Call Routing

AI receptionist screens caller urgency, routes to on-call provider or schedules routine appointment, using Kareo provider data

Kareo practices can let the AI assess patient urgency, escalate emergencies to on-call providers, and route routine calls to scheduling—all without involving your front desk team.

How it pays back

Front Desk Doesn't Triage—AI Does

Your receptionist doesn't need to decide if a call is urgent. The AI asks about symptoms, duration, and severity, then makes the routing decision. True emergencies go to the provider; routine needs go to scheduling. Your team focuses on other tasks.

On-Call Provider Sees Real Urgency

When a call is escalated, the on-call provider gets structured information: patient name, symptoms, timing, and severity. No vague "patient called" message—they have enough context to decide if they need to call back or direct the patient to the ER.

Routine Calls Handled Entirely by AI

Patient wants to reschedule, get a refill, or check hours? The AI handles it. No hold time, no queue, no staff distraction. Appointment is booked in Kareo and patient is satisfied.

Compliance and Audit Trail Built In

Every call is logged with urgency assessment, triage decision, and escalation details. Your practice has a defensible record of clinical decision-making and routing protocols.

Urgency detected and routed in real time

No human triage delay or subjective judgment

Routine calls screened and routed by AI

Appointments booked into Kareo with confirmation returned to your team

Escalations logged with clinical context

Audit trail for compliance and training

Triage rules configured per your Kareo protocol

Based on provider availability and clinical guidelines

Frequently asked questions

How does the AI know when something is urgent?

The AI asks specific questions about symptoms, duration, severity, and associated risks. Red flags like chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, or loss of consciousness trigger immediate escalation. You can customize urgency keywords and thresholds during setup.

What happens if the on-call provider doesn't answer an urgent call?

After a configurable number of attempts or timeout, the AI can escalate to a backup provider, direct the patient to urgent care or the ER, or schedule an urgent appointment for first thing tomorrow. Your protocol determines the fallback.

Can I configure different triage rules for different times of day?

Yes. You can set rules per day of week, time of day, and Kareo location. For example, during business hours routine calls go to scheduling; after hours they go to on-call. Clinical protocols can vary by location or specialty.

Are triage decisions and routing logged?

Yes. Every call is logged with the urgency assessment, questions asked, decision made, and routing destination. This creates a compliance record and allows you to audit and improve your triage protocol.

Can the AI route to different team members based on call reason?

Yes. You can configure routing by reason (e.g., billing questions to billing, lab results to clinical staff, appointment requests to scheduling). Kareo location, provider specialty, and time of day all factor into the routing decision.

Do routine appointment bookings appear in Kareo immediately?

Yes. When the AI books a routine appointment during triage, it syncs to Kareo in real time. Your morning staff see the appointment in the schedule with patient contact info and reason pre-filled.

Related reading

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Kareo Practices: Intelligent Call Triage Without Extra Staff | Medreception AI