An AI Patient Access Coordinator for Orthopedic Practices

Referral speed is the engine of orthopedic practice growth

Orthopedic group practices and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) rely on a steady pipeline of surgical candidates referred by primary care physicians, urgent care centers, and physical therapists. When a referral arrives, the clock starts ticking. Research shows that contacting a referred patient within 24 hours results in an 80%+ scheduling conversion rate; waiting 72 hours causes conversion to drop below 40%.

Nutaan ingests electronic and faxed referral orders automatically, triggering immediate outbound voice and SMS outreach to the patient. The AI introduces your practice, confirms the anatomical area of concern, verifies insurance, and schedules the initial consultation with the appropriate fellowship-trained surgeon.

By eliminating referral lag, your practice captures market share from local competitors and keeps your surgeons' clinic and operating room block times fully utilized.

Sub-specialty matching: Getting the right joint to the right surgeon

Modern orthopedics is highly specialized. A fellowship-trained total joint surgeon does not want a complex cervical spine case on their schedule, and a hand specialist should not be booked for an adult reconstruction consultation.

Nutaan categorizes patient complaints by anatomical region and clinical history. The AI asks targeted, non-clinical screening questions (e.g., 'Is this regarding a shoulder, spine, hip, knee, or hand/wrist issue?') and checks whether the patient has previous surgeries in that joint.

It then matches the patient to the precise surgeon template defined in your EHR—ensuring total hip replacements land with joint specialists, ACL tears land with sports medicine, and herniated discs land with spine surgeons.

The imaging rule: Ensuring patients never arrive empty-handed

An orthopedic consultation without diagnostic imaging is rarely productive. Surgeons require up-to-date plain films (X-rays) or advanced imaging (MRI / CT scans) to make a surgical recommendation.

During the booking exchange and in pre-visit reminder sequences, Nutaan confirms the status of the patient's imaging. If the patient had an MRI at an outside facility, the AI instructs them to pick up the physical CD disc or requests digital transfer from the imaging center prior to the appointment date.

If the patient has no prior imaging, the system schedules an in-house pre-consultation X-ray slot immediately preceding the doctor's exam, ensuring the surgeon has fresh diagnostic films the moment they step into the exam room.

Specialized intake: Workers' comp and personal injury cases

Orthopedic practices frequently treat Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury (PI) patients. These visits require specialized intake: claim numbers, adjuster contact details, date of injury, employer information, and attorney representation status.

Nutaan captures complete Workers' Comp and PI intake data during the initial phone conversation, ensuring all required billing information is documented prior to scheduling.

The AI verifies authorization with the Workers' Comp case manager before the appointment is confirmed, preventing uncollectible claims and administrative write-offs.

Frequently asked questions