From providing recent test results to canceling appointments, UCHealth’s virtual assistant, Livi, has you covered.

To get the most out of Livi, download the UCHealth app, log-in, review menu options and start trying it out.

“To get a sense of what you’re able to do, it’s best to play around,” said Matt Andazola, director of experience innovation at UCHealth. “Technology is improving so much that Livi will likely have an answer. If she doesn’t, rephrase the question a little.”

Below, Andazola outlines things to know about Livi.

• Livi is convenient. By pulling up recent test results or helping compose and send a message to your provider right within the app, Livi is fast and convenient.

• Livi can reset your password. Before Livi, resetting your My Health Connection password required calling the help desk during business hours and asking for assistance. With Livi, you can reset your password through the app at any time of day, providing convenience for patients and freeing up time for help desk specialists.

“We know that people are able to get the help they need from human beings because we have Livi on the line to do some of the things we don’t need human beings to do,” Andazola said.

• Livi can follow-up with patients. Receiving a tough diagnosis can be a shock, making it tough to absorb information provided during an appointment. But follow-up messages allow patients to launch Livi, accessing more information whenever they’re ready.

“A diagnosis such as Alzheimer’s is a huge event in someone’s life and the life of their family. A lot of people aren’t well-equipped when it happens,” Andazola said. “We want to help people navigate that process with Livi.”

• Livi can help broach challenging topics. Follow-ups can be helpful in a range of situations, for instance for people who want to stop smoking, or who are dealing with behavioral health situations.

“When people are in front of their doctor, it can be hard to say, ‘I’m worried about how many cigarettes I smoke,'” Andazola said. “There’s something to be said for digital tools that are navigable in the same way a conversation with a human being is, but are not at all judgmental. Livi isn’t thinking one single thing about you. She’s just there to help.”

• Livi can help you learn. If you want to know more about a health-related topic, Livi has information. For instance, the menu button for Advanced Care Planning opens a chat with Livi to learn more and answer common questions, even responding to chats such as, “This is depressing.”

“It’s meant to help guide patients into taking an action that’s really beneficial, which in this case is completing a medical durable power of attorney,” Andazola said.

• Livi is constantly improving.

“Because the technology improves so rapidly, it’s a different experience every time,” Andazola said. “People will come back and say, ‘Oh my gosh, she just knew the answer.'”

• Livi can help improve your health. Want to try a meditation? Or need an idea for something fun to do at a nearby state park? Livi has you covered.

“People are interested in using digital tools to engage with their health,” Andazola said. “It’s a way for us to help patients with behaviors and routines that help keep them out of the hospital.”

• Livi is completely private. When someone uses Livi, their identity is masked, and no data history is kept. “Anything you do in Livi has the same amount of data protection as anything you do in UCHealth’s My Health Connection,” Andazola said. “Users of Livi are as protected as they possibly can be, and that is always paramount to us.”

• Livi can quickly get you to a real person. Technology has its limits, and the goal of implementing Livi on phone lines like the My Health Connection support line is to make it easy to get what you need – which means you won’t get stuck saying, ‘Talk to a representative’ over and over.

“We want you to be able to reach a human being as soon as Livi isn’t working for you, if you say, ‘Talk to a person,’ it happens,” Andazola said.

Susan Cunningham writes for UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. She can be reached at cunninghamsbc@gmail.com.