Workflow

Triage incoming referrals, capture chief complaint, and route insurance inquiries to your authorization team

Interventional pain clinics receive dozens of referrals daily from primary care, orthopedics, and neurology. An AI receptionist identifies the referral source, captures the pain complaint, and routes pre-auth questions so your team focuses on clinical decisions, not phone tag.

Identify referral source (PCP, orthopedics, neurology) and referred-for diagnosis
Capture pain location, onset, imaging status, and prior treatments from the referring provider
Answer common insurance pre-auth questions and route complex inquiries to your auth team
Flag high-acuity cases (acute cord compression, progressive neuro symptoms) for immediate review
Schedule new patient consultations or add to waitlist based on urgency and availability
Create structured referral summary for your clinical team to review

How it pays back

Authorization Inquiries Don't Delay Patient Booking

When a referral comes in and the patient asks about insurance coverage, the AI answers frequently asked pre-auth questions (e.g., 'Do I need prior authorization for a lumbar medial branch block?') and routes complex requests to your authorization team. The patient gets booked while insurance is being verified in parallel.

Referring Providers See Faster Turnaround

Instead of a busy staff member calling back days later, your AI triage confirms receipt of the referral, asks specific clinical questions (pain severity, imaging available, prior procedures), and schedules the patient within hours. Referring providers and patients see responsiveness.

High-Acuity Cases Don't Get Lost in the Queue

If a referral includes red flags—acute spinal cord compression, progressive myelopathy, cauda equina—the AI flags it immediately for your clinical director to prioritize. Low-acuity chronic pain cases flow to your standard waitlist.

Your Auth Team Gets Clean, Structured Inquiries

Rather than listening to a rambling voicemail, your authorization staff receives a structured summary: referral source, diagnosis, requested procedure, patient insurance details, and common questions already answered. They focus on complex auth denials and coverage exceptions.

Referrals triaged and scheduled same-day

Urgent cases prioritized; routine referrals added to waitlist with next-available backup

Pre-auth questions answered on first contact

Common insurance inquiries resolved; complex cases routed to your auth team

Structured referral summary for clinical review

Referring provider, diagnosis, imaging status, and urgency flagged for your team

Referring providers notified of patient status

Appointment confirmed or waitlist placement communicated back to ordering provider

Frequently asked questions

How does the AI handle referrals from different specialties (orthopedics vs. neurology)?

The AI asks the caller or referral source to identify their specialty and the clinical indication (e.g., 'orthopedic surgeon referring for chronic knee pain' or 'neurologist referring for trigeminal neuralgia'). This helps your clinical team prioritize appropriately and assign to the right provider.

What if a referral doesn't include imaging, but your practice requires imaging before booking?

The AI notes imaging status on the referral summary and routes to your clinical team to decide: proceed with consultation and order imaging then, or require imaging before booking. Your staff contacts the referring provider or patient to resolve.

Can the AI check insurance pre-auth status directly?

The AI can ask the patient for their insurance info and route that to your authorization team to check, or direct the patient to call their insurance. For many common procedures (e.g., standard joint injections), the AI can provide general pre-auth expectations. Complex or exception cases go to your auth team.

Does the AI prioritize urgent referrals over routine scheduled calls?

Yes. The AI flags high-acuity referrals (acute nerve impingement, progressive neurological symptoms) and routes them to your clinical director immediately. Routine procedure bookings and follow-ups flow through standard scheduling.

How do referring providers know the patient was scheduled?

Your practice can send a confirmation fax or portal message to the referring provider with the patient's appointment date and time, so they can inform the patient. This is typically handled by your staff after the AI books the appointment.