Can AI make healthcare calls easier for patients and staff?

At a time when businesses are ditching traditional telephones for digital tools like email and messaging apps, Canadian healthcare providers have boosted their reliance on phones to manage rising patient volumes.

It’s a counter trend that caught the attention of St. John’s entrepreneur Josh Taylor, who saw an opportunity to improve the phone experience for patients, from their initial call to make a medical appointment through their entire care journey.

Taylor, CEO of Carrick Health Innovations — formerly TxtSquad, a startup launched in 2020 that rapidly scaled into a multi-million-dollar business — is the mastermind behind the development of a breakthrough phone platform featuring an artificial intelligence (AI) agent that’s fully linked to patients’ records. Equipping clinic phones with a built-in AI layer, Carrick’s technology seamlessly tracks and transcribes calls, follows up with patients, and handles many inquiries without having to involve staff members unless necessary.

“Despite the hype around digital health, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of patients are hesitant to use logins, portals and customized apps and still rely on the phone to communicate with their healthcare provider, showing that voice calls aren’t going away any time soon. Still, there’s a lot of room for improvement when it comes to phone service quality to ensure that calls get answered, voicemails get returned, and follow-ups are completed — challenges that front desk healthcare staff struggle with daily.”

Josh Taylor, CEO of Carrick Health Innovations

Carrick’s phone system grew out of the company’s flagship patient texting platform that’s already being used by hundreds of healthcare organizations serving millions of patients across North America. “Our business started with two-way texting between patients and healthcare providers, but we quickly realized that providers experience a lot of phone issues, including missed calls,” Taylor said, explaining that Carrick’s new phone-based AI integrates with its texting systems.

“With our new offering, we’re now able to provide healthcare staff with valuable data that covers a patient’s complete contact history, so as soon as someone calls, they know who the patient is and the context of why they’re calling,” he explained. Unanswered patient calls go to voicemail, which get logged in patients’ contact records, tracked, and queued for follow-up. This increased interaction has proven to lower appointment no-shows, which typically reach up to 25 per cent at some clinics, Taylor said.

With Mitacs support, local talent helps advance the technology

To help develop and test the technology, Carrick turned to students at College of the North Atlantic (CNA) through Mitacs.

“Mitacs is a fantastic program. Because of their funding, we were able to attract really sharp students who come in with a fresh perspective and enthusiasm that has helped propel our R&D efforts forward.”

Josh Taylor, CEO of Carrick Health Innovations

One of those students was Scott Adams, a fourth-year software development student at CNA, who worked on testing and deploying Carrick’s new AI phone system.

“Mitacs has allowed me to work for an exciting, up-and-coming local startup and gain real work experience. I appreciate having the opportunity to learn cutting-edge tools and work on systems that have a real and immediate impact on healthcare.”

Scott Adams, software development student at CNA

His contribution also created a pathway from classroom to career: Adams has been offered a full-time role with Carrick after graduation.

From development to real-world healthcare

Rolled out this past spring, the AI phone platform is successfully being used by NL Health Services’ cancer pre-screening program, which coordinates thousands of patient appointments annually. Response has been so positive that the technology is now set to also be deployed by similar cancer pre-screening programs in other provinces.

“With Carrick’s phone system, patients are finding it much easier to contact the clinic, ask questions, and book or adjust their screening appointments,” said Greg Doyle, Provincial Manager of Breast Screening Program with NL Health Services, adding that Carrick’s full platform has become integral to how the organization engages with patients across their primary healthcare sites. “The new phone technology has also significantly reduced the time staff spend calling patients and responding to voicemail, allowing them to reallocate time to other clinical and administrative tasks,” he said.

“Eliminating missed calls, reducing appointment no shows, and tracking patient communication data are huge positives for health care providers,” Taylor explained. “Carrick’s mission is to make healthcare more accessible, and our phone AI system does just that by enabling providers to reach patients through the simplest communication channel they already use daily.”

For Mitacs, the collaboration highlights the role that skilled talent can play in helping Canadian companies move emerging technologies from development into real-world use — while creating opportunities for students to build experience in growing fields like AI.

“At a time when we need to harness the potential of AI to build a stronger Canadian economy, the collaboration between Mitacs and Carrick demonstrates what’s possible when we invest in ideas and connect industry with young, highly skilled talent. As a key delivery partner in the federal AI for All strategy, we’re not only helping businesses adopt, innovate and succeed with AI, but helping build the workforce of the future.”

Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO of Mitacs