Sunrise-based MDLive already offers virtual health care, connecting patients with doctors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via mobile app, online video, or phone. But now, MDLive is taking its virtual service to the next level by incorporating automation and artificial intelligence: Meet "Sophie," MDLive's interactive chatbot, which is designed to ask patients about their symptoms and guide them through online registration for their virtual visit. The idea is for Sophie to collect patient information and relay it to a physician for review and followup by phone or video chat, freeing the doctor from that part of the process. "When the doctor is spending time with you, she is focusing on more empathizing and educating and making sure the diagnosis is right vs. collecting history and asking questions," said Rich Berner, CEO of MDLive. Sophie asks questions based on patients' health concerns, and is designed to continually learn from its interviews of patients to perform more accurate diagnoses and suggested treatments, according to the company.

Virtual medical and behavioral healthcare provider MDLive has made it easier for patients to access telehealth services with the introduction of Sophie, a digital personal health assistant. An artificial intelligence-based chatbot that is part of MDLive's platform, Sophie guides patients through the registration process by first asking a series of questions to open an MDLive account. Next, Sophie walks patients through the steps to download the MDLive app. Once downloaded, the MDLive app helps patients determine whether scheduling a virtual or in-person visit with a healthcare professional is necessary. Chatbot's are computer programs that simulate conversation with human users through digital devices such as Apple Inc.'s Siri and Amazon.com