Imagine if a patient could get all his or her health information and support in one place, from asking health-related questions to finding the right doctor to scheduling appointments.
Novant Health has launched an all-in-one digital platform, called Novant Health Now, to help individuals do just that.
Novant Health Now is intended to serve as an all-in-one, one-stop shop for individuals looking for answers, experts, support and health information. The platform includes two newly developed digital tools – a virtual assistant and a physician matcher. These tools leverage automated communications and artificial intelligence (AI) to help individuals make informed decisions about with whom, when and where to seek care.
“During this pandemic, we have seen tremendous growth in the demand for virtual care and also in our digital health and engagement capabilities. Novant Health Now streamlines and simplifies this enhanced online journey for patients looking for real-time, personalized health information, recommendations and care,” said Angela Yochem, Novant Health’s executive vice president and chief transformation and digital officer.
Studies suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of customer interactions by as much as three years. In response, Novant Health has been investing in its in-house capabilities to design and develop digital tools. The health system is also partnering with leaders in the tech industry, such as South Carolina-based Red Ventures and New York-based Hyro.
“When our team goes to the drawing board to brainstorm how we meet the changing needs of our patients, we listen to the voice of the consumer and use these data insights to really inform our strategy,” Jesse Cureton, executive vice president and chief consumer officer at Novant Health, said. “It’s not enough to keep up with the trends, we are anticipating these changes and being proactive to ensure our capabilities to deliver the best care.”
Novant Health Now is not limited to Novant Health patients. The digital platform includes three overall programs: Answers Now, Experts Now and Access Now.
Answers Now
In Answers Now, individuals can use voice or text to get instant answers to questions through tools like chatbots, a 24/7 care connections hotline and 24/7 on-demand virtual care.
This platform makes Novant Health the only health system in the region to offer constant virtual access to adult and pediatric experts.
Novant Health’s virtual assistant, a chatbot powered by Hyro’s conversational AI technology, will help reduce the need for an individual to call and speak with a live representative. Officials believe it will improve Novant Health’s call center operations, reduce the average wait time from 8 minutes to 3 seconds and resolve more than 85% of users’ requests without directing to a live agent.
In October, the pilot virtual assistant facilitated 20,000 unique conversations and completed 10,000 actions. Uses include finding physicians and services, scheduling appointments, information on Covid-19 testing and vaccine registration, live agent support and troubleshooting issues with MyChart and MyNovant apps.
Experts Now
Physician matcher is the other new tool, which assists patients in finding the right expert. The matcher helps connect an individual with a provider based on personal preferences such as the provider’s gender, years of experience, spoken language and treatment forte.
Novant Health is the first health system in the region to develop and offer this algorithm-based search tool.
Individuals will also find the physician finder in Experts Now, which allows patients to browse providers and locations and then make an appointment instantly. Filters in the physician finder include specialty, availability, distance, language, gender and LGBTQ+ health care training.
Access Now
In Access Now, individuals can schedule their own health appointments, access their medical records and read health news through the MyNovant app and Novant Health’s website.
MyNovant, the health management app, has been recently redesigned to better provide streamlined access to a patient’s care team and health information. The app also enables users to find a variety of items from walk-in care nearby to answers by real people in real time.
All tools on Novant Health Now are accessible through the MyNovant app.
Expects better outcomes
Novant Health will also be able to improve health outcomes by investing in digital health and engagement tools.
“By putting personalized information and recommendations at someone’s fingertips, we’re not only making their lives easier, but we’re helping them live healthier lives,” Cureton said. “Choosing the right provider to deliver the best care in the most convenient way should be as easy as anything else we use our smartphones or computers to find.”
Novant Health cited evidence that suggests that higher levels of trust and communication between providers and patients improve a number of items including medication adherence, decision-making, wait times for treatment and patient understanding. It also cited evidence that showed that increased levels of health literacy improved health outcomes.
Novant Health will continue to add digital health and engagement tools to Novant Health Now, including a symptom checker.
