WellSpan Health has introduced a phone-based conversational AI assistant named Ana, developed in collaboration with Hippocratic AI, to enhance patient engagement both at home and within clinical workflows. Ana supports multiple languages and can seamlessly switch between them during conversations to accommodate patient preferences. The AI tool handles both outbound and inbound communications: it reaches out to patients who may have missed digital notifications—like those with normal diagnostic results—and provides friendly, empathetic follow-up. Ana also fields incoming calls for primary care practices, handles basic inquiries, and will soon be able to schedule appointments dynamically. With memory capabilities that allow for personalized interactions, Ana is helping WellSpan scale its outreach, going from 6,300 calls during its pilot phase to over 260,000 in a single month.
Mark Kandrysawtz, SVP and Chief Innovation Officer at WellSpan, emphasizes an experience-centered approach to AI integration, advocating for solutions designed around real-world problems rather than a technology-first mindset. This strategy aims to prioritize both patient and team member experiences to unlock truly transformative opportunities in healthcare. He also encourages healthcare leaders not to let fear of organizational risk—such as privacy and security—hinder innovation. Instead, he sees AI as a chance for healthcare systems to co-develop new solutions and drive future breakthroughs by bringing their unique insights and creativity to the table.