Updated September 16, 2026
What happens when a new patient calls asking how much it costs?
The most common first call, and the one most likely to go unanswered. Amy answers, gives the practice's own quoted range where the practice has set one, checks the caller's coverage, and books the visit rather than promising a number the practice has not approved.
How it goes today
A new caller asks for a price. The desk either guesses, puts them on hold to ask, or takes a message. Many of these callers hang up and try the next practice.
What Amy does
- Answers in under two seconds, day or night.
- Quotes only what the practice has configured. She does not invent a price.
- Runs the insurance check so the estimate reflects the caller's actual plan.
- Books the visit while the caller is still on the phone.
Where Amy stops
Amy never quotes a treatment fee the practice has not set, and never tells a caller what treatment they need.
She never gives medical advice, never diagnoses, and never makes a clinical decision. Anything clinical goes to the provider.
Why this call matters
Price is the first question and the easiest call to lose. Answering it at 7pm is the difference between a new patient and a competitor's new patient.
What the caller hears
Amy picks up in under two seconds and introduces herself as the practice's assistant. She is an AI and says so the moment anyone asks. She asks what the caller is looking to have done, then gives only the range the practice has already configured for that visit type. If the caller has their insurance card, she takes the member ID and date of birth and checks the plan while they are still on the line, so the number reflects that caller's actual coverage rather than a guess.
What your team sees afterward
The call lands on the Today screen with a recording and a full transcript, so the owner can hear exactly what was quoted. If a check ran, the coverage, annual maximum, deductible and benefits are saved onto the patient with the date. If the caller booked, the appointment is already in the schedule your team works from. Amy remembers the caller, so the next time they ring she is not starting from nothing.
When a person gets pulled in
Anything the practice has not priced goes to a person rather than to a guess. If the caller pushes for a figure that is not configured, or asks what treatment they actually need, Amy captures the question and hands it over: either a transfer to a number the practice chooses, or a task with the recording attached. Before your team picks up a transfer, they can ask Amy who is on the line and what has already been handled, so the hand-off starts with the whole picture.
Every call answered, day and night.
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Other calls your desk takes
- What happens when a patient calls to reschedule?
- What happens when a patient calls to say they are running late?
- What happens when someone asks if you take their insurance?
- What happens when someone calls with a toothache after hours?
- What happens when a caller asks for a specific dentist?
- What happens when a patient calls for a prescription refill?