How Montage Health uses AI to help prevent cervical cancer – and save lives

Cervical cancer used to be one of the most common causes of cancer deaths for American women. However, the death rate has dropped by more than half since the mid-1970s due to an increase in prevention and screening. 

Most commonly diagnosed among women between the ages of 35 and 44, cervical cancer is highly treatable when caught early. That’s why screening is essential, and why reaching patients in a timely, personalized way matters more than ever. 

Closing care gaps with AI at Montage Health

Montage Health, a nonprofit healthcare system serving Monterey County, recognized an opportunity to proactively address five categories of care gaps, one of which was cervical cancer screenings. But like many health systems today, staff had limited time to manually review patient records and conduct outreach at the necessary scale. 

To solve this, Montage Health deployed Notable’s intelligent automation to streamline care gap closure. Using AI Agents, the system automatically reviewed charts of patients who appeared to be overdue for a screening, and validated that there was no evidence in the chart that the gap had been closed. If the gap was confirmed as open, the AI Agent would take action, reaching out to the patient via SMS or email to help schedule an appointment. 

This automation gave Montage Health the ability to conduct high-volume chart reviews and targeted outreach that otherwise would have been impossible due to staffing constraints. 

Powerful results: More screenings, better care 

“Right off the bat we found – just through scrubbing charts – patients who needed care. They had a pap smear that was abnormal, and they needed to be seen,” said Meg Dingae, Director of Human Experience at Montage Health. 

Since launching the cervical cancer care gap closure initiative, Montage Health has screened over 13,000 women and closed over 900 open care gaps, with a closure rate of 6.54%. Not only has the automation saved tens of thousands of dollars for the health system and allowed its existing staff to do more with the same level of resources, but it has also ensured that patients are getting the care they need, when they need it, and that Montage Health is doing its part to continue reducing the number of cervical cancer deaths among its patient population.

A healthier future starts with closing gaps today

Montage Health’s success is a powerful reminder that innovation isn’t just about technology. It’s about helping people live longer, healthier lives. During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, there’s no better example of how to do exactly that. 

Learn more about how Montage Health is improving patient outcomes and experience here.