# Medical Answering Service with AI, 24/7 Source: https://insertchat.com/industries/healthcare > Answer the phone while your team is with patients. An AI medical receptionist answers patient calls when the front desk is busy or closed. InsertChat’s assistant answers practice questions from your information, collects new-patient details, offers or records appointment requests, and routes clinical questions to your team and emergencies to emergency services. Enterprise plans can sign a Business Associate Agreement. ## Turn an after-hours call into an appointment request Example workflow: Phone call. Illustrative scenario. Answers depend on your sources; actions depend on your connected tools and permissions. This is not a customer testimonial or measured result. A new patient calls after the front desk has closed. > Hi, I’m a new patient. Are you taking new patients, and could I come in for a check-up next week? ## Answer practice questions Answer from your services, opening hours, new-patient information, and preparation instructions. ## Help with the appointment Collect the patient’s details and preferred time, then offer times or record the request with the calendar actions you enabled. ## Prepare your front desk Keep the request with the contact so your team can confirm the details when the practice opens. ## Your team sets the boundaries Route clinical questions, urgent symptoms, and treatment advice to your team, and direct emergencies to emergency services. ## What it handles for medical practices Handled by your assistant: - New-patient questions and the intake steps you publish - Opening hours, locations, parking, and directions - The insurance plans you list as accepted - Appointment requests, booking, and rescheduling within your rules - Preparation instructions for the visits you describe - Callback requests, confirmed by text or email Sent straight to your team: - Emergencies, directed to emergency services with your instructions - Symptoms, test results, and treatment questions - Prescription and refill requests - Billing disputes and complaints - Requests to speak with a specific provider - Anything your practice marks as clinical ## What it asks and what it needs to know Details it collects: - Patient name and callback number - New or existing patient - Reason for the visit (health details need Enterprise and a signed BAA) - Preferred provider and location - Preferred days and times - Insurance carrier, if your practice asks for it What to add to its knowledge: - Services, providers, and locations - Your new-patient process and the forms you publish - Accepted insurance plans - Opening hours, holidays, and after-hours instructions - Preparation instructions for common visits - Emergency instructions approved by your clinicians ## What patient calls can an AI receptionist handle? New-patient questions, opening hours and directions, the insurance plans you list, preparation instructions, and appointment requests. Questions about symptoms, test results, prescriptions, or treatment go to your clinical team. ## Which practices does it fit? Medical clinics, dental and orthodontic offices, chiropractors, physical therapists, optometrists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, audiologists, podiatrists, therapists, home health agencies, and veterinary clinics. Each page below covers that practice’s calls, intake questions, and handoff rules. ## Does it connect to my EHR or practice management system? Not directly. InsertChat books into its built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com. If appointments live in your practice management system, the assistant collects the request and your front desk books it there when the practice opens. ## How much does an AI medical receptionist cost? Practices that handle protected health information need Enterprise, from $998 per month, with a signed Business Associate Agreement. Practices that keep health details out of the assistant, for example to answer hours, directions, and new-patient questions, can start on Pro at $98 per month. ## AI answering vs voicemail vs a live medical answering service | Compared | InsertChat AI receptionist | Voicemail | Live answering service | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Answers questions | Yes, from your knowledge base | No; callers leave a message | From the script you give the operators | | Books appointments | Into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com | No | Depends on the provider and your calendar access | | When it answers | Always, after hours, or when your team doesn’t pick up | When nobody answers | During the hours your plan covers | | Record of each call | Transcript and AI summary in the shared inbox | A recorded message | Message notes from the operator | | Urgent calls | Flagged and emailed to your team, with the safety steps you wrote; no live transfer | Heard when someone checks messages | Handled with the escalation instructions you give | | Other channels | Website chat, SMS, email, and WhatsApp from the same knowledge | Phone only | Varies by provider | | Pricing | From $98 per month with monthly credits; calls billed in whole minutes | Usually included with your phone service | Varies by provider; often per minute or per call | Voicemail and answering service details vary by provider. Check the terms of any service you compare. ## Is InsertChat HIPAA compliant for medical practices? Enterprise plans can sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for practices that handle protected health information (PHI). On other plans, keep patient health information out of the assistant’s knowledge, conversations, and connected workflows. ## Can the AI receptionist give medical advice? No. Configure it to answer practice information such as services, opening hours, location, new-patient details, and preparation instructions. Hand clinical, urgent, and treatment questions to your team, and include instructions that direct emergencies to emergency services. ## Can patients book or reschedule appointments? Connect a calendar and enable the booking actions you want: offering times, booking, rescheduling, canceling, and sending confirmations. If your practice management system is not among the available connections, let the assistant collect appointment requests for your team to schedule. ## Related features - [AI receptionist](https://insertchat.com/product/phone) - [After-hours answering](https://insertchat.com/product/after-hours) - [Scheduling](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling) ## Healthcare by business type - [Dental](https://insertchat.com/industries/dental): Book cleanings and new-patient exams, and tell callers which insurance plans you accept. - [Chiropractic](https://insertchat.com/industries/chiropractic): Schedule first visits and adjustments while your hands are busy with a patient. - [Veterinary](https://insertchat.com/industries/veterinary): Answer pet owners’ calls about vaccines, refills, and sick pets during a full clinic day. - [Physical therapy](https://insertchat.com/industries/physical-therapy): Book initial evaluations, answer referral and insurance questions, and route post-op concerns to your therapists. - [Optometry](https://insertchat.com/industries/optometry): Book eye exams and contact lens fittings, answer vision plan questions, and flag sudden vision changes. - [Dermatology](https://insertchat.com/industries/dermatology): Book skin checks and cosmetic consults, explain referral rules, and flag reactions and changing spots for clinicians. - [Orthodontics](https://insertchat.com/industries/orthodontics): Book new-patient consultations, explain braces and aligner options, and sort broken brackets from real emergencies. - [Plastic surgery](https://insertchat.com/industries/plastic-surgery): Turn procedure questions into consultations, share the pricing you publish, and route post-op concerns to your surgical team. - [Audiology & hearing aids](https://insertchat.com/industries/audiology): Book hearing tests and hearing aid fittings, let patients text instead of call, and flag sudden hearing loss. - [Podiatry](https://insertchat.com/industries/podiatry): Book foot and ankle visits, answer referral and insurance questions, and flag wounds and infections fast. - [Home health care](https://insertchat.com/industries/home-health-care): Answer families looking for care, log caregiver call-outs for schedulers, and flag client emergencies for on-call staff. - [Therapy practices](https://insertchat.com/industries/therapy): Answer new-client inquiries and book consultations while your therapists are in session.