The successful call above is one path. These alternatives are part of the same workflow.
Someone else answers / wrong number
Caller: “She’s not here.”
AI: “Thank you. I’ll try another time.”
Do not disclose the physical, clinician or patient record. A reported wrong number stops outreach to that number and creates a contact-review task. A relative is not automatically authorized; a proxy requires the clinic’s identity and authority checks. Requests involving minors or uncertain guardianship route to staff.
Voicemail / no answer
“This is Oak Street Primary Care’s AI assistant. Please call our office.”
Use a neutral message only if contact instructions permit it, and provide the clinic’s verified callback number. Disclose no visit reason, date of birth or overdue status. Otherwise leave nothing. Apply bounded retries and stop conditions.
Identity mismatch / scam concern
Patient: “I don’t give my birthday on calls.”
AI: “That’s fine. Please call the clinic using the number you already have.”
Stop patient-specific discussion. No hints, repeated guessing, DOB read-back or unsolicited verification link. A clinic-approved staff route handles additional verification or accessible alternatives.
Stop calling / not a good time
Patient: “Please stop these calls.”
AI: “Of course. I’ll stop this outreach.”
Apply the stop immediately without requiring identity verification or persuasion. Persist the request, cancel queued attempts and propagate to relevant outreach systems. If the person asks for a later call, record that preference within approved hours; do not treat it as broader consent.
Already completed / visit type unclear
Patient: “I had my physical somewhere else.”
AI: “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll ask the office to update the outreach list.”
Pause the campaign and assign staff reconciliation. Do not mark a clinical care gap closed on a verbal report alone. Annual physical, Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and Welcome to Medicare visit need distinct clinic-approved mappings.
Clinical question / human requested
Patient: “Can I speak to someone at the office?”
AI: “Of course. I’ll connect you.”
Human Transfer sends only authorized context. Symptoms go to the clinical team without AI assessment, triage or reassurance. A caller-stated emergency triggers the clinic’s fixed emergency instruction; no symptom scoring. If transfer fails, say so and use the approved fallback without suggesting it is safe to wait.
No slots / uncertain booking / dropped call
AI: “I haven’t been able to confirm that appointment. I can connect you with scheduling.”
No invented slot, unauthorized provider switch or success claim. A dropped call before approval causes no booking. After a submitted transaction, reconcile its result before retrying. A new session repeats the required identity check; the ledger preserves task history.
Message failure / cancellation / no-show
Keep booking, delivery, attendance and open staff tasks separate. A failed portal message routes to staff; it does not authorize detailed SMS. Cancellation or a no-show triggers only the clinic’s approved follow-up process. One system owns reminders, and completed visits suppress the original recall campaign.