AI by industry · Health and wellness
AI for dental practices: what to automate first
A dental front desk is usually the busiest, most interrupted job in the building. AI can take overflow calls, send recall reminders, fill cancelled chairs and follow up on treatment plans that were never scheduled. Because patient information is protected, any tool that touches it needs the right agreements first. Westward builds these with a person approving anything that goes out.
Talk through your practice with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your dental practice to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Pick what you want AI to take off your plate
Start with the phones
Calls land while the front desk is checking in a patient, verifying insurance or handling a payment. Missed calls from new patients are the costly ones.
An AI that answers overflow, takes a message and flags real emergencies is a good first step.
Then recall and the open chair
Recare is the steady engine of a practice, and patients overdue for a cleaning are easy to forget. Reminders, and quick offers of a cancelled slot to people who asked for an earlier time, keep the chairs full.
Privacy comes first
In the United States, patient health information is covered by HIPAA. Before any vendor sees patient data, ask about a business associate agreement and where the data is stored. This is not legal advice, so involve whoever handles compliance for your practice.
Picture this
Examples of what it can look like. Illustrations, not clients.
A new patient calls at noon while the desk is at lunch. The call is answered, the reason for the visit and insurance type are noted, and someone returns it before one.
A hygienist’s 2 PM cancels. A message goes to patients who asked for an earlier slot, and a person confirms the first to reply.
A treatment plan for a crown was presented in March. A gentle check-in asks if the patient has questions while it is still fresh.
The rules that apply, in their own words
“A covered entity or business associate may not use or disclose protected health information, except as permitted or required by this subpart”
Sources
- 45 CFR § 164.502 (HIPAA Privacy Rule): When patient information may be used or shared, including by vendors.
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework: The U.S. standards body’s framework for using AI responsibly.
- 15 U.S.C. § 45 (FTC Act, Section 5): The federal ban on unfair or deceptive business practices, ads included.
Talk through your practice with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your dental practice to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Questions
Is AI allowed to handle patient information?
It depends on how it is set up. The vendor generally needs to sign a business associate agreement, and your practice should decide what the tool may see. Check with your compliance advisor.
Will it give medical advice?
It should not. It handles scheduling, questions about hours and insurance basics, and passes clinical questions to staff.
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