Artificial Intelligence in OMS

How Much Money Will Our AI Save You?

We are announcing the next frontier in patient engagement and practice efficiency: WUWTA AI. 

After three years of development by the skunk works team at WUWTA, we will release the first of a series of Machine Learning (ML) & Artificial Intelligence (AI) modules. Our first application of WUWTA AI will be applied to our chat module and it can be used in the WUWTA platform and on your website. 

Here is what it looks like:

We have learned that when you send people messages through WUWTA, they will respond through our chat module. It provides a more convenient method of communication and it is vastly superior in its efficiency if it is utilized correctly. One of the things we’ve been working on through our integrations to practice management systems, such as DSN, WinOMS, Sensei, OMS Vision, Open Dental, and CareStack, is removing the need for staff members to need to send messages. The interesting thing about that is the data demonstrates that most staff members in practices can’t keep up with the actual volume. In other words, there were more messages that could go out than they could keep up with. When we launched automated messages that are sent simply by the practice management system scheduler sending a command line and payload of information containing the demographic and procedure information, the message volume increased by 160%. 

What that articulates is that even the most enthusiastic staff members who love WUWTA because they see the value of the platform oftentimes cannot keep up with the pace of messages required to truly maximize the system for the practice. 

So it’s reasonable to think that chatting with a patient could be a point where staff members could fall behind. 

Chat products that require staff intervention are good to have in your practice because increasingly patients want to communicate that way, but those interactions still require time from your staff. And, just like WUWTA pathway messages deliver the right information to the right people at the right time without the need for staff intervention and reduce redundant communication both internally and externally, WUWTA AI Chat reduces the workload for your staff and increases the ability for patients to communicate effectively. 

So where did this all start? 

I ideated and directed the development effort of the first learning and knowledge platform in healthcare back in 2003. In that platform we developed a knowledge base that could answer questions for people with an animated avatar that would speak the response back. 

Anthony Hall, our Chief Product Officer, and I were working together at that time but on a different project. Jeff Thompson, our Co Founder and Chief Operating Officer, left WebMD before I did so by the time I got to MDSERVE in Houston, TX, we hadn’t worked together for a couple of years… but the genesis for the platform originated from my experience at Healthpro, where Jeff was the CEO. 

When I took over as CEO at MDSERVE, there had been three CEOs in rapid succession that had left behind a hodgepodge of people who were all at odds with each other. To make the challenge greater, I was 34 years old—in that day and age 34-year-old CEOs were rare. On top of working with people who were at war with one another, I was working on correcting a failed product launch where the previous CEO was terminated by the board of directors for essentially misleading investors on the status of the new version of the practice management system. Our support department was overwhelmed with training issues because the system continued to change, and the staff at the health centers weren’t afforded additional training. So, it was inevitable that they would blame the system for problems that really didn’t exist because they didn’t know how to use it. I needed something that could turn that situation around quickly, and in the software world of those days, “quickly” was a subjective statement! Tim Baker, who was a technical writer at MDSERVE, became a close friend and ally and became the project manager for MDSERVE University, a learning and knowledge management platform we built to solve the issues. 

We were making videos that explained how to use the practice management system. It’s important to note that this PM system serviced FQHCs, Public Health Departments, and Indian Health Centers (Tribe, 638 Self Governance & Title 5). The reporting requirements were complex, as was the billing… not to mention that the scheduling system really had an ERP capability that allocated Human Resources as well as equipment. I say all this to illustrate the complexity of the problem we were facing. No matter how many bodies we threw at the problem in the support department, they couldn’t keep up with the volume of training-related inquiries. We needed innovation, so that’s where the learning and knowledge management platform came into play. Tim and I worked continuously to align the product roadmap of the practice management system with the video content we were creating to train people on how to use the system. As a result, we were able to secure an 8-figure investment and ultimately sell the company.

But before all of that happened, we created a knowledge base with an animated avatar that could answer support questions users had. When we started to show it to people, they were blown away. AI was truly a long way off as my mentor at that time, Dr. David Hartzband (who was the founder of the Knowledge Systems Lab at Stanford), would always say to people. 

I, of course, was enamored with what we had created. While it was only Natural Language Processing (NLP), it was solving support problems and reducing costs. It also made me thirsty for developing better and better content and technology.

Fast forward 20 years later, and here we are. 

