Inside The Psychological Patient Journey: What The Research Reveals About Why People Delay Care — & What Happens When Access Is Built Around It

Inside The Psychological Patient Journey: What The Research Reveals About Why People Delay Care — & What Happens When Access Is Built Around It

Every year, millions of people begin the search for care—but many never reach treatment. Despite significant investments in websites, contact centers, digital engagement, and staff training, provider organizations continue to lose prospective patients and families during the earliest stages of the care journey. The challenge is rarely a lack of clinical expertise. More often, it is that traditional access models were designed around organizational workflows rather than the way people actually make decisions during moments of uncertainty, fear, urgency, and hope.

Today, artificial intelligence is making it possible to rethink that model.

Grounded in the science behind the Psychological Patient Journey—a framework that explains how individuals, parents, and caregivers move from recognizing a need for help to taking action—the Access AI platform was designed to operationalize evidence-based access practices in ways that were previously impossible to deliver consistently or at scale. Rather than replacing the human connection, AI can strengthen it by helping organizations engage people earlier, respond more consistently, support staff more effectively, and guide more individuals successfully into care.

In this session, attendees will explore how leading provider organizations are combining behavioral science, operational redesign, and artificial intelligence to create a new front door to care. The discussion will examine how the Psychological Patient Journey informed the development of the Access AI platform, including intelligent web engagement, AI-powered voice interactions, and technologies that support staff during the most critical moments of the access journey. A provider organization will share its implementation experience, including operational lessons learned, organizational change strategies, and measurable improvements in patient access and engagement.

The session concludes with the introduction of Live Call Guidance powered by HeadsUp™, the newest capability within the Access AI platform. Built on the same evidence-based principles, Live Call Guidance provides real-time support during admissions conversations, helping organizations deliver more consistent, confident, and compassionate interactions during the moments that most influence whether someone ultimately reaches care.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn:

• How Live Call Guidance powered by HeadsUp™ extends the Access AI platform by supporting admissions professionals during the conversations that matter most

• How the Psychological Patient Journey explains why many individuals and families disengage before treatment begins

• Why AI enables evidence-based access practices to be delivered consistently and at enterprise scale

• How leading provider organizations are using the Access AI platform to improve patient engagement, operational performance, and access to care

• Practical lessons for implementing AI across web, voice, and admissions workflows

Featured Speakers

Robert M. Poznanovich

Founder & Principal Advisor, Poznanovich.Health; Chairmain, Advisory Council, Anonymous Health

Bob Poznanovich is the founder of Poznanovich.Health, a strategy and advisory firm built on more than two decades inside behavioral health systems, and serves as Chairman of the Anonymous Health Advisory Council. Bob previously served as Chief Business Growth Officer at Hazelden Betty Ford, where he spent sixteen years leading partnerships across health systems, payers, and employers. He is the creator of The Delta System, a framework for diagnosing the structural leakage that erodes provider margin, co-author of  “It’s Not Okay to Be a Cannibal,” and brings lived recovery experience and hard operating data to every stage he speaks on.

Geoff Nudd

CEO & Co-Fouder, Anonymous Health

Geoff Nudd is CEO and Co-Founder of Anonymous Health, an enterprise AI company focused on improving access to behavioral healthcare and strengthening the critical front door of care. Under Geoff’s leadership, Anonymous Health has developed AI-powered solutions that help behavioral health organizations improve admissions performance, expand access, and support better patient and operational outcomes.
Working alongside Dr. Angie Chen, National Medical Director and Clinical Professor of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, Geoff has helped advance the responsible application of AI across behavioral healthcare. Today, Anonymous Health partners with many of the nation’s largest behavioral health organizations to improve both the patient experience and organizational performance.
Prior to Anonymous Health, Geoff co-founded ClearCare, which became the system of record for more than 4,000 home care organizations and over one million caregivers.

Nick Howell

CEO, Northern Illinois Recovery Center

Nick Howell joined Northern Illinois Recovery Center in 2021, bringing over a decade of healthcare industry experience with expertise in quality, financial, and operational improvement, as well as strategic planning and implementation. Certified in Six Sigma, Lean, and Agile project methodologies, he is dedicated to leading and developing high-performing teams while continually striving for personal and professional growth. A McHenry County native and Eureka College graduate, Nick is also active in his community, volunteering with local organizations that support people in recovery.

Ajay Kale

VP of Product Management, Anonymous Health

Ajay Kale is Vice President of Product Management at Anonymous Health, where he leads product strategy and management. He brings prior product and engineering experience from companies including Threadeo, Eightfold, WellSky and ClearCare, with a background spanning healthcare information technology, SaaS, and enterprise software. He holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management from Babson College’s Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

Event Sponsored By:

Founded in 2022 by Dr. Angie Chen and other clinical leaders, Anonymous Health was built by clinicians to solve problems seen in real clinical practice. The company provides an AI suite for behavioral health that includes AI phone and web engagement, real-time coaching for admissions staff, and AI-driven patient support – all aimed at improving lead volume, conversion, and treatment retention. For more information, visit anonymoushealth.com.