> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asteroid.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Asteroid is

> Asteroid is a platform that makes it simple to get data in and out of healthcare systems that have no APIs

Asteroid integrations are called "workflows". A workflow consists of a number of steps. Each step can be an AI agent, or code, or both. Each time you execute a workflow, it loads the healthcare portal, carries out your task, and returns data you asked for.

## Why use Asteroid?

Asteroid manages all of the complexity of integrating with healthcare systems. Features include:

<Icon icon="package" /> Pre-built integrations for hundreds of healthcare systems<br />
<Icon icon="timer" /> Build new integrations in minutes<br />
<Icon icon="monitor" /> Managed browser, Linux or Windows computer that your integration needs<br />
<Icon icon="key-round" /> Credentials and authentication handled for you<br />
<Icon icon="gauge" /> Workflow optimizations to make them cheaper and faster<br />
<Icon icon="bell" /> Notificaitons and alerting if your integration breaks<br />
<Icon icon="bot" /> Fallback back to AI if the website changes<br />
<Icon icon="wrench" /> Integrations fixed automatically for you<br />

Asteroid is designed to be the one-stop-shop infrastructure provider and platform for integrating with any healthcare system.

## Who uses Asteroid?

Customers today are using Asteroid to do things like:

* Sign in to a healthcare portal, fill in a long form, read the submission code and return it
* Open a program on a Windows machine, sign in, export a list of 100,000 patients, and return the data as a file
* Read a phone call transcript from an AI phone call with a patient, and fill in clinical form

Asteroid is HIPAA compliant, and handles millions of these tasks per year, across hundreds of portals.

## Speed and cost

Our pricing is visible on [https://asteroid.ai/pricing](https://asteroid.ai/pricing). We charge based on the amount of AI you use, and how long your workflows take to run.

Some executions can cost as little as \$0.01 or less to run, whilst more expensive agentic, long running tasks might cost \$5 or more.

Some workflows take as little as a few seconds to run, whilst others can take over an hour. This depends on the complexity of the task and how much AI you use (using AI makes the executions slower).

You're able to easily optimise your workflows using our assistant Astro, giving you full control of your spend.

## Start here

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="I want to build a workflow" icon="hammer" href="/start/first-agent" horizontal>Create a workflow, run it, and read the result.</Card>
  <Card title="I have a workflow and want to call it" icon="code" href="/integrate/call-an-agent" horizontal>Start an execution from your own code and get the data back.</Card>
</CardGroup>

## A workflow is a graph

A workflow is a graph of small steps. Each step is written in plain English. Each node does one narrow job. A transition decides which node runs next.

When you run a workflow, it starts, does some work, and ends. That's called an "execution".

Small steps keep a workflow predictable. You can see where an execution went wrong, then fix that one node. Read [Workflows are graphs](/concepts/graphs).

## You build it, then you call it

Build a workflow in the platform. To do this, you're best off using Astro, our assistant. Describe the task to Astro, and it drafts the graph for you. See [Build in the platform](/build/in-the-platform).

You can also build from your coding agent. Your editor reads the graph, changes it, and publishes it. See [Build from your coding agent](/build/from-your-coding-agent).

Both routes produce the same workflow. You then call it from your own systems by API, or via a batch (from a Google Sheet for example). See [Call a workflow from your code](/integrate/call-an-agent).

## Where a workflow runs

Every execution gets an isolated sandbox depending on where the program that you're integrating with runs. Pick the environment that matches the software you drive.

| Environment | Use it for                           |
| :---------- | :----------------------------------- |
| Browser     | Web apps and portals on the internet |
| Linux       | A Linux desktop                      |
| Windows     | Windows-only desktop software        |

Read [Environments](/concepts/environments).

## More examples of what people build

<Card title="Healthcare workflow automation" icon="shield-check" href="/healthcare-workflow-automation/overview" horizontal>Claims, prior authorization, revenue cycle, and EHR work on HIPAA-sensitive data.</Card>