By: Andrzej Kozioł

It was a Tuesday afternoon when Mary Thompson, a 68-year-old breast cancer survivor, called her healthcare provider to discuss a concerning symptom. After navigating a maze of automated prompts, she found herself on hold for six minutes—her anxiety mounting with each passing second. When a live agent finally answered, Mary’s relief was palpable. “I didn’t just need answers,” she later recalled. “I needed someone to hear the fear in my voice.”

Stories like Mary’s highlight a pivotal tension in modern healthcare—the race to adopt AI-driven efficiency while preserving the irreplaceable human connection that patients crave. At the center of this balancing act is Henry Haun, a healthcare contact center leader whose philosophy offers a blueprint for harmonizing technology with compassion.

The AI Change in Healthcare: Promises and Pitfalls

Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare contact centers, with tools like chatbots now widely handling routine inquiries—from appointment scheduling to prescription refills. Predictive analytics slash no-show rates by anticipating patient behavior, while natural language processing streamlines call routing.

Yet for all its potential, AI’s limitations loom large. Studies reveal that 49% of patients still report poor call center experiences, citing frustrations like 4.4-minute average hold times and frustrating phone trees. Henry Haun, a leader in patient experience, stresses that technology must be carefully implemented to truly improve care. “If AI makes things faster but not friendlier, we’ve missed the point,” he says.

Many clinicians express concerns about data privacy in AI systems, with over 50% of healthcare providers identifying cybersecurity and data management as top issues. For Haun, this highlights the need for ongoing education and trust-building, both with staff and the patients they serve.

AI appears to be an obvious solution as healthcare costs soar and staffing shortages strain systems. The United States is facing a projected shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2034. But Henry Haun cautions against viewing AI as a panacea. “AI can’t hug a patient through the phone,” he says, referencing his “phone hugs” philosophy. “Efficiency without empathy is just transactional, and healthcare is anything but transactional.”

Where Technology Meets Humanity

Haun’s style is both pragmatic and principled. As vice president of patient experience at Denova Collaborative Health, he oversees a contact center that blends AI tools with deeply human-centric practices:

• AI as an ally, not a replacement.  “Forcing an interaction to a bot to save a buck is not the right approach,” Haun states.  Chatbots can be used effectively to manage routine tasks like appointment reminders, while more complex or emotionally charged cases are promptly escalated to trained human agents but patients should always have the option to speak with a live agent. This hybrid model has been shown to reduce average handle times by 18%, all while ensuring that patients in distress receive empathetic support.

• Simplified access. Leading healthcare contact centers are moving away from convoluted IVR systems. “Our callers reach a real person after just one selection – usually under 60 seconds,” Haun says—a small but powerful step in preserving the human touch. Industry data suggests that post-discharge follow-ups combining emotional support with clinical check-ins have contributed to a 22% drop in 30-day re-admission rates.

• Agent empowerment. AI-powered knowledge bases now assist agents in real time during patient interactions, offering guidance and up-to-date information. At the same time, forward-thinking organizations continue to invest in soft skills, with many incorporating empathy training and role-playing to help agents navigate sensitive conversations.

The Global Dilemma: Efficiency vs. Empathy

From Sweden’s AI-powered mental health chatbots to India’s telemedicine platforms serving rural villages, the global healthcare sector is grappling with AI’s double-edged sword. In the United Kingdom, the Mid Staffordshire scandal—where cost-cutting led to patient neglect—serves as a cautionary tale. “When systems prioritize metrics over humanity, everyone loses,” Haun argues.

The World Health Organization warns that poorly regulated AI could exacerbate inequities, favoring tech-savvy populations over vulnerable groups. Yet in Norway, AI triage systems now flag at-risk elderly patients for personalized nurse follow-ups, showing technology’s potential to enhance human care. For Haun, the lesson is clear: “AI should amplify our humanity, not automate it away.”

A Certification for Compassionate Care

Haun’s next ambition—a certification course for patient experience professionals—aims to institutionalize his philosophy. The curriculum will blend technical skills with courses on active listening, empathy, and ethical decision-making. “We’re not just training agents,” he says. “We’re nurturing caregivers who happen to work in a call center.”

Industry analysts see growing demand for such hybrid skills. A 2024 HIMSS/Medscape report found that 86% of health systems now use AI, but 65% lack protocols to ensure its compassionate deployment. Haun’s vision aligns with patients’ desires—a United States of Care study revealed that 78% of Americans want AI to handle administrative tasks but insist on human involvement in clinical decisions.

A Challenge for the Healthcare Ecosystem

The question facing healthcare leaders is stark: In the rush to adopt AI, will they preserve the spaces where human connections thrive? Haun’s model proves it’s possible to marry technology with tenderness—but only if institutions value both. As Mary Thompson’s agent reassured her that Tuesday afternoon, “Take your time. I’m here.” In an increasingly automated world, that simple promise may be healthcare’s most powerful act.

As healthcare systems move toward a future powered by AI, Haun’s message is refreshingly down-to-earth: if we forget the human in healthcare, we risk turning care into a transaction, and Haun is here to make sure we don’t.