Empara Launches Em, an AI Virtual Assistant for Navigating Benefits
COLLINSVILLE, Conn., July 9, 2024 — Empara, a developer of healthcare technology focused on making healthcare accessible, affordable and seamless, has announced the launch of Em, its customizable AI virtual assistant. Em is designed to make the member experience of navigating benefits simpler, more intuitive and personalized, while also increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of service providers and HR teams.
Em is powered by the latest generative AI models and is trained to understand and answer questions about health benefits, regulations, policies and more — even including specific details contained within company handbooks or other relevant member group documentation. Like the rest of the Empara Health Platform, Em is designed to be an extension of each group’s brand and systems to ensure a personal touch.
“When it comes to the complexity of health benefits, there are many questions that arise. Em knows the answers and provides instant responses to help members find the information they need quickly,” says Markus Waite, president of Empara. “It integrates seamlessly with a group’s existing benefits and handles the routine inquiries, freeing up administrators to focus on other strategic initiatives.”
Em can handle a myriad of member inquiries, from coverage details to tracking deductibles in real time, significantly reducing the workload on call centers, member service teams and HR departments, and also enhances member satisfaction. If an inquiry is beyond Em’s reach, members can be connected to a human expert — to ensure help is always available.
“How much time are your member service or HR teams spending answering questions like, ‘Is this covered?’ or, ‘I need shoulder surgery and I don’t understand what I will have to pay,’” says Ben Callaghan, chief experience officer of Empara. “Our clients experience a dramatic reduction in call and email volume because members can message Em and get instant, well-defined responses about their specific plan and usage.”
From a user’s perspective, chatting with Em is comparable to a ChatGPT or Gemini experience, but Em already knows your specific plan and spend information. It can also answer general knowledge questions about the healthcare and insurance industries to help people better understand concepts like coinsurance or how deductibles work.
“AI is fundamentally changing how software is developed and how people interact with their apps and devices. It’s an especially powerful tool in the healthcare and benefits space because of its ability to interpret, analyze and summarize complex concepts,” says Mike Nigels, Empara’s chief technology officer. “We’ve harnessed that power to serve up personalized and powerful insights that can provide members with significant savings on the cost of their healthcare while simplifying access to their benefits.”
Em doesn’t replace expert advocates and health benefit service professionals. Instead, it allows them to be more efficient by focusing on the high value care issues that need human support and intervention. Em is the first of many AI-enabled features planned for the Empara platform to make the health benefits and care ecosystem more rewarding and effective.
“With turnkey efficiency, we enable our customers to deploy their own customized AI assistants — putting them at the forefront of the AI revolution — all backed by the power of the Empara Health Engagement platform,” says Waite.