Making Every Appointment Count

Turn missed appointments into meaningful patient engagement with Maya, EBO's AI-powered Virtual Assistant. Maya combines AI with behavioural science to identify the reasons behind patient no-shows and helps to prevent recurrence.

Making Every Appointment Count

Turn missed appointments into meaningful patient engagement with Maya, the AI-powered Virtual Assistant that combines AI and behavioural science to uncover the “why” behind no-shows and helps to prevent them from happening again.

The Problem

Missed appointments delay care, waste resources, and increase backlogs. In fact, the NHS Elective Reform Plan has set a 0.6% reduction target in missed secondary care appointments.

Patients often face a range of obstacles—both within and outside of their control—that prevent them from attending their scheduled visits. Some of the most common reasons include:

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:43AM

Hello! Thanks for helping us reduce missed appointments. We want to understand why you missed your appointment so we can improve our services.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:43AM

This chat is important because missed appointments can make others wait longer for help.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:43AM

Also going to your appointments helps the doctor give you the care you need.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:43AM

First, can I ask some basic questions about you?

Sue Jones 12:44AM

Yes

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:44AM

How old are you?

Sue Jones 12:45AM

48

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:45AM

Thanks! Now, can you tell me why you missed your last appointment? Your answer is anonymous, so please be honest.

Sue Jones 12:46AM

I had another thing to do that day and couldn't find the number to cancel my appointment.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:46AM

Thank you. Did you get a text reminder a few days before your appointment?

Sue Jones 12:47AM

Maybe, but I don't really use texts.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:47AM

Would it help if you could use an app on your phone to change appointments?

Sue Jones 12:48AM

Maybe, but I'm not good with technology

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:48AM

Would you like help installing an app and learning how to use it?

yes
Virtual Assistant Ali 12:48AM

Here's a link to download the NHS App. It's easy to use, but if you need help, call 0333 200 1133.

Sue Jones 12:49AM

Thank you!

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:49AM

Are there other reasons you couldn't come to past appointments?

Sue Jones 12:49AM

Sometimes I don't have bus money

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:50AM

That's okay. Did you know you might get help with transport costs?

Sue Jones 12:50AM

No

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:50AM

Would you like me to send you information about this?

Sue Jones 12:50AM

Yes please

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:50AM

Do you prefer a letter, a link on your phone, or to talk to someone?

Sue Jones 12:50AM

I'd like to talk with someone.

Virtual Assistant Ali 12:51AM

Great, let's check now if you're eligible for transport help. It might save you a phone call.

Missing an appointment is the strongest indicator that someone may miss future appointments. That’s why engaging with patients after a missed appointment is crucial.

However, current solutions are either costly, requiring staff to contact patients directly, or ineffective, relying on mailed letters.

The Solution

Meet Maya, EBO’s AI Virtual Assistant, designed to make every appointment count. After a missed appointment, patients receive an SMS with a secure link to chat with Maya. She asks short, friendly, anonymous questions in the patient’s preferred language and reading level. Watch the video below.

How it Works

Here’s how Maya improves patient engagement by addressing the root causes of no-shows.

Identify Barriers

Understands why patients miss appointments and offers tailored support.

Apply Access Policies

Responds based on provider policy—informs next steps or discharges patients.

Encourage Attendance

Uses behavioural science to re-engage patients.

Analyse & Share Insights

Highlights non-attendance trends by specialty and demographics.

Trigger Automated Actions

Initiates admin workflows based on patient responses.

Refine with Closed-loop Analysis

Tracks outcomes to continuously improve engagement.

Core Capabilities

Conversational AI + Behavioural Science
Leverages AI and behavioural science to engage patients after missed appointments, influencing behaviour and reducing non-attendance.

Data-Driven Insights
Generates actionable insights from anonymised data, enabling healthcare providers to identify key drivers of missed appointments by specialty and demographic.

Personalised Digital Support
Offers tailored tools to address specific barriers like appointment cancellations, transport issues, and accessing support.

Driving Future Attendance
By using closed-loop analysis, it tracks patient behaviour to evaluate and improve the intervention.

Multilingual & Multi-Literacy
Supports over 100 languages and adapts language level to cater to a reading age of 8.

Seamless NHS Integration
Integrates smoothly into NHS workflows, automating administrative tasks and reducing the risk of patient discharge.

Closed-Loop Analysis
Tracks patient engagement and behaviour, continuously refining the intervention based on real-time data.

Alignment with Local Access Policies
Ensures consistency with local access policies by following provider guidelines on next steps after a missed appointment, whether informing the patient of follow-up actions or discharging them to primary care.

The Results?

With Maya, healthcare providers can take meaningful action on missed appointments, aligned with the NHS Elective Reform Plan’s goal of a 0.6% reduction in DNAs. Access the guide to see how Maya turns insight into action.

Interested in learning more?

Get EBO’s full guide to cutting missed appointments with Conversational AI.

Winning Clients’ Trust

Here are a few words from our clients on their experience with our solution.

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