Rapidly Advancing Multiagent AI Apps Could Reshape Operations Efficiency

Early adopters in health care have begun to capitalize on artificial intelligence (AI) advancements by moving from chatbots to single-agent and multiagent systems working across multiple functions.

AI agents hold transformative potential to accelerate the evolution of health care by augmenting decision-making, personalizing care and automating repetitive tasks, Biju Samkutty, chief operating officer of international and enterprise automation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, recently noted in an interview.

These agents can analyze large amounts of patient data, including medical histories, imaging and genetic profiles, to provide clinicians with real-time, evidence-based insights.

Beyond clinical applications, AI agents can optimize health care operations, improving efficiency and accessibility. Google Cloud, for example, recently launched a couple of new tools and services in its Vertex AI platform. The launches include an agent development kit and Agent2Agent protocol that enable a multiagent ecosystem. Google's cloud division also unveiled enhancements to Agentspace, a platform announced in December that provides AI-enabled search capabilities and agents to enterprise customers.

The tech giant also announced its Agent Garden, a hub where organizations can access pre-built AI agents.

AI purpose-built agents are rapidly advancing, Aashima Gupta, global director of health care strategy and solutions at Google Cloud, recently told Fierce Healthcare.

Google sees AI agents as intelligent collaborators that can streamline operations, increase efficiency and improve patient care. Multiagent AI systems are seen as the next frontier in health care.

Even as many providers are still honing their AI strategies, Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey is implementing AI agents and search tools to cut the time spent on administrative tasks, simplify workflows and improve patient care.

Hackensack Meridian foresees using agents to improve the patient scheduling experience, though the system isn’t fully there yet, Sameer Sethi, the health system’s chief AI and insights officer, noted in a Healthcare Dive interview.

He envisions agents managing complex scheduling situations, such as when a patient needs an appointment with an orthopedic doctor, a ride to the office, an available wheelchair or assistance picking up medications. While the health system offers those services, it typically would take separate calls to arrange them — while agents could collaborate to handle those requests.

“That is how we think about agentic space,” Sethi says. “We are orchestrating different activities and different technologies to all work together.”