Healthcare technology provider Empara has launched Em, a customizable AI virtual assistant designed to streamline and personalize the member experience of navigating health benefits while also enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of service providers and HR teams.
Powered by the latest generative AI models, Em is equipped to understand and respond to inquiries about health benefits, regulations, policies, and more — even specific details found in company handbooks or other pertinent member group documents. Em integrates seamlessly with each group's brand and systems, ensuring a personalized experience.
"When it comes to the complexity of health benefits, there are many questions that arise. Em knows the answers and provides instant responses to help members find the information they need quickly. It integrates seamlessly with a group's existing benefits and handles the routine inquiries, freeing up administrators to focus on other strategic initiatives," says Markus Waite, President of Empara.
The assistant efficiently manages a wide range of member inquiries, from coverage details to real-time tracking of deductibles, reducing the workload on call centers, member service teams, and HR departments while also boosting member satisfaction. For inquiries beyond Em's capabilities, members are seamlessly connected to a human expert, ensuring that assistance is always available.
From a user perspective, interacting with Em is similar to using ChatGPT or Gemini, but Em already has knowledge of specific plans and spending information. It can also address general questions about the healthcare and insurance industries, helping people understand concepts like coinsurance or deductibles.
Em doesn't replace expert advocates and health benefit professionals. Instead, it enhances their efficiency by allowing them to focus on high-value care issues requiring human intervention. Em is the first of many planned AI-enabled features for the Empara platform, aiming to make the health benefits and care ecosystem more effective and rewarding.
