Why it matters
The question that isn't really about booking
Someone's back has gone. They find your clinic at eleven at night and start typing, and what they type is a description of their symptoms, because that is what is on their mind.
The wrong response is a chatbot that engages with the symptoms: suggesting a cause, naming a condition, promising the technique that fixes it, or filing all of it into a lead you then hold on a server.
The right response is to notice the one case that needs an emergency department tonight, and otherwise to answer what the clinic's pages say and offer an appointment. That is what this does.
- 51,724physical, occupational and speech therapy practices had paid staff in the US in 2024, employing 491,448 people between them.US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 (NAICS 621340)
- All 50states provide some form of direct access to physical therapist services, but the provisions and limits differ by jurisdiction and an insurer may still want a referral. So the assistant answers that question from your pages, never from general knowledge.APTA, Direct Access by State
- No superiorityclaims: a state board expects a practice to avoid claiming professional superiority, to use no scare tactics, and to get written consent before using a patient in a testimonial. The assistant does none of the three.NYS Office of the Professions, chiropractic advertising practice alert
Example conversation
A red flag at eleven at night
- My back went yesterday and since this morning I can't control my bladder and my inner thighs feel numb. Can I book in?
The one presentation that must not be booked
- Please don't wait for an appointment with us. Loss of bladder control with numbness around the inner thighs needs to be seen today: call 911 or go straight to an emergency department.
Emergency care first, and no booking taken
- Okay. Separately, do I need a referral from my doctor to see you, and do you take Cigna?
- We do take Cigna. On referrals, our page says no referral is needed for most plans, though your own insurer may still want one, so the clinic checks that when they confirm your benefits. Would you like me to take your name and number?
Answers from the clinic's own pages, never from general knowledge
- Yes please. Aisha Bello, 555-0181. It's sciatica, I had it after a car crash.
- Thanks Aisha, I've got that. Someone from the clinic will call to get you booked in.
Doesn't repeat the clinical detail back, and doesn't put it in the lead
- New enquiry · Aisha Bello · 555-0181 · New patient · Cigna · Wants an appointment · Urged to seek emergency care
Texted and emailed to you, with no clinical detail in it
What customers ask
What patients ask before they book
- Do I need a referral from my doctor?
- Do you take my insurance?
- How much is a session?
- What happens at the first appointment?
- How soon can I get an appointment?
- Are you open in the evenings?
- Who would I be seeing?
- Do you treat sports injuries?
It answers these from your own website, and hands over any it can't.
What it does
What it does for you
Catches the presentations that need an emergency department
Chest pain, breathing difficulty, one-sided weakness or slurred speech, a sudden severe headache, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin or inner thighs, a suspected fracture, or a head injury after a fall. It says to call 911 or go to an emergency department, and takes no booking first.
Never asks about symptoms
It asks what they'd like to book and when. Nothing about pain, injuries, conditions, medications or where it hurts, and where a patient volunteers those anyway, it neither repeats them back nor puts them in the lead you receive.
Answers referrals and insurance from your pages
Whether a referral is needed turns on your state's limits and the patient's own insurer, so it answers from what your clinic publishes and hands over where your pages are silent.
Books the appointment
Through your booking page, or real free times from Google Calendar, with the enquiry texted to you either way.
Rules it follows
Clinical and advertising rules it follows
Emergencies before anything else
A red-flag presentation gets told to call 911 or go to an emergency department, immediately, with no booking taken and nothing else asked first.
No diagnosis, no cause, no prognosis
It never says what is wrong with someone, names a condition, says what caused it, says whether it is serious, or says whether the clinic can help with it. A diagnosis is made in person.
No cure, no guarantee, no session count
It never says a treatment will cure, fix, heal, correct or prevent anything, never guarantees a result and never says how many sessions someone needs. The FTC's health products guidance requires competent and reliable scientific evidence for a health claim, and states plainly that a 'results not typical' disclaimer doesn't cure a deceptive one.
No claims of superiority
It never says the clinic, a clinician or a technique is better than another, the best, or more effective than another kind of care. The New York practice alert tells licensