But for healthcare leaders focused on real-world implementation, the path forward starts elsewhere: the back office. This is where AI can drive the fastest, safest, and most measurable impact right now.
The Invisible Crisis
Administrative work has reached unsustainable levels. Clinicians spend nearly half their day on documentation, faxes, billing, and data entry. This overhead isn't just costly—it’s directly tied to burnout and staff attrition. Back-office inefficiencies are dragging down the entire system.
Why the Back Office is Ripe for AI
Unlike clinical tasks, back-office workflows are well-defined, repeatable, and low risk. They’re governed by process, not judgment. That makes them perfect for AI automation. It’s also where the ROI is easiest to calculate—think fewer staffing hours, faster task completion, and reduced errors.
Barriers are Lower, Returns are Higher
Deploying AI in the back office doesn’t require regulatory hurdles or clinical buy-in. You’re not diagnosing patients—you’re processing referrals, routing faxes, and prepping charts. This makes for quick implementations and faster feedback cycles.
Case Study: Endocrinology at Scale
At a large endocrinology network, Honey Health automated chart prep and fax triage. The result: admin workload dropped by 45%, and providers reported fewer delays in seeing patients. All without adding staff or changing EHRs.
Why Start Here
Operational automation builds a foundation for future AI expansion. Once clinics see what’s possible in the back office, they’re better equipped to explore clinical decision support or patient engagement tools. But it starts with solving the basics first.
Conclusion
If you want to bring AI into your clinic, start where it can help the most—without risking the most. Start in the back office. With tools like Honey Health, AI can remove the friction that slows care and exhausts staff—freeing clinics to focus on what matters most: patients.
