Executive Summary
Access should no longer be thought of as a single “front door.” Rather, it should be viewed as an entire floor plan of entry points that must be designed around patient intent. Health systems that succeed simplify navigation, standardize processes before automation, and set clear expectations. When they do, they tend to experience three results: patients solve problems faster, capacity scales, and trust and convenience rise because the system behaves predictably. This article distills lessons from health systems that have successfully executed on those principles:
Kaiser Permanente’s AI-powered Intelligent Navigator routes patients to the right service based on their stated goal, boosting booking success from 34% to 54% and cutting abandonment to 3%.
Inova Health centralized workflows before deploying AI voice agents, unlocking 4,272 staff hours per month and reducing no-shows.
Baylor Scott & White’s digital tools guide patients to more appropriate care. 80% of patients planning to go to the ED who used BSW’s tools were redirected to lower acuity care settings.
Key Insights
A reframe—patients aren't trying to get in your front door; they're trying to quickly solve a problem.
Automate to unlock scale, but don’t digitize dysfunction.
Set clear expectations for patients and deliver on them.