Mercy health system recently introduced "Toni," a savvy chatbot designed to make patients’ health care experience smoother and more convenient, officials announced.
Toni is set up to act as a virtual assistant, using smart technology to help with things like scheduling appointments and refilling prescriptions, day and night, they explained.
“While consumers encounter chatbots in many industries, they're relatively new to health care,” said Steve Mackin, Mercy president and CEO. “These tech advancements save patients time. Toni is part of Mercy's commitment to using technology to make the health care experience better, more convenient and most importantly, private and secure.”
Mercy is one of the first major health systems in the country to provide chatbots. Toni is designed to help patients in real time, providing personalized responses to questions and needs around the clock.
“Toni can handle your requests faster and easier than a phone call,” said Tamara Carlton, Mercy’s executive director of product development. “Research shows people prefer getting answers from a chatbot over dealing with forms or making phone calls. Toni puts you in control of your health care decisions, and the best part is Toni will be able to do even more for patients in the future.”
Officials describe several key features offered by the chatbot:
- Personalized interaction: Toni chats with users online in a friendly, human-like way and can even share extra web resources.
- 24/7 Accessibility: Need help at 3 a.m.? Toni is ready, breaking free from the limits of regular business hours for patients’ convenience.
- Secure identification: Toni accesses users’ personal health care records to better assist them, but information stays safe and private, offering a seamless and secure experience.
- Instant assistance: Toni quickly helps with common questions, like confirming and canceling appointments or renewing prescriptions.
- Live agent connection: For those who prefer talking to a real person, Toni can connect users while keeping track of what has been discussed.
“We named ‘Toni’ after our beloved Sister of Mercy Mary ‘Roch’ Rocklage, who was born Antoinette Marie Rocklage,” said Mackin. “Sister Roch was an icon in health care and humbly stepped into the national spotlight to lead the American Hospital Association and others in her passion for health care access for all. Although Sister Roch died last year, it’s fitting that we would name this innovation after her because it provides greater access, which she championed.”
Since mid-November, Toni has interacted with over 14,000 users and answered about 42,000 questions, said officials.
Amanda Richards, a social media specialist at Mercy, shared her firsthand experience with Toni, emphasizing how the chatbot makes managing appointments much easier and quicker.
“As a Mercy coworker who chats with hundreds of patients online each week, I see firsthand how it’s helping our patients and I use Toni, too,” said Richards. “I’m thankful for the convenience Toni offers, because it is even easier to change or cancel an appointment now.”
