A Weslaco clinic is using artificial intelligence to help diabetes patients manage their care and reduce time spent on paperwork.

Valley Diabetes and Endocrinology in Weslaco introduced a new AI system named Rita. She helps patients check in, update information, and navigate their care.

Dr. Eduardo Luna is a partner at the clinic. He believes the new technology will help both patients and staff.

"Really what we're trying to do is just kind of simplify not only the front but also the back work process and make life easier for patients," Luna said.

Rita will also help answer questions from patients. The clinic is the first in the Rio Grande Valley to roll out this technology.

The goal is to reduce common frustrations like paperwork, insurance verification, and medication approvals, Luna said.

"So many times there's a struggle whether there's a prior authorization… and ideally we want to try to employ everybody in the world, but unfortunately, we can’t," Luna said.

Rita was developed by Humanate AI, a Texas-based health tech startup company. They say it was created to help clinics keep up with growing demand.

"We're taking a task that would take a nurse 40 minutes per patient to less than five minutes," Humanate CEO Carlos Rodriguez said.

Rita will also focus on post-visit care. She can call patients to check blood sugar levels and ask if they have enough insulin.

Both developers and doctors stress the AI is not replacing people.

"What we want to avoid in AI is hallucinations allowing for the AI to just go off and start making all these suggestions, so it’s foolproof in that," Luna said.

Watch the video above for the full story. 

This April, CHANNEL 5 NEWS will educate viewers about diabetes prevention and treatment. KRGV will provide a 360-degree look into the diabetes epidemic in the RGV.

H-E-B and South Texas Health System are offering free diabetes screenings in the month of April. Check out the calendar at this link for times and dates when the screenings will be available.

Heart of the Valley: Diabetes is sponsored by Prime Health and South Texas Health System.