Today, WUWTA AI can help your staff to run a more efficient practice, save them time and redundant communication, and it can save you untold amounts of money.

Your front desk is busy and trying to communicate the right information to the right people at the right time, and that can be a nightmare for your staff. You want to avoid the turnover that practices are seeing across the country because all Doctors know that turnover is one of the most costly things for any practice… not only in the hiring and onboarding of a new staff member, but the loss of institutional knowledge. 

Some people are excited and worried about AI at the same time. And it’s true: there are some things to be worried about unless this technology is applied and utilized correctly. Some people are just afraid of the unknown… they don’t understand it, so their initial response is to resist it even though it can solve so many of the issues they face and can save them money.

“It’s new to us, because we’re stuck in a legacy world,” said Mark Cuban. 

Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder, recently made an impromptu appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to talk about the increasingly popular artificial intelligence chatbot. Wozniak said he finds ChatGPT “pretty impressive” and “useful to humans,” despite his usual aversion to tech that claims to mimic real-life brains. He went on to give caution here.

A recent PEW Research survey found that 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Providers Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care.

The fact is that we are a long way off from AI and robots replacing surgeons, and it won’t replace your staff either! But we are now at a point in time where AI can start to address the communication issues you are facing in your practice… and that leads to patients who are better educated (we increase their Healthcare IQ), more comfortable (we raise their Healthcare EQ), more confident and in control (Healthcare AQ), and more engaged in meaningful conversations with their provider (Healthcare SQ), which leads to better outcomes and ultimately more patients and cases. 

“Patient Experience” is a buzzword that lots of appointment reminder systems like to lay claim to, but in reality they aren’t even close to true patient engagement systems. At WUWTA, we have created the ultimate practice efficiency platform and we have the objective data to prove it. 

Our next steps for our AI will address where patients aren’t engaged based on engagement thresholds. These threshold-based event triggers look for a minimum engagement within a patient pathway and take action without human intervention to effect a change. As an example, we send pre- and post-operative videos to a patient who is NPO for a procedure, but they didn’t watch the instruction videos to a level that would ensure they had all the information. WUWTA’s AI detects that and sends a new message prompting the patient to take action. This all happens without the staff having to lift a finger and can achieve all the things I have mentioned above and ultimately save/make the practice a tremendous amount of money. 

The WUWTA platform costs less than most appointment reminder systems… and it has way more functionality. For example, we have built a robust video consult and follow up capability based on WebRTC which, unlike Zoom, GoToMeeting, or WebEX, doesn’t require the patient to download an application. Its advanced browser-to-browser technology makes it easy for staff and patients to connect, and it is HIPAA compliant. 

You might wonder exactly how you could or would use this in your practice:

  • Your team can screen patients prior to consults. This is especially important when you are running direct to consumer campaigns where the patient isn’t coming by way of referral.
  • Make it a part of the referral process as an effective way to screen patients and prioritize them in your schedule.
  • For certain types of follow-up appointments, it’s a game changer because you can save a patient, your staff, and yourself a tremendous amount of time. 

Speaking of referrals, WUWTA also has a complete referral module that will drive electronic referrals at the GP practice with the push of a button we pioneered 6 years ago. This capability allows you to create a better referral interaction with the GP because it communicates to them that you have received their patient and informs them of your progress. Soon it will become the central repository for all the patient information and will enable you to communicate Asynchronously and Synchronously with the referral regarding the case. That will provide your practice with an unrivaled efficiency. 

Those are just a few of the modules that WUWTA brings to the market, and if you are tracking with me, you can see where we are going with AI in the expansion of the platform. 

Imagine the day where 50% or more of your scheduling is done by a patient interacting with AI in your practice. Our integrations with practice management systems will make that possible. And when we do that, you save/make money… all while providing a superior patient experience and getting time back in your day to do the things that are most important to you. 

You can find out WHY so many Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons, Periodontists, Orthodontists, Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeons are buying WUWTA. See it for yourself by filling out this form below, and a member of our sales team will contact you. We have regional sales managers in place so you can see it at 7 AM ET or 7 PM PT! Whenever is most convenient for you. 

More articles and information about AI in Healthcare

While you’re at it, you might want to read about how we pioneered Video SEO 14 years ago! 

Request a 30-minute demonstration to see just how powerful the WUWTA platform can be for your practice.

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