Healthcare, life sciences companies are betting big on AI agents

About 44% of global healthcare and life sciences companies that use generative AI have added AI agents to the mix, according to a survey released Oct. 16.

The survey, conducted by Google Cloud and global insights and strategy firm National Research Group, polled 605 leaders of global healthcare and life sciences companies from April to June to see how they use AI—in particular, AI agents—and what return on investment (ROI) they’re seeing. 

Healthcare most commonly uses AI agents for tech support (53%), followed by security operations and cybersecurity (49%), then productivity and research (46%), the poll found.Agents represent a new frontier because, as opposed to traditional large language models that take commands, they can autonomously work together to complete a task, Aashima Gupta, Google Cloud’s global director of healthcare strategy and solutions, said during a virtual roundtable on Oct. 14.

“This multi-agent framework is the evolution [of AI],” Gupta said.

The deets. About 1 in 3 surveyed organizations have deployed not just one but 10+ AI agents.

Sri Madabushi, EVP of health system partnerships at care enablement company IKS Health, said during the roundtable his organization uses agents to automate the journey from an appointment to a prior authorization request.

First, a scribe agent takes notes on an appointment. Then, an autonomous coding agent checks the notes for accuracy and assigns medical codes. If prior authorization is needed, a prior authorization agent steps in. The agents lastly bring a human into the loop to sign off on their work.

“What we are seeing on the ground is that this clinically connected…system is delivering better experiences for patients, for clinicians, their staff,” Madabushi said.

Is AI paying off? The push toward AI agents is accompanied by an increase in spending, as 74% of leaders said they’ve upped the amount they spend on generative AI and 48% said they’re reallocating money from other areas toward their AI investment.

The good news: It seems to be working. The majority (73%) of healthcare and life sciences executives said they’re seeing ROI in generative AI, compared to 74% in 2024.

Among 221 executives reporting ROI from AI, 83% estimated generative AI directly increased their company’s annual revenue by 6% or more.

Analyzing agents. When it comes to AI agents, however, the numbers get a bit more complicated.

Healthcare executives pointed to a few specific categories where they felt this newer technology was already making up for its costs.

Among 161 health execs whose company used AI agents, 34% said they saw ROI within patient experience and tech support. This was closely followed by software development at 33%.

Sameer Sethi, SVP and chief AI officer for New Jersey-based Hackensack Meridian Health, said during the roundtable it’s difficult to precisely link patient outcomes to AI.

Hackensack Meridian Health uses AI agents to call patients post-discharge to ensure they’re adhering to instructions. While Sethi said this was followed by a reduction in the number of readmissions within 30 days, there are other factors, like a patient’s support system, that also contribute.

“Attribution is going to be very difficult,” Sethi said. “What matters is that we’re doing the right thing for the patient and making sure that they’re healthier, and AI and other capabilities are helping with that.”