Amol Nirgudkar, CPA, CGMA, estimates that 25% to 30% of calls to health care offices go unanswered during business hours. He says patients who reach voicemail rarely leave a message. They call the next practice in their search results.

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 practices.

Nirgudkar explains why access has become patients' top frustration and how unanswered calls waste money practices spend on search and social media ads. He suggests using AI voice agents for overflow, weekend and after-hours calls. He puts AI receptionist services at $500 to $800 a month, sometimes $1,000, against per-visit revenue he says can run from $250 to $5,000 depending on specialty. He also advises physicians to fix one broken process at a time and says the harder problem with AI is getting staff to use it.

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 artificial intelligence (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. Austin Littrell thanks listeners and wraps the episode.

S1 Ep192: The calls your practice isn't answering, with Amol Nirgudkar of Patient Prism

Off the Chart: A Business of Medicine Podcast

S1 Ep192: The calls your practice isn't answering, with Amol Nirgudkar of Patient Prism