates for common self-service tasks like password resets.
Security is another critical consideration. Any CAI solution for healthcare must comply with HIPAA regulations, and many organizations also seek NIST certification. Ensure the vendor follows strict security guidelines and has clear processes for data access, retention, and deidentification of patient information.
Selecting the right conversational AI vendor is a multifaceted process that requires careful consideration of your organization’s technical environment, specific use cases, and long-term goals. By following these six key steps, healthcare organizations can make more informed decisions and set the stage for successful CAI implementation.
For a deeper exploration of these six considerations and healthcare-specific examples to guide AI vendor selection, download our e-book.