Use Cases
The primary healthcare industry faces challenges to keep up with the increase in the demand for care and the decrease ...
The primary healthcare industry faces challenges to keep up with the increase in the demand for care and the decrease of professionals available to provide that care. This was one of the challenges that the general practitioner practice in Goes (NL) faced when they chose to explore innovative options to further streamline their patient care.
This led to the creation of Suus, a so-called Digital Human: a virtual assistant with a recognizable and empathetic face, powered by an advanced combination of a chatbot and large language models (LLMs).
Patients of Huisartsen Centrum Goes (HCG) have two ways in which Suus reshapes their experience at the doctor's office. Before even coming in, they are able to access an online triaging platform to assess their medical issues, with a key role for Suus to avoid unnecessary visits to the practice. Additionally on their website, they have the option to chat with Suus, who can also help field their medical and non-medical questions. In that role, Suus has contributed to a significant reduction of the incoming phone calls to the assistants.
Patients can use the online triaging platform “Moet ik naar de Dokter” (Should I go to the Doctor) to assess the urgency of their medical issues. If seeing a doctor is not necessary, then patients will receive a self care advice presented by a Digital Human. More information can be found in this use case.
The second way technology is changing the patient journey is on HC Goes’s website, where Suus is 24/7, patiently waiting to help. Visitors to the website can ask Suus simple non-medical questions. Suus answers these questions, refers patients to reliable sources like Thuisarts.nl, and works in conjunction with the triage tool "Should I go to the doctor?"
The latest version, Suus 2.0, goes even further. It can now also answer frequently asked medical questions, naturally within secure and predefined frameworks. This makes Suus even more effective in supporting the practice and relieving the burden on doctors and assistants, without compromising on medical safety.
The results are promising as Suus has contributed to a 10-12,5% reduction of incoming phone calls to the practice assistants. More information can be found in this press release.
The Digital Human is visually placed against a background of the actual waiting room area of the practice for additional recognition and comfort. Adding the human factor to medical advice enhances the trust patients have in this advice and makes it more likely patients will follow the advice. For even more rapport, the practice has launched a communication campaign around the Digital Human with banners in the waiting area and coverage in local media.
Huisartsen Centrum Goes consists of five different general practices that together serve 13,500 patients in the municipality of Goes. They share a vision of being a future-proof general practice where GPs and staff enjoy working and patients receive high-quality care.
Update 19/12/2025: More details about SUUS 2.0 are now available here.