Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Steve Smith on Transforming Patient Access Through Automation at Inova
Mar 4, 2026
Steve Smith, Assistant VP leading contact center and access at Inova, oversees patient access and automation efforts. He discusses cloud phone systems and a digital assistant that enable self-service scheduling. He outlines 2026 automation priorities and shares lessons in change management and implementation patience.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Inova's Scale And Recognition
- Inova is a five-hospital magnet-accredited system serving over 3 million patients annually.
- The system was named 2025 Press Ganey Hospital of the Year, credited partly to patient relationship work under Dr. Stephen Jones.
Digital Assistant Resolved A Quarter Of Calls
- Inova's cloud phone system plus a digital assistant resolved many calls without human agents.
- Roughly 25% of interactions are self-contained in the digital assistant for scheduling, refills, and routing.
Expand Self Scheduling And Equip Agents With AI
- Build automation across specialties gradually and extend self-scheduling beyond primary care.
- Prioritize integrated tools like AI-driven knowledge bases and screen pops to speed scheduling and help agents resolve calls.