Agentic AI: Rethink, reorganize around AI

Q. How is agentic AI reshaping supplier operations? 

A. There’s a critical shift occurring in the world of AI. Just as the supplier community has come to grips with leveraging AI tools to make existing workflows more efficient through strategic automation, agentic AI has burst onto the scene to bring true autonomy into the equation. 

The difference between automation and autonomy is a game changer. While automation still depends on people to review results and approve next steps, agentic systems use context awareness to operate with a degree of independence that frees up employees to focus on the highest value work. Agentic systems can evaluate inputs, apply rules and constraints, and determine next steps on their own, escalating queries to humans only when they exceed established parameters. 

The impact of autonomous AI agents on suppliers and other members of the chronic care management ecosystem will be profound. Instead of asking staff members to do the same work only faster, leaders can explore which categories of work no longer require humans to lead on decision-making at all. This can dramatically change staffing models and expand operational capacity. 

Take the task of onboarding patients to connected devices like continuous glucose monitors, for example. For some, the process may be routine with perhaps a few common troubleshooting questions. An agentic AI system can handle the majority of these cases autonomously, guiding patients through setup and resolving minor issues on their own – and only involving a human expert, or an experienced clinical educator, if they run into an issue that requires additional intervention. 

By identifying decisions that can be trusted to systems and designing clear escalation paths to maintain appropriate oversight, leaders can rethink and reorganize operations around agentic-powered autonomy to improve efficiency and experiences for both staff and patients. 

Richard Mackey is the chief technology officer at CCS. Reach him at Richard.Mackey@ccsmed.com.