Workflow

Kareo practices: new patients reach you after-hours, book appointments into tomorrow's schedule

A patient calling your Kareo practice after 5 PM doesn't hit voicemail—the AI receptionist answers, qualifies the request, and books them into the next available slot. Urgent calls are routed to on-call staff.

AI answers after-hours calls with your practice voice and tone
Collects caller name, reason for visit, and preferred appointment time
Checks Kareo's next-day schedule for availability and clinician coverage
Books appointments into tomorrow's or next available open slot
Flags urgent calls and routes them to your on-call provider
Leaves caller with appointment confirmation and next-day details

How it pays back

New patients booked while you sleep

A patient calling at 8 PM doesn't reach voicemail and forget about you. They book their appointment into tomorrow's schedule and are ready to arrive.

Emergency calls still reach your on-call team

The AI recognizes urgent symptoms or distress and immediately routes to your on-call provider or local ER protocol. Routine calls are held for tomorrow; urgent ones never wait.

No backlog of voicemails on Monday morning

Weekend and after-hours callers are scheduled or escalated in real time. Your team starts Monday with no callback queue.

Clinician on-call time is protected

The AI filters routine calls, so your on-call provider only gets called for true emergencies. They don't waste time returning voicemail from patients who just wanted an appointment.

After-hours calls answered live

No voicemail, no dropped calls

Urgent calls routed to on-call staff

Emergency protocol triggered

Appointments booked into next-day slots

Synced to Kareo on the call

New patient intake captured

Structured summary for staff review and filing

Frequently asked questions

How does the AI know what counts as urgent?

You set the escalation triggers—keywords like 'chest pain,' 'can't breathe,' 'losing consciousness' or caller-stated severity. The AI also offers a 'press 1 to speak with someone now' option for any caller who requests it.

Can the AI book after-hours appointments into tomorrow's Kareo schedule?

Yes. The AI checks your next-day schedule in Kareo and books patients into open slots. If all slots are full, it offers the first available time and captures the booking as a waitlist entry.

What if a patient calls at 2 AM and has a true emergency?

The AI asks about urgency, recognizes the emergency, and routes the caller to your on-call provider's cell or to the local ER. You configure the emergency protocol before setup.

Does the AI book into the same providers who work nights, or next-day daytime slots?

You configure whether after-hours calls can book with whoever is scheduled next (including next day) or only with your on-call provider. Most practices book into the next open daytime slot.

Can a caller reschedule an existing appointment after-hours?

Yes. The AI retrieves their appointment from Kareo, cancels it, and books them into a new slot. The change is synced to Kareo immediately.

Does after-hours call answering work on weekends and holidays?

Yes. You define your business hours in Kareo. Anything outside those hours triggers after-hours mode. Calls on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays are all answered the same way.