AI Scheduling Automation Solution Improves COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout by Leveraging Open API
While the COVID-19 vaccine has been long-awaited, it’s also put a lot of pressure on clinics, particularly small practices, that don’t necessarily have the resources and staff to make the swift yet robust adjustments needed to accommodate an influx of patients.
Not to mention, millions of Americans are seeking information and attempting to book vaccinations; which means phone lines, websites, and staff are overwhelmed. Confusion on adequate scheduling and contact channels can overwhelm patients and push them to abandon their pursuit of getting vaccinated.
And while AI has shown mixed results in some aspects of healthcare, tools like Nimblr’s virtual assistant Holly have certainly made good on their promise. In fact, 50% of respondents in a Center for Connected Medicine report stated that they use AI tools to help manage the COVID-19 crisis.
Nimblr’s AI platform is powered by multilingual NLP (natural language processing) and deep machine learning for patient behavior understanding. And although vaccination centers can only take a finite amount of phone calls and website requests before they crash, Nimblr’s platform is capable of scheduling thousands of patients simultaneously by leveraging open APIs, such as DrChrono’s.
“We are thrilled to see Nimblr’s new scheduling automation solution in sync with our health platform helping practices with the COVID vaccination rollout,” said Daniel Kivatinos, Co-Founder and COO of DrChrono. “Nimblr is a great example of a company leveraging the DrChrono API. The vaccine rollout will be a major effort and focus area for medical practices of all sizes this year, using the right technology will be key for an overall smoother process.”
Maintaining an open API is critical, as it begets more innovative digital apps, and it’s proven to be even more critical as tools that aid in COVID immunization tracking remain in high demand. And because mobile EHRs house more patient data and electronic health records than other clinical software, it’s particularly important that their APIs adhere to healthcare industry standards.
By leveraging APIs and integrating with practice management and EHR platforms, tools like Nimblr can reduce wait periods by 75% and allow scheduling via text from any location. The resulting increase in accessibility eliminates barriers for vaccination, and reminder messages reduce no-show rates and provide important appointment information.
An additional challenge vaccination centers are facing is the unpredictability of weekly vaccine supply, meaning their appointment availability is in constant flux. The AI assistant helps tackle this problem with its dynamic re-scheduling system based on the center’s current inventory. Holly provides a real-time waitlist and auto-fills available slots with the help of DrChrono’s API call system so centers can fully allocate their doses. This results in zero waste scheduling and capacity optimization allowing distributors to vaccinate more patients during the workday.
“Our purpose is to help the healthcare industry reach its true potential with the right tools. This takes further relevance by aiding practitioners in the process of public health restoration,” mentions Juan Vera, CEO at Nimblr. “DrChrono’s healthcare technology interoperability is a key enabler to achieve this goal and meet the vaccination challenges.”
Read the original press release here.