Amazon Alexa users can now make the most of Healthtap’s Doctor AI through voice activated commands.
Doctor AI is initially supported Apple iOS and Android devices and its first voice application. But support for Alexa, Amazon’s artificial intelligence powered assistant, brings Dr. AI to home users who might not be used to using screens.
“We’d been doing text and video before, then expanded into voice and that’s exciting in healthcare because we serve many populations that are older, disabled, or frail,” said Ron Gutman, founder and chief executive of Palo Alto, California-based digital health company which claims 107,000 doctors in its network. Records and data from those doctors make up Dr. AI’s health care data trove.
“Voice is cool, but more important, it fills a real need of people who have difficulty using their hands or whose eyesight is not that great,” Gutman added.
Healthtap’s staff worked to make conversations with the assistant natural and conversational, Gutman said. Healthtap used Amazon’s tool set to build an Alexa Skill. In the backend Healthtap’s artificial intelligence technology parses data from all medical records it gathers to give a diagnosis and convey that information in a human-like way.
Dr. AI will provide feedback on the user’s stated symptoms and, if it deems necessary, connect the user with one of Healthtap’s associated doctors.
