In the fast-paced world of digital transformation, healthcare companies like Kry are leading the charge in adopting cutting-edge technologies that cut down administrative tasks and allow medical professionals to better focus on their patients’ well-being.
“More personalized medicine done efficiently is key to us coping with increased chronic and complex disease—AI will be key in unlocking the long-term benefits.”
Kalle Conneryd Lundgren, Chief Operating Officer, Kry
Having delivered over 200 million patient interactions to date, Kry (known as Livi in the UK and France) has not only become the largest digital-first healthcare provider in Europe but is also a highly valued service as evidenced by their 4.8 out of 5.0 patient satisfaction rating.
Kry has teamed up with Azure OpenAI Service to harness the power of generative AI. Together, they are revolutionizing the way patients access healthcare, reducing administrative burdens for clinicians, widening limited healthcare resources, and ultimately, improving the overall quality of patient care.
Personalized care for every patient, at a lower cost
Accessibility is a key component of Kry's mission. To date the company has delivered over ten million patient appointments across four core markets including Sweden, Norway, France, and the UK, giving patients access to healthcare professionals, regardless of their location or circumstances: for example, in France, 43 percent of Kry’s consultations take place in areas without access to a doctor.
Kry provides services in more than 30 spoken languages—from Arabic to Urdu—making care management even more accessible and equitable to a global patient base. Kalle Conneryd Lundgren, Chief Operating Officer for Kry, is passionate about the company's clear strategy: “To provide high-quality healthcare services by blending digital and physical care seamlessly.”
By analyzing patient data and enabling patients to choose the type of healthcare they need (such as a video consultation, self-care advice, physiotherapy, etc.), Kry efficiently navigates patients between primary, urgent, and secondary care to match them with the most appropriate medical professional or specialist practitioner, and suitable providers. At Kry 60 percent of patients are female. Using Kry they can access better female health provision and quality medical content. It empowers women to lead healthier lives, fostering gender equality and socioeconomic development worldwide. While in the UK, at least 20 percent of Kry’s patients would have sought other forms of care, such as Accident & Emergency, if they had not seen a Kry doctor or healthcare professional.
With healthcare systems around the world facing unprecedented pressure with aging populations, increasing chronic disease prevalence, and rising costs, it’s clear that finding equitable and sustainable healthcare has never been more urgent.
Kry is in a unique position to help deliver what is needed for healthcare, at scale and more efficiently, with generative AI playing a central role.
"All too often, a patient enters a medical system, but quickly becomes a statistic," says Conneryd Lundgren. “We can utilize AI to improve quality, meaning that we will be able to avoid prescribing something they've had before that was not effective, or would be harmful to them, and we can do it across systems. More personalized medicine done efficiently is key to us coping with increased chronic and complex disease—AI will be key in unlocking the long-term benefits.”
With the help of Azure OpenAI Service, Kry can take personalization further, ensuring patients are connected to the right healthcare professional or advice faster while maintaining efficiency and quality of care. The technology's ability to understand medical notes and conversations enables Kry to match patients’ needs better, particularly important in areas of chronic disease, such as asthma and obesity, alongside mental health, and female health, or providing insights at a population level, at a lower cost. Take its obesity pathway, for example, which is aimed at helping a targeted cohort of patients lose weight through a combination of clinical and psychological support, alongside wellbeing and lifestyle advice tailored to the individual’s needs. This type of digital-first, preventative care can help keep people well for longer—at a fraction of the normal cost of face-to-face hospital-led care.
Healthier workplace means improved work-life balance
Everyone is a patient at some point in their lives. This includes doctors, who often face burnout due to the intense and demanding nature of their profession. The relentless workload, long hours, emotional stress, and constant exposure to human suffering can take a toll on mental and physical well-being. Additionally, bureaucratic burdens, like paperwork and administrative tasks, can add to frustration and fatigue, and it often means that many healthcare professionals are spending less quality time with their patients. A national survey commissioned by Kry in the UK revealed that in the last two years, almost 80 percent of UK doctors said their workload had negatively impacted their mental health. Addressing physician burnout is crucial not only for the well-being and retention of doctors but also for ensuring the highest standard of care and outcomes for patients—and technology is key.
At Kry, the company is already seeing value from applying generative AI to some of the time-consuming and complex back-end clinical processes to reduce complexity and workplace pressures amongst its clinicians.
Its tech platform, Kry Pro, is making it easier for healthcare professionals to deliver care, through automated admin and better communication.
“As a clinician myself I know of and understand the pressures healthcare professionals are facing today. The admin burden, combined with poor technology, is leading to a lot of stress and frustration which could be preventable. AI is helping to speed up and simplify some of the time-consuming paperwork—whilst still in its early stages, our doctors are already delighted with the potential we're seeing. Over time we think this will have a significant impact on our clinical workforce,” comments Conneryd Lundgren.
Transforming administrative tasks with AI assistance
Generative AI can support complex information gathering, which in turn can support healthcare systems by creating a holistic picture of the patient's health. For example, instead of sending communications about patients, healthcare professionals can simply send data.
“Much of healthcare is unstructured data,” explains Fredrik Nylander, Chief Technology Officer at Kry. By harnessing Azure OpenAI Service, Kry can analyze vast amounts of unstructured data from clinical notes and medical records. “Our tools are extremely good at understanding medical notes, conversations, and specific situations, then outputting the data into the most appropriate format.” For example, by transcribing doctors’ notes, pre-filling referral letters and performing administrative tasks more efficiently, AI allows Kry clinicians to focus on delivering better care, while ensuring patients can access the advice, care, and treatment they need in the most efficient way.”
“So far, we are aiming for the goal that increased efficiency from AI will increase clinician productivity by 20 percent, which over time could free up clinician time to the equivalent of an additional 10,000 patient appointments a month,” comments Conneryd Lundgren.
Maintaining trust and accountability
Trust is paramount in healthcare, and Kry is aware of the potential concerns regarding AI technology. To build trust with patients and clinicians, Kry is transparent about its AI integration.
And its medical professionals are still in the driver’s seat.
Clinicians have the mandate to review and edit AI-generated content, ensuring accuracy and control over patient interactions, clinical decisions, and treatment plans. This approach fosters confidence and collaboration between clinicians and the integration of AI technology.
As Kry continues to explore new AI use cases, it remains cautious and committed to ensuring reliability. Testing and piloting various AI applications helps the company maintain a robust and reliable platform that can be trusted by both patients and healthcare professionals.
“We're broadly testing a lot of things. But overall, it's been a great six months for the state of the art of our platform,” says Conneryd Lundgren.
"Healthcare stands to gain the most from AI and the application of new technologies. We can already see so many use cases—this isn't about replacing doctors but ensuring we optimize the healthcare setting for patients, clinicians, and providers. Working with Microsoft is helping us do this in a safe way—we’re taking our time and making sure we maintain and deepen the long-term trust of our users,” adds Nylander.
The future of healthcare with AI
Kry and Azure OpenAI Service represent a powerful partnership—one that is solving inefficiencies in healthcare delivery and changing the future of healthcare for the better. As technology advances and AI continues to evolve, Kry's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge solutions will ensure a more accessible, sustainable, and efficient healthcare experience for patients and healthcare professionals alike.
“AI is helping to speed up and simplify some of the time-consuming paperwork…over time we think this will have a significant impact on our clinical workforce.”
Kalle Conneryd Lundgren, Chief Operating Officer, Kry
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