Left to Right: Dr. Ashis Barad, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Surojit Chatterjee, CEO and founder of Ema.
NEW YORK, January 28 2026 -(BUSINESS WIRE)- Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health, is announcing a partnership with Ema, the leader in agentic AI, to deploy intelligent AI agents that transforms how patients access care. The partnership, which launches with patient scheduling and triage, is designed to reduce wait times, improve appointment accuracy, and ensure patients connect with the right specialist faster, accelerating their path to treatment and recovery.
For patients navigating complex conditions, finding the right provider can be challenging. HSS serves patients across multiple locations and a wide range of musculoskeletal subspecialties. The new AI-powered agent acts as an intelligent guide, understanding a patient’s specific needs, medical history, and preferences to match them with the most appropriate physician and care setting.
“Getting patients to the right care quickly is fundamental to everything we do,” said Dr. Ashis Barad, Chief Digital and Information Officer at HSS. “This technology allows us to meet patients where they are – by phone, text, or online, and provide immediate, intelligent support. It removes barriers to care and ensures every patient receives the expertise they need when they need it.”
Available 24/7 online, though text and phone, this system provides consistent real time support regardless of when or how a patient reaches out. Unlike traditional scheduling tools that require patients to navigate complex menus or wait on hold, Ema’s conversational AI understands natural language, asks clarifying questions, and takes action in real time: booking appointments directly into patients scheduling systems and sending confirmation details instantly.
For patients with urgent needs, the AI performs intelligent triage, assessing symptom severity and care requirements to prioritize appointments appropriately. For those seeking specialized care, it navigates HSS’s wide range of subspecialists to match patients with the right provider, factoring in location preferences, insurance coverage, and physician availability.
The technology reflects HSS’s commitment to staying at the forefront of healthcare innovation. As part of a three-year engagement, HSS will expand Ema’s AI capabilities into internal operations, including HR and IT support, freeing clinical and administrative staff to focus on patient care rather than routine inquiries.
“World-class care starts with world-class access,” said Surojit Chatterjee, CEO and founder of Ema. “HSS is setting a new standard for how hospitals can use AI to improve the patient experience. This isn’t about replacing the human touch, it’s about removing friction so patients spend less time waiting and more time healing.”
Unlike rigid chatbots that fail when questions deviate from a script, Ema’s agentic AI reasons through complex scenarios, adapts to individual patient needs, and learns continuously from interactions. The platform integrates seamlessly with HSS’s existing systems, ensuring data flows securely and appointments are managed without disruption.
HSS’s deployment includes built-in safeguards: every AI decision is auditable, human staff can step in at any point, and the system is trained specifically on HSS protocols, policies, and care pathways. Patient data remains secure and compliant with healthcare privacy regulations.
The result is a faster, more personalized care journey. Patients no longer navigate a maze of phone menus or wait days for callback confirmations. They get answers in seconds, appointments scheduled in minutes, and the confidence that they’re seeing the right specialist for their condition.
About Ema
Ema is a horizontal agentic platform building enterprise AI employees. These AI employees automate complex, multi-step workflows across functions such as Human Resources, Customer Experience, Finance and Sales, delivering speed, precision, and security at an enterprise scale. Designed for regulated industries including Healthcare and Insurance, Ema is trusted by Fortune 500 companies worldwide and backed by leading investors like Accel and Section 32. The platform ensures trust through compliance-ready security, bias-mitigating Turing tests, and full source transparency. With a library of pre-built agents and dedicated deployment teams, Ema delivers fast time-to-value, enabling enterprises to move rapidly from proof-of-concept to secure, large-scale production deployments. Learn more at ema.co.
About HSS
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2024-2025. Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
Contacts
Tracy Hickenbottom/Rachael Rennich
212-606-1197
mediarelations@hss.edu
Image: (Sarah Merians Photography)
