By Michelle Rehnberg, Chief Officer of Operations and Finance, Estrella Ear, Nose and Throat

At Estrella Ear, Nose and Throat, we serve a diverse and growing population in the Goodyear, Arizona metro area. We offer comprehensive testing and treatment for sinus-related problems such as sinusitis, allergies, chronic snoring, and ear infections, as well as hearing imbalance in children, adolescents, and adults.

We are a high-volume specialty practice managing more than 22,000 patient calls each month. As our call volume continues to rise and staffing remains tight, the operational strain becomes overwhelming. Our call pickup rate was 63%, meaning 37% of our patient calls went directly to voicemail. That led to delayed patient responses, increased our team's workload, and unnecessary pressure on our front office.

A traditional call center solution wasn’t going to cut it—we needed a technology that understood the realities of a patient’s journey, an AI call center software. When I first started looking at how we could improve operations across our clinics, I knew we had to make a shift to address staffing shortages and operational inefficiencies. We turned to our healthcare IT partner, eClinicalWorks, which recently integrated a scalable, intelligent solution healow Genie, an AI medical receptionist, to modernize patient engagement without increasing staff burden.

Leveraging Health Systems to the Fullest

After attending the eClinicalWorks and healow National Conference, I returned with a very clear goal: to fully optimize the tools we have and maximize our system’s potential. We made the decision to leverage eClinicalWorks and the healow suite, not as a partial fix, but as a true operational strategy.

AI technology only provides value if you use it to its fullest potential. I’m a strong believer that if you already have the tools, you should use them to minimize friction, improve patient experience, and make your team more efficient. That is exactly what we set out to do.

The First Step: Building Digital Readiness with healow CHECK-IN

The first major step for us was implementing healow CHECK-IN. The goal was straightforward: reduce manual front-desk workload, encourage patient self-service, and prepare both patients and staff for digital patient check-in.

If you want advanced AI tools like healow Genie to work well, your organization must be ready for it. Patients have to be comfortable with tablets and phones. Staff members have to be comfortable guiding the transition.

healow CHECK-IN was not just a convenience feature; it helped us create the foundation for broader automation and showed our team that digital workflows can improve operations.

healow Genie was the Right Next Step

Once that foundation was in place, healow Genie became the natural next step. Genie allowed us to automate time-consuming, high-volume administrative tasks such as scheduling, refill requests, referrals, and billing questions.

Our team could focus more on meaningful patient interactions and less on manual work. It meant we could consistently support quality patient care, even when the office was under pressure.

The Operational Results Were Immediate

The impact was both immediate and measurable. With healow Genie in place:

• We achieved 70% AI call automation, which was a major operational win.
• Our call pick-up rate increased from 63% to nearly 90%, and voicemail dependency dropped significantly.
• Calls are answered faster; patients are routed more efficiently, and our front office is no longer buried under repetitive requests.
• healow Genie saved our staff several hours each day, resulting in better focus, lower stress, and a more manageable workload for our team.

Additionally, healow Genie transformed our front office operations, helping us save over $100,000 while optimizing our staffing model, giving our team more time to focus on patients.

That was not just a technology win—it is an operational transformation.

Improving Patient Access and Health Equity

We serve a patient population in which 35% are Spanish-speaking, so accessibility and multilingual support were not just nice-to-haves—they were critical to delivering quality care. With AI-driven language support, we have improved consistency, responsiveness, and inclusivity, which directly impacts patient trust, and creates a better patient experience.

The AI seamlessly summarizes and processes data, significantly reducing errors; patients can communicate clearly and get what they need without unnecessary friction; they are more likely to feel supported and stay engaged.

Better Workflows Across the Practice

We have seen broader improvements across operational workflows.

Healthcare contact center automation has reduced errors in patient demographics and medication requests by capturing data more consistently. Staff morale has improved because repetitive tasks are no longer consuming their day. AI is helping us maintain continuity of care.

In a practice like ours, consistency is everything. When you have a system that can intelligently absorb workload, your team gets breathing room to improve service, lowers stress, and helps everyone do their jobs better.

What I Learned: Technology Works When You Commit to It

One of the biggest lessons I have learned through this process is that technology absolutely works—but only if the organization commits to it. We held our teams accountable, stayed engaged operationally, and made AI adoption part of how we run the practice.

That has been true for us across multiple practices, and it is why I am such a strong advocate for intentionally using AI and the full eClinicalWorks ecosystem.

Looking Ahead: A More Resilient, Patient-Centered Future

At the end of the day, our journey with healow Genie has shown us that the right technology can help a practice become more resilient, more efficient, and more patient-centered—all at once. We were able to respond to staffing pressures, improve access, reduce administrative burden, and create a more seamless experience for patients and staff alike.

Whether a clinic is dealing with staff retention issues, rising call volume, or financial pressure, the need is the same: a smarter way to operate. If you commit to the process, train your teams, and use the tools effectively, the impact can be transformative.

For us, it has been.