The calls your practice isn't answering, with Amol Nirgudkar of Patient Prism

Patients who reach a practice's voicemail rarely leave a message, according to Amol Nirgudkar, CPA, CGMA. They hang up and call the next practice on their list.

Medical Economics Managing Editor Todd Shryock sat down with Nirgudkar, co-founder and CEO of Patient Prism, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze patient calls, to talk about the front desk side of patient access.

Nirgudkar says front office staff are often trained as order takers and are among the lowest-paid workers in health care. He also says rising labor costs since the COVID-19 pandemic have made it hard to staff enough phones.

He explains which calls AI voice agents can handle now, such as routine physicals and recall appointments for existing patients, and which still need a person, including questions about insurance, deductibles and copays. His suggested starting point is to let AI cover overflow, weekends and after hours, take a complete message and route it to staff for a timely callback.

Don't miss our recent episodes on defamatory online reviews, patient access to medications, value-based care and prescription abandonment.

Music Credits:

Sky Drifter by Cephas - stock.adobe.com
A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – 0:25 | Cold open Nirgudkar grades today's AI voice agents.

0:25 – 1:19 | Introduction Austin Littrell introduces the episode and the guest.

1:19 – 3:00 | Access is the problem Nirgudkar says patients want to be seen when they need care, and the first hurdle is whether anyone answers the phone.

3:00 – 4:43 | What missed calls cost practices Nirgudkar estimates 25% to 30% of calls go unanswered during business hours and says some voicemails are never returned. Unanswered calls also waste a practice's ad spending.

4:43 – 5:33 | Where patients go instead Callers move on to the next physician in their Google or chatbot search results.

5:33 – 7:55 | Why the front desk is still a bottleneck Clinician shortages, low pay for front office roles, staff trained as order takers and rising labor costs since the COVID-19 pandemic.

7:55 – 8:48 | P2 Management Minute Keith Reynolds shares practice management tips and invites listeners to submit their own workflow ideas.

8:48 – 10:26 | Where AI voice agents fit today Online scheduling handles simple bookings. Nirgudkar says voice agents are a good first step for overflow, weekend and after-hours calls.

10:26 – 12:31 | The return on investment Nirgudkar compares monthly service costs with per-visit revenue and explains why most callers never leave a voicemail.

12:31 – 13:30 | Supporting staff, not replacing them AI takes on routine work so front office teams can spend more time with patients at check-in and checkout.

13:30 – 15:30 | Will patients talk to AI? Low-acuity scheduling for existing patients works well, but insurance and coverage questions can still frustrate callers.

15:30 – 17:50 | Pick one problem and fix it Chatbots, text agents, radiology AI and revenue cycle tools. Nirgudkar says the bigger challenge is getting staff to use what a practice buys.

17:50 – End | Closing thoughts and outro Shryock thanks Nirgudkar, and Littrell wraps the episode.