Healthcare apps are supposed to make getting medical care easier. Instead, they often create more headaches. Patients find themselves juggling multiple portals, apps, and interfaces just to book an appointment or check their symptoms.
Ubie, an AI healthcare company, thinks it has a solution. The firm announced a partnership with Mayo Clinic to build a unified platform called Smart Support. The goal is simple: replace the mess of different healthcare apps with one interface that works around the clock.
How does it work?
Smart Support combines chat and voice features into a single access point. Patients can communicate however they prefer – typing or talking. The platform uses clinically validated symptom assessment to figure out what kind of care someone needs.
The system then routes patients to the right care setting based on their symptoms, insurance coverage, and medical needs. It handles scheduling automatically. For complex cases, it can connect patients with human agents.
Mayo Clinic and Ubie also plan to add chronic disease management features. Patients with ongoing conditions could track their care plans, get personalized recommendations, and alert their care teams when issues arise.
Why does it matter?
Healthcare systems are drowning in operational problems. Call centers get overloaded. Scheduling creates friction. Patient experiences vary wildly depending on which app or portal someone uses.
“Current digital front door solutions can leave patients needing to navigate multiple portals – creating friction, confusion and low adoption,” according to the companies. This fragmentation wastes time for both patients and healthcare workers.
Smart Support aims to boost first-contact resolution rates and self-service completion. That means fewer phone calls to overwhelmed staff and faster answers for patients.
The context
This partnership builds on a 30-week pilot program Ubie completed through Mayo Clinic’s Platform Accelerate program. The collaboration gives Ubie access to one of America’s most respected healthcare brands.
Founded in 2017, Ubie already serves more than 13 million monthly users globally, including over 1 million in the U.S. In Japan, more than 1,800 healthcare organizations use Ubie’s provider solutions. The company is backed by Google and other investors.
The firm offers consumer products including a symptom checker, consultation service, and digital doctors’ notes. These services are growing 30% month-over-month.
Mayo Clinic disclosed it has a financial interest in the technology and will use any revenue to support its patient care, education and research mission.