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Practice operations · An advertisement by Central

Your best receptionist
can't answer
two calls at once.

When Jenny is checking in a patient, verifying insurance, and answering the phone, something has to wait. Sometimes, it's your next new patient.

By the Central team · 4-minute read
A familiar front-desk moment
🧑‍⚕️
One patient at the desk.Jenny is checking in and verifying insurance.
📞
Another on hold.Someone called 4 minutes ago.
📱
One more calling.Ringing now.
!
Illustrative scene

Jenny represents a familiar front-desk situation.

A familiar front-desk moment. One patient at the desk. Another on hold. One more calling.

Give the ringing phone somewhere else to go.Central answers overflow and after-hours calls. Your team keeps the desk.

Try the AI receptionist

You're between patients. Jenny stops you in the hallway: insurance verification is backing up, two patients are waiting to check in, and she still hasn't returned this morning's calls.

You know she's working hard. You also know you can't keep stepping out of the exam room to help.

Then you look at the schedule. There are openings tomorrow.

Is the problem getting enough new patients—or answering the ones already trying to book?

01The gap you don't see

A full front desk can still leave holes in your schedule.

A patient at the counter is visible. A new-patient inquiry that rings out is easier to miss. It may become a voicemail, a callback task, or a conversation that never happens.

An illustrative Tuesday morning
9:41 AM
Jenny calls an insurer.A patient needs coverage confirmed before their visit.
9:42 AM
A new patient walks in.Forms, insurance card, a question about the copay.
9:43 AM
Someone calls to book.Jenny still has one pair of hands.

Not every missed call is a lost appointment. Some callers try again. Some leave a message. But if you're paying to bring patients to your practice, it's worth knowing what happens when the phone rings at the wrong moment.

Jenny doesn't need to work harder.
She needs backup when the next call comes in.

02What backup actually does

Keep Jenny. Give her an AI receptionist for the calls she can't take.

Central can answer calls that overflow your front desk, plus calls after closing. It follows your practice's instructions, answers routine questions, and books eligible appointments in your connected scheduling system.

Your team still handles the people in front of them. Central handles the next caller—and passes clinical questions or exceptions to the right person using your rules.

Start with the phone queue. You don't have to change your entire front desk or introduce every automation at once.

Before you decide, be the caller

Would you let this answer your practice's phone?

Call Central's existing demo line. Listen to the voice. Interrupt it. Ask a follow-up. Decide for yourself.

"Hi, I'm a new patient. How would I book my first appointment?"
Call the AI receptionist

On desktop? Dial +1 (833) 545-5994

This is Central's public demo, not your configured practice. Use fictional details. No real patient booking is promised on this line.

03The question behind the price

How many extra visits would make this worth it?

You don't need a dramatic revenue promise. You need a small number of genuinely additional, completed visits to cover the cost.

Use what a visit contributes after its variable costs—not the amount on the claim. At $499 a month, a $150 contribution per extra visit would mean roughly four additional completed visits a month to cover the base subscription.

Make the math yours

Your break-even, in visits.

Collected revenue minus variable visit costs, in USD.
Your scenario, not a forecast.
4 visits

to cover the $499 monthly base price.

6 extra visits × $150 − $499 = $401 after the base subscription.

Illustration only. Assumes visits are additional, completed, and paid. Excludes usage overages and other costs. No bookings or financial outcomes are guaranteed.

04The part you shouldn't have to manage

You run the practice.
We set up the phone coverage.

The last thing you need is software that comes with a new job for Jenny. Central's team handles configuration with your practice, including your scheduling rules and what should happen when a caller needs a person.

1

Tell us where the phone needs backup.

Choose overflow, after-hours, or both. We confirm your phone setup, EHR compatibility, and booking requirements before activation.

2

We configure it. You try it.

After the BAA is in place, we connect the supported workflow. Your team tests scheduling and handoffs before real calls are routed.

3

Turn it on when you're comfortable.

Keep your existing number and front desk. Review calls and booking outcomes, and ask our team to adjust the setup.

Insurance verification can be a separate workflow where supported. The first job here is simpler: give callers an answer while Jenny is busy.

Central phone coverage · One practice location

Give Jenny backup.
Starting with the next call she can't take.

AI answering for overflow and after-hours calls, configured for your practice by our team.

$249 / first month

Then $499/month. Cancel before the next renewal.

Setup included
  • One location; overflow, after-hours, or both
  • 500 AI call minutes per month; $0.75 per extra minute
  • Routine questions and supported appointment scheduling
  • Call transfers and messages using your instructions
  • Configuration, testing, and ongoing adjustments included

First month starts when your phone coverage goes live

Add phone coverage — $249

Keep your receptionist. Keep your number. We handle setup.

We confirm your phone and EHR setup before activation. If we can't support the agreed workflow, your first payment is refunded.

Proposed offer for this concept; pricing, usage, and refund terms are not a live Central promotion.

The questions you'd ask before giving it your calls.

Will Jenny have to learn a new system?

Central's team handles the configuration. Someone at the practice still needs to confirm appointment types, hours, routing, and exceptions, then help test the setup. The goal is to remove phone work without making Jenny configure the AI herself.

What if it books the wrong appointment?

Scheduling needs to be configured around your providers, visit types, and restrictions. Test those rules before activation. Calls outside the approved workflow should transfer or become a structured message. AI can make mistakes; review early calls and adjust with Central's team.

Does it work with my EHR?

Central advertises support for systems including athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, AdvancedMD, Tebra, and others. Support depends on the workflow and your deployment. The team confirms your specific setup before activation; a logo alone is not a compatibility check.

What about urgent or clinical questions?

Central does not provide medical advice. It follows your approved escalation instructions, including transfers to your team or on-call line. Those rules are part of setup and testing.

How is patient information handled?

Central states that it signs a Business Associate Agreement before accessing protected health information, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and does not use patient data to train models. Your practice can review the agreement and security information before activation.

Do I have to replace our phone number or receptionist?

No receptionist replacement is part of this offer. The intended setup routes selected calls from your existing number to Central. The team checks the forwarding options supported by your phone provider.

What if I manage several locations?

Start by discussing one location's call flow with Central's team. Multi-location contracts, security review, and procurement are handled separately from this proposed single-location offer.

Jenny can take care of the patient in front of her.
Give the next caller somewhere to go.

Add phone coverage — $249

Phone coverage

Give Jenny backup for the calls she can't take.

AI answering for overflow and after-hours calls, configured by our team.

$249 / first month

Then $499/month. Cancel anytime.

  • Overflow & after-hours
  • 500 AI call minutes/mo
  • Appointment scheduling
  • Setup included
  • BAA included
Add phone coverage
Or call +1 (833) 545-5994 to try the demo

This page is an advertisement by Central. Central is an AI-powered service for medical practices. All pricing and features described are illustrative. Patient data is handled according to Central's BAA and privacy policy. ©2025 Central. trycentral.com

Central
$249 first monthThen $499/mo. Cancel anytime.
Add phone coverage