Patients call their healthcare provider for many reasons, and most of them are quite simple.

For example:

• booking an appointment
• cancelling or rescheduling a visit
• requesting a prescription renewal
• asking for practical information such as opening hours
• leaving a message for the doctor or assistant

In many of these situations, patients are not necessarily looking for a long conversation. They simply want to get something organised quickly.

When calls cannot be answered immediately, several things can happen:

• patients try calling again later
• they postpone their request
• in some cases, they search for another healthcare provider online

Practices are rarely aware of these missed interactions. For them, it simply looks like a normal day with a busy reception desk.

Improving accessibility without increasing administrative workload is therefore a challenge many practices recognise.

To manage high call volumes, many practices use telesecretary services. These services allow incoming calls to be forwarded to an external team who answers on behalf of the practice.

Telesecretaries can provide valuable support, especially when practices do not have a large internal reception team.

However, practices often notice certain limitations over time with telesecretary services: Because the operator works outside the practice, they may not always have full context about daily operations. Small details that the internal team knows immediately can be harder to manage remotely.

Some common situations include:

• operators needing to write down messages instead of booking appointments directly
• requests that still require the practice to call the patient back
• staff turnover or temporary absences affecting continuity
• operators not knowing every specific detail about the practice

Another challenge appears when employees are unavailable. Just like any other team, telesecretary services depend on human availability. If someone is sick or absent, the service may temporarily rely on another operator who is less familiar with the practice.

None of these issues make telesecretary services ineffective. They simply illustrate the limits of a model based entirely on human operators.

As healthcare communication evolves, practices are increasingly looking for ways to:

• reduce administrative pressure
• improve patient accessibility
• handle repetitive requests more efficiently

Many incoming calls follow predictable patterns. They are often short, structured and repetitive.

According to the World Health Organization, digital health solutions can significantly improve access to care and reduce inefficiencies in healthcare systems, particularly in communication workflows.

Similarly, the OECD highlights that optimising administrative processes such as appointment scheduling and call management can reduce workload pressure and improve overall system efficiency.

This makes routine calls particularly suitable for automation, as long as the experience remains clear and easy for patients.

Estimated impact for a medium-sized practice:

• Up to 60 to 80 percent fewer missed calls
• Up to 40 percent reduction in manual call handling
• With 24/7 availability, practices often see a 15-20% increase in bookings made outside of traditional office hours.

The Doctena Virtual Assistant was developed to address a different part of the problem.

Instead of forwarding calls to another human operator, the assistant answers the phone directly using a natural-sounding AI voice. It understands what the patient needs and guides them through the next step.

Because it is connected directly to the Doctena Pro agenda, the assistant can interact with the practice schedule in real time.

For example, it can:

• propose available appointment slots
• book appointments instantly in the agenda
• record cancellations or rescheduling requests
• collect structured messages for the practice team

This means that many routine calls can be handled immediately without creating additional follow-up work for the reception team.

One of the strengths of the Doctena Virtual Assistant is that it does not operate blindly. Each assistant is configured with a knowledge base specific to the practice. This allows it to provide consistent answers to common patient questions.

Depending on the practice configuration, the assistant can share information such as:

• opening hours
• practice address and directions
• preparation instructions for certain appointments
• administrative information defined by the practice

Unlike human operators who may rotate between multiple practices, the Virtual Assistant always works with the same structured knowledge.

This ensures that patients receive clear and consistent information every time they call.

One of the first questions many practices ask is simple: what does a conversation with the Virtual Assistant actually sound like?

To give a clear idea, you can listen to a short example below. This audio demonstrates how the Doctena Virtual Assistant interacts with a patient, asks a few simple questions and guides them through the process.

The Virtual Assistant is not designed to replace reception staff, but to support them during the moments when the phone becomes difficult to manage.

Modern healthcare communication is no longer about choosing between a human touch and a digital solution; it is about creating a hybrid environment where technology handles the volume so people can handle the care. Transitioning to an AI-driven assistant ensures your practice is never “too busy” to help a patient, whether they are calling at midnight or standing at your desk at 9 AM.

Ready to transform your reception? Don’t let another call go to voicemail. Join the hundreds of practices making communication smoother for both staff and patients.

What is a medical telesecretary?

A medical telesecretary is a service where external staff handle incoming calls for a healthcare practice, often managing appointments, messages and basic patient requests.

What is a telesecretary for doctors?

A telesecretary for doctors supports call handling and appointment management, helping reduce workload for reception teams in medical practices.

What are alternatives to a telesecretary in healthcare?

Alternatives include digital solutions such as a virtual assistant, AI assistant or AI phone assistant that can automate routine calls and appointment booking.

What is a virtual assistant for medical practices?

A virtual assistant is a digital solution that can handle patient calls, manage appointments and provide information automatically without human intervention.

What is an AI phone assistant?

An AI phone assistant is a system that answers calls using artificial intelligence, understands patient requests and performs actions such as booking or cancelling appointments.

How does a digital phone assistant work in a medical practice?

A digital phone assistant connects to the practice agenda and handles structured requests such as scheduling, cancellations and information sharing in real time.

What is call management in healthcare practices?

Call management refers to how incoming patient calls are handled, including answering, routing, booking appointments and managing follow-ups efficiently.

What is a phone assistant for a medical practice?

A phone assistant for a medical practice helps manage incoming calls, either through human operators or AI-based systems, improving accessibility and efficiency.