For an independent specialty practice, the phone is both a patient-access channel and the top of the revenue funnel. Patients call to schedule appointments, ask about referrals, confirm coverage, request refills and reach the clinical team. But front-office employees must manage those calls while checking in patients, supporting providers and coordinating a growing volume of administrative work. During a period of staff turnover, Washington Foot & Ankle experienced the consequences directly: unanswered calls, delayed callbacks and uncertainty about how many prospective patients were being lost. Three pressures were limiting patient access and front-office performance. Missed access: patients may call another practice rather than leave a message. Limited capacity: staff cannot answer every call while supporting care in the office. Inconsistent execution: turnover and retraining can affect how calls, scheduling and payment conversations are handled.

Grace answers patient calls, completes routine requests and brings staff into the conversation when human support is needed. It gives Washington Foot & Ankle an always-available front door without replacing the relationships that define the practice. During the launch, Grace was configured to answer calls immediately; schedule, reschedule and cancel appointments; verify caller information; respond to routine questions; route clinical and administrative requests; complete live transfers to staff; and support patients after hours. Grace handles the routine, repeatable interactions while practice staff handle preferences, judgment and personal support. Grace was introduced through a staged rollout — configure and test, a two-hour live window, a half-day launch, full-day production and ongoing optimization. Each stage was reviewed before traffic expanded, allowing the team to refine workflows using real patient interactions while limiting operational risk.

Confirmed production data from direct patient calls, June 10 – July 3, 2026 (n=89): Grace handled 89 calls from 72 unique callers. 48.3% of calls were contained without staff intervention and 30.3% were resolved fully end-to-end through automation. Every required live transfer was completed — 46 of 46, with no handoff failures in the sample — and Grace booked 17 appointments during the initial measurement period. Practice leadership reported no significant disruption or complaints during launch. The next phase will expand the workflows Grace supports, including eligibility and benefit checks, prior-authorization support, referral and records workflows, prescription-refill routing, appointment reminders by phone and text, and more advanced provider and department routing. Future reporting will evaluate missed-call and voicemail reduction, appointment conversion, administrative time savings, patient and staff satisfaction, revenue protected or generated and return on investment. Because podiatry volume is seasonal and historical call data is limited, Washington Foot & Ankle plans to use like-for-like year-over-year comparisons rather than sequential monthly comparisons.