For over 30 years, SDMI’s contact center ran on spreadsheets and manual processes — methods that served well until innovations in technology made new approaches possible.

In 2024 SMDI replaced their current software with Genesys, which changed its technology capabilities, and approach to patient care. Rachel Papka, Chief Innovation Officer at SDMI, says she was driven to lead the change because SDMI was facing capacity limits. 

“We’re based in Las Vegas — it’s a 24/7 town,” Papka says. “We have MRI appointments up to 11 p.m. But as demand grew, it became clear our previous phone system couldn’t scale with us. We needed something more modern and flexible to support around-the-clock care.”

Each year, she says she sees increasing pressure on reimbursement while striving to meet the growing expectations of the team.

“By investing in technology that boosts efficiency and proves its ROI, we can offset financial constraints and reinvest in our workforce,” Papka says. 

The investment has paid off. Through the strategic use of Genesys, the team has seen a decrease of 25% voluntary attrition and a reduction in 40% in forecasting time.

For all these efforts and more, Papka won the “Orchestrator of the Year” at the 2025 Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards, which HCCT was invited to attend. 

“Rachel understands that transformation comes from focusing on the people first, the processes and workflows they drive next, and then orchestrating in the technology — not the other way around,” says Tara Mahoney, Vice President of Global Healthcare at Genesys. “By fostering a culture of collaboration, trust and adaptability, she ensured SDMI’s adoption of Genesys technology wasn’t just a system upgrade, but a catalyst for better care and stronger employee engagement.”

Making data-driven decisions easier 

Until recently, SDMI never had an NPS or CSAT — two metrics that most contact centers consider essential. Now, instead of depending on basic spreadsheet tools, Papka and her team have access to real-time dashboards, adherence monitoring and comprehensive reporting for data-driven decisions.

The data is especially helpful when it comes to workforce management, Papka says. Previously, the team had to determine staffing needs and shifts using spreadsheets. The manual process was time-consuming and imperfect, forcing talented professionals to spend hours on administrative tasks, rather than patient care.

The shift to automated workforce management created an immediate impact. 

“We recently had a conversation about staffing after a holiday,” Papka says. “I said, ‘Why don’t we run workforce management based last year’s numbers?’ It took 30 seconds. It’s so easy now!”  

An ethical, thoughtful approach to AI

SDMI’s approach to AI implementation demonstrates thoughtful consideration of where automation adds value and where human intervention remains essential. The organization has successfully deployed AI for routine tasks like appointment confirmations and cancellations, recognizing that making cancellations easy actually improves efficiency. 

However, SDMI maintains clear boundaries around AI deployment. 

“There are very sensitive areas within healthcare,” Papka says. “Let’s say a patient just found out they have cancer. Do you want their very first appointment to be through a bot? I don’t think so.” 

The organization has also implemented AI-assisted evaluations, spending two months carefully determining which questions benefit from AI assistance and which require human review. This approach ensures quality while reducing administrative burden on management.

The biggest barrier to Agentic AI

Despite SDMI’s successes, SDMI’s experience highlights a challenge facing healthcare organizations: integration complexity. 

“The biggest barrier of Agentic AI is going to be the integration,” Papka says. “Genesys has to get the data from every other platform for it to work appropriately.”

Healthcare organizations manage multiple systems. EMRs, RIS components, authorization databases and order management systems don’t always communicate effectively. For now, SDMI can’t offer basic X-Ray scheduling through its bot — not because of Genesys limitations — but because some components lack the necessary API access.” 

This integration challenge extends beyond individual organizations to industry-wide coordination. Papka and her peers would like to see EMRs continue to prioritize contact center integration alongside regulatory requirements, because progress depends on multiple vendors aligning their roadmaps.

“Healthcare organizations are leveraging Genesys Cloud’s API-first architecture, advanced AI and deep interaction insights to help overcome fragmented informatics and IT systems, streamline workflows and deliver more personalized care,” Mahoney says. “SDMI is setting the pace for how healthcare can build a future-ready foundation to harness agentic AI into healthcare workflows.”

Going to the Cloud? A few lessons 

Papka shared advice to other contact center leaders who are considering going to the Cloud: 

• Start with data visibility. Real-time reporting and metrics provide the foundation for all other improvements. Without baseline measurements, it’s impossible to demonstrate value or identify optimization opportunities.
• Embrace workforce management automation. Moving from manual spreadsheet-based forecasting to automated workforce management delivers immediate, measurable benefits.
• Approach AI thoughtfully. Successful AI implementation requires careful consideration of use cases, with clear boundaries around sensitive healthcare interactions while using automation for routine tasks.
• Plan for integration complexity. Organizations need to assess their integration capabilities and factor these limitations into their implementation strategies.
• Build cross-functional business cases. Technology investments require organization-wide support and clear demonstration of patient experience improvements; not just operational efficiencies.