The healthcare industry is facing a growing challenge: administrative tasks are consuming valuable time that could be spent on patient care. Enter Salesforce, a leading cloud-based software company, which is introducing a suite of prebuilt artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to automate time-consuming processes for healthcare providers, insurers, and researchers.

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AI That Works Autonomously

Salesforce’s new offering, Agentforce for Health, leverages agentic AI—a technology capable of operating with greater independence than traditional AI assistants. Unlike previous models, which required constant human supervision, agentic AI can make decisions and execute tasks with minimal intervention.

This innovation aims to streamline healthcare workflows, providing support in several key areas:

• Patient Services: AI-powered chat assistants can answer common patient questions, check insurance eligibility, and even schedule appointments.
• Public Health Monitoring: AI tools can help organizations track disease outbreaks by analyzing data from multiple sources.
• Clinical Research & Development: Agentic AI can accelerate the drug development process and improve patient recruitment for clinical trials.

According to industry experts, agentic AI could be a game-changer for an industry struggling with staff shortages and high burnout rates.

Why AI is Crucial for Healthcare

AI has been used in healthcare for years, but recent advancements in large language models and generative AI have expanded its potential. According to industry experts, agentic AI could be a game-changer for an industry struggling with staff shortages and high burnout rates.

Consider this: research suggests that healthcare workers spend the majority of their week on administrative duties—tasks like appointment scheduling, clinical documentation, and insurer communications. The financial burden is staggering, with U.S. healthcare administrative costs reaching approximately $1 trillion annually, according to consultancy firm McKinsey.

Salesforce’s AI Solution: A Time-Saving Game Changer

Salesforce believes its new AI tools can significantly reduce the time spent on routine tasks. Agentforce for Health is designed to:

• Communicate with patients in real time
• Match them with in-network providers
• Schedule their appointments
• Summarize patient information for care coordinators
• Handle insurer communications to verify service eligibility

Additionally, Salesforce’s AI library includes capabilities for epidemiologists, helping them track diseases by aggregating data from various sources. According to a Salesforce survey, healthcare teams estimate they could save up to 10 hours per week by integrating AI agents into their workflows.

Competing in the AI-Powered Healthcare Market

Salesforce is not alone in this space. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are also vying for a share of the healthcare AI market. Google’s Agentspace platform, for instance, enables organizations to create their own AI agents. However, Salesforce highlights its customer relationship management (CRM) expertise as a key differentiator, offering a seamless experience for healthcare providers looking to enhance patient interactions.

In addition to Agentforce for Health, Salesforce recently launched Einstein Copilot Health Actions, a conversational AI assistant that became widely available in April.

The Future of AI in Healthcare

With Agentforce for Health rolling out through September, Salesforce is betting that AI-driven automation will become an essential tool in the healthcare industry. By reducing administrative burdens, AI has the potential to free up medical professionals to focus on what truly matters—delivering high-quality patient care.