The phone rings while a patient is checking out, another is asking about direct billing, and the hygienist needs the next chart. At 7:45 am the line is already busy. At 5:05 pm it goes to voicemail — and the person calling about a toothache, a sore back or a limping dog calls the next clinic on the list.
Then there’s the work nobody sees: recall lists, confirmation calls, insurance questions and the 3 pm cancellation that leaves a chair empty.
Front desk · TuesdaySample use case
7:45 AMLine busycaller hung upMissed
12:10 PMDirect billing questionon holdWaiting
3:00 PMCancellationchair empty at 3:30Open slot
5:05 PMToothachewent to voicemailMissed
What it handles
What your AI receptionist handles
Books the cleaning, sends the reminder, fills the cancellation.01
New and returning patients book, move or cancel by phone. The agent checks your schedule, books the right appointment type and length, and sends a confirmation by text or email. When someone cancels, it offers the slot to patients on your short-notice list.
BookedThu 3:15 · cleaning · SMS sent
Answers after hours — without giving medical advice.02
Hours, location, parking, whether you’re accepting new patients, which insurers you bill directly. If a caller describes something urgent, the agent follows your protocol: your emergency line, the nearest after-hours clinic, or 911. It never diagnoses or gives clinical advice.
After hoursurgent → your protocol
Picks up the overflow.03
Your front desk answers first. If they’re busy, the call rolls to the AI after a few rings instead of to voicemail. Your team sees a summary of every call it took.
Overflowrolled to AI after 4 rings
Brings patients back for recall.04
Patients due for a cleaning, a follow-up physio session or an annual vaccine get a reminder and can book on the spot. Outbound messages respect CASL and CRTC rules — we build consent and opt-out handling in.
Recalldue for cleaning · reminder sent
Gets new patients ready before they arrive.05
The agent takes the basics on the call, then texts a link to your intake form so paperwork is done before the first visit.
Intakeform link texted
Integrations
Works with your practice software
Bookings go straight into your schedule. We connect it to the practice software you use, Google and Microsoft calendars, and your existing phone system.
Keep your clinic’s number and carrier. Forward calls to us — all of them, after hours only, or when nobody picks up — and nothing else changes. If your phone system is due for replacement, we set up a modern IP phone system and can port your numbers to it.
ConnectionsSample use case
Your phone systemsame clinic numbersConnected
Practice softwareschedule · appointment typesConnected
Google / Microsoft calendaroptionalAvailable
Text & emailconfirmations · remindersOn
Privacy
Patient privacy, handled the way PHIPA expects
In Ontario, your clinic is a health information custodian under PHIPA. That responsibility stays with you, even when a service provider handles the calls. We make it easier to carry:
Stored in Canada.Recordings, transcripts and summaries are kept on Middlesurf’s own servers in Canada.
In writing.We tell you which AI services handle your calls and where everything is stored.
Ready for your privacy assessment.Ontario’s privacy commissioner expects clinics to assess the privacy risks of AI tools before using them. We give you the details you need: where data lives, who can access it, how long it’s kept.
Minimum necessary.The agent collects only what it needs to book and route the call, and you set how long recordings and transcripts are kept.
Vet clinics:Animal records aren’t health information under PHIPA, but your clients’ names, numbers and payment details are personal information under privacy law. The same protections apply.
Designed to support PHIPA and PIPEDA obligations. Outside Ontario, your provincial health privacy law applies — tell us where you practise and we’ll set it up accordingly.
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice.
Sample call
How a booking call sounds
Sample use caseSample use case · dental clinic. Not a real call — your agent uses your clinic’s name, services and rules.
Sample use case: transcript of a call
Middlesurf ConsoleSample use case
PPatientReturning · 2:14 PMAI answered
AI receptionist
Good afternoon, thanks for calling. I’m the clinic’s AI assistant. How can I help?
Caller
Hi, I need to book a cleaning. Anything next week?
AI receptionist
Sure. Are you an existing patient with us?
Caller
Yes. (Gives name and date of birth.)
AI receptionist
Thanks, I’ve found your file. I have Tuesday at 10:30 or Thursday at 3:15 with your usual hygienist. Either of those work?
Caller
Thursday’s good.
AI receptionist
You’re booked for Thursday at 3:15. I’ll text you a confirmation now and a reminder the day before. Anything else?
Caller
Actually, if anything opens up sooner, can you let me know?
AI receptionist
Done — I’ve added you to our short-notice list. If a spot opens before Thursday, we’ll text you first.
outcomeBooked · Thu 3:15 · short-notice list
FAQ
Questions clinics ask
Will the AI give medical advice?
No. It answers administrative questions — booking, hours, location, billing — and follows your protocol for anything clinical or urgent: transfer to staff, your emergency line, or 911.
Does it tell callers they’re speaking with AI?
Yes, by default it introduces itself as the clinic’s AI assistant. You approve the exact greeting.
Can patients still reach a person?
Always. Callers can ask for a person at any time, and the agent transfers during your hours or takes a detailed message after hours.
Does it work with our practice software?
Yes. We build the connection to the practice management system you use. Tell us what it is and we’ll confirm how it will work before you commit.
Can it answer in French or other languages?
Yes. It detects the caller’s language and answers in it — English, French and many other languages — and switches mid-call if the caller does.
Where are call recordings stored?
On Middlesurf’s own servers in Canada. You set how long they’re kept.
What does it cost?
It depends on call volume, locations and integrations. We give you a written quote after Discover.
Get in touch
Hear your clinic’s AI receptionist before you commit.
In a 30-minute call we’ll map your phone flows and show you a working agent trained on your clinic.