rag-chatbot

California Health Services Assistance Chatbot

A chatbot using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to provide information about Medi-Cal and Covered California.

Note: This is a refactored version of a project submitted for the Microsoft Rag Hack 2024. You can find the original submitted project here.

Background

Healthcare in the United States can be expensive and complex to navigate. This Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot focused on California Health Services is built to assist California residents to understand and query their rights and eligibility for programs like Medi-Cal and Covered California. This AI-powered solution aims to:

1. Provide easy access to accurate information about Medi-Cal and Covered California
2. Offer personalized responses and improve accessibility to healthcare information for all California residents
3. Reduce the burden on government resources by automating common inquiries

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React
• Backend: Node.js with Express
• RAG Implementation: Langchain
• Database: PostgreSQL

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/seneyu/rag-chatbot.git
   cd rag-chatbot

2. Install dependencies for both client and server directories:

   cd client && npm install
   cd ../server && npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the server directory
   • Add your OpenAI API key:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
   

4. This project uses Supabase for storing and retrieving embeddings. Follow these steps to set up your own Supabase instance:

   1. Create a Supabase account at supabase.com
   2. Create a new project in Supabase
   3. Set up your database schema
   4. Generate embeddings:
   • Navigate to /server/createEmbeddings.js
   • Review the createAndStoreEmbeddings() function at line 44
   • If you need to generate new embeddings, ensure the function call is uncommented: createAndStoreEmbeddings(). Run the script: node creaetEmbeddings.js.
   • If embeddings are already generated, ensure the function call is commented out to prevent accidental recreation. You can skip running this script.
   5. Add Supabase configuration to your .env file:

   SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_project_url
   SUPABASE_KEY=your_supabase_api_key
   

5. Navigate to the server directory and start the server with:

   cd server
   npm run start

6. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5173 (or the port specified by Vite).

Future Improvements

• Add reference citations to AI's answers
• Language support
• Expand the knowledge base to cover more specific health programs

Disclaimer

This chatbot utilizes information from the California Health Care Services (HCS) and Covered California websites. While I strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some content may not be current. This chatbot is not an official service of HCS or Covered California and should not be considered a substitute for professional advice or assistance.