Health Systems Must Be Prepared For A Hybrid Workforce

InnovationHealth Systems Must Be Prepared For A Hybrid WorkforceByMunil Shah,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 29, 2026, 09:30am EDTChief Technology Officer, Talkdesk. Munil Shah is a seasoned AI and cloud executive passionate about driving innovation. gettyHealthcare contact centers sit at the center of the patient experience, and most still rely almost entirely on human agents. Meanwhile, patient expectations are changing as consumers continue to adopt digital health tools and look for care that's more accessible and responsive. They want 24/7 access, personalized guidance and services that human-only call centers don't have the bandwidth to deliver.Healthcare is moving toward a hybrid workforce where AI agents handle high-volume, routine interactions while human agents focus on the complex, sensitive work that requires judgment and empathy. The hard question is how organizations get there, and most aren't as ready as they think.Why Healthcare Couldn't Automate Until NowHealthcare interactions are rarely linear. A patient calls to schedule an appointment and then asks about a current medication or mentions a new symptom. They might be anxious or unsure of what they need. All of this requires context from their EMR or CRM and the ability to adjust in real time.Traditional IVR systems and rule-based bots weren't built for that. They can automate simple, deterministic tasks, but they break when a patient changes direction or asks something unexpected. That's why most complex workflows, including appointment scheduling and care navigation, have remained almost entirely dependent on human agents.Modern agentic AI systems can manage unstructured, multiturn conversations, adapt when patients shift topics and coordinate work across multiple specialized AI agents. The technology h...