AI + Automation = Winning Formula at MIT Health

AI on its own is improving healthcare. So too is automation. Combining the two has yielded significant benefits for MIT Health. You could say that in this case, MIT along with its partner Notable, have found a way to make 1 + 1 = 3.

Helping Overworked Clinicians and Staff

At a presentation at #HIMSS25, MIT Health and Notable presented a compelling case study on the benefits of AI and process automation. The combination of the two delivered notable results (excuse the pun).

The story began with a simple motivation – articulated succinctly by Aaron Neinstein, MD, FAMIA – Chief Medical Officer at Notable – “We are leaving too much on the shoulders of overworked clinicians and healthcare staff. That is not sustainable. Our system is straining under the stress. We can’t hire our way out of this!”



As an example, Neinstein pointed to the circular (and counter-productive) logic of call center processes that are designed to handle inquiries from patients about the status of their prior authorization.

“Why do we even have these workflows at all,” stated Neinstein. “Why don’t we just fix the prior authorization workflow so that patients don’t have to call in the first place?”

It is not hard to imagine this as one of the motivating factors for MIT Health (and other organizations) to look to AI and automation.

AI Adds Context to Automated Workflows and Yields Significant Benefits

Neinstein and Brian Schuetz, Executive Director at MIT Health, showed an excellent example of the power that AI can bring to an automated process.

Automation alone, is very capable of pre-filling an online form with information. However, the information that is filled is “rote” – meaning it is solely based on the if-then logic used to develop the automated process.

With AI added, suddenly the process becomes “contextually aware” and can fill in the form based on what is known about the patient, their condition, and the treatments currently being given. In other words, with AI, the process is smarter and more seamless for clinicians.



This is what the Notable platform was able to do for MIT Health.

Schuetz also shared how automation + AI helped improve their patient payment process. “The day we turned on online payments and streamlined the payment process, we saw our outstanding balances drop by double digits.”

“We need to learn the lessons from Amazon,” continued Schuetz. “In healthcare we make it too hard for patients to pay us.”

More Than ROI – RO-Joy

To close the session Neinstein reminded the audience that it is important to implement automation and AI in a manner that does not disrupt the way clinicians work. “Don’t ask users to learn something new,” he said. “Instead, meet them where they are and bake it right into the workflow they are used to.”

Sage advice.

Schuetz closed the session with a fantastic statement about the need to consider joy as an acceptable benefit of technology. “Yes, we need a financial ROI, but we should consider joy as an acceptable outcome,” said Schuetz. “Returning joy to clinicians. Providing the expected experience to patients. Taking joy in knowing something is working.”

Healthcare can certainly use more joy these days.

Learn more about MIT Health at https://health.mit.edu/

Learn more about Notable at https://www.notablehealth.com/