Cedar announces agentic AI for healthcare billing

Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc./Getty Images

Patient financial platform Cedar has launched Kora, an AI voice agent that is projected to automate 30% of inbound billing calls by year-end.  

The platform is trained on Cedar's pre-existing billing data so that Kora is able to intelligently answer billing questions beyond traditional interactive voice response, Cedar said. It can explain charges, identify payment options, and connect patients with financial assistance. 

Kora understands natural language, identifies underlying issues and responds conversationally. It's designed with HIPAA privacy and security safeguards. It is also able to detect sentiment and tone, support multiple languages and provide real-time support without hold times, escalating to a live agent whenever necessary, Cedar said.

Kora is already in use with other care providers, including physician-led ApolloMD.  

WHY THIS MATTERS

Kora is expected to help reduce costs in the revenue cycle by having staff focus on more complex billing questions, Cedar said. It will deflect a portion of inbound calls, reducing the reliance on call center staff. 

This addresses challenges, such as rising labor costs, staffing shortages, improving the patient experience and managing operational overhead.

The service is available outside routine business hours.

It was developed in collaboration with cloud communications platform Twilio's Conversation Relay service, which helps developers create natural voice AI agents by integrating real-time streaming, speech recognition and interruption handling. 

THE LARGER TREND

Advances in artificial intelligence are moving from machine learning models that analyze data to algorithms that can act on information with minimal human involvement across clinical, administrative and patient-facing workflows.

Agentic AI, or autonomous agents, are a level up from standard generative AI by being able to make decisions to achieve a goal, rather than just producing output.

Google Cloud has been tackling generative AI capabilities, including the adoption and use of AI agents that can automate tasks and collaborate across organizations.

Cedar has a focus on revenue cycle payments from patients. 

ON THE RECORD

"We've heard enough about AI promises. What matters now is delivering real outcomes," said Florian Otto, CEO and cofounder of Cedar. "By leveraging Cedar's deep revenue cycle and patient billing expertise, we've built AI that patients trust and that works for providers. We've been deliberate in emphasizing privacy, safety and empathy, so talking to our AI agent feels as reassuring as talking to a skilled billing specialist."
 
Dr. Yogin Patel, CEO of ApolloMD, a partner of Cedar, said, "The integrated voice agent is an incredible technology already creating a meaningful, measurable impact for our support staff and our patients."

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org