Healthcare · written example

New patient with a referral, registered at 6:52 PM

Handling time 1:34 · Human intervention: None · Illustrative transcript, written to spec

Can AI register a new patient after the front desk has gone home?

Yes, and all of it outside office hours. The agent can create the chart, capture the referring provider, identify the plan, flag a prior authorization requirement for staff and book the first available appointment. The patient finishes registration in one call. The alternative is a voicemail and a wait for a callback that, for a measurable share of referred patients, never comes.

Scenario6:52 PM inbound from a referred patient. The front desk closed at five, and the practice’s answering service would have taken a name and a number.

ObjectiveRegister the new patient, capture the referral, identify coverage and any authorization requirement, and book the visit.

OutcomeBooked — new patient

Handling time1:34

Human interventionNone

Action takenNew chart created, referral attached, prior authorization flagged for staff, appointment booked for the following week

Data capturedNew versus established patient, referring provider, referral document status, insurance plan, authorization requirement, appointment preference

Written toathenahealth — new patient registered, referral attached, prior authorization task created for the morning.

Transcript

The whole call, unedited.

ScaileAIThanks for calling Westside Orthopedics. Have you been seen here before?

CallerNo, first time. My doctor referred me for my knee.

ScaileAILet's get you started. Who referred you, and do you have the referral in hand?

CallerDr. Patel at Northside. I've got a paper copy.

ScaileAIGood — bring that with you. What insurance will you be using?

CallerBlue Cross, through my employer.

ScaileAIThank you. That plan does require prior authorization for this visit type, so I'm flagging it for our team to start tomorrow morning — you don't need to do anything.

CallerThat's a relief, I wouldn't have known.

ScaileAII have next Wednesday at 8:20, or Thursday at 1:00.

CallerWednesday morning is better.

ScaileAIBooked. I'm texting you the address, the paperwork link and what to bring.

What ScaileAI did

Six things happened on this call.

Established new versus established in the first question, which decides the entire call path.
Captured the referring provider by name, which the practice needs for the record and for the relationship.
Asked whether the referral was in hand, so the patient arrives with it.
Recognized that this plan and visit type require prior authorization, and flagged it before it became a denial.
Told the patient explicitly that they did not need to do anything about the authorization.
Offered two concrete times instead of asking when the patient was free.

Why it matters

The commercial consequence.

A referred new patient is the most valuable call a specialty practice receives, and the easiest one to lose. Referrals are perishable. The patient who reaches voicemail calls the next name on the list. Answering at 6:52 PM converts the referral instead of queueing it. The authorization flag is the second piece of value, and it is operational rather than commercial: an unauthorized visit becomes a denied claim, and a denial discovered at check-in is a cancelled appointment and a wasted slot. Catching it the evening before gives staff a full working day to clear it.

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