Security & Access

Ask what the AI can touch

The first security question about any phone automation is scope. What can it read? What can it write? Who controls it? A narrow answer is a good answer, and a vague one is a reason to keep asking.

For eClinicalWorks practices, MedReception AI's scope is specific: it looks up patients to identify callers, books appointments within your rules, and, with Autopilot, files call summaries to charts. It does not edit clinical notes, place orders or change prescriptions.

Autopilot works as your staff member

MedReception Autopilot is a Chrome extension that works from the staff member's own signed-in eClinicalWorks browser. Filing happens inside that person's session, so it works within the access that person already has in eClinicalWorks.

That keeps your existing eClinicalWorks user management in charge. The people you have given chart access to are the people whose browsers file summaries.

Who receives what

These are decisions your practice makes, and routing each summary only where it is needed keeps patient details from travelling further inside the office than necessary. A billing summary does not need to reach the nurse line, and a clinical summary does not need to reach billing.

Review the list whenever roles change. A medical assistant promoted to office manager may need to see more; a temporary staff member covering the desk for a month probably needs to see less.

• Which staff receive summaries for which call types
• Who is offered transfers, and on which lines
• Which visit types may be booked without a person
• What happens to calls after hours

Your own vendor checklist

Ask every vendor in your phone workflow the same questions. Is there a BAA? Who verified compliance? Where do call summaries go, and who can see them? What happens to a call the system cannot handle? Can it change a chart on its own?

MedReception AI's answers: a BAA is included, HIPAA compliance is verified by Compliancy Group, summaries go to the staff your rules name, unhandled calls go to a person or a structured message, and it never changes clinical content on its own.

When staff change

Staff turnover is where access tends to drift. When someone leaves, remove them from the routing rules the same day you remove their eClinicalWorks access, and make sure any transfer line that rang their desk now rings someone else. Add those two steps to your offboarding checklist so they are not forgotten.

The same applies to shared workstations. If a front desk computer runs Autopilot, treat its eClinicalWorks sign-in the way you already treat any shared terminal: locked when unattended, and signed out at the end of the day.