The agent and identity
The agent does not read a patient’s information back to someone it has not identified. It matches the caller’s number against your PMS. When the number is not enough. A new mobile, a shared household line, a caller phoning from work. It asks for identifying details and can send a one-time code by text to the number on the chart before it will discuss anything on the record.This is why the agent sometimes asks a long-standing patient to verify. The alternative is an agent that reads appointments to whoever happens to be holding the phone.
What the agent will not do
- Confirm or deny that someone is a patient to an unverified caller. That question, answered, is a way to find out who a practice treats.
- Read balances, appointments, or records without verification.
- Give clinical advice.
Where patient data lives
A patient signing in to the patient-facing surface sees only their own records.
Channels and what belongs on them
Recording
Calls are recorded. Practices in some states must tell callers this. Check your state’s requirement and put the notice in your assistant’s greeting if it applies to you.Practical rules for staff
- Do not paste patient names, dates of birth, or phone numbers into support tickets, bug reports, or chat. Use initials or the MRN.
- Do not export patient lists to a spreadsheet on a personal device.
- Do not share a login, ever.
- If you access a record you did not need, say so. It is in the audit log either way, and the explanation is much better attached to it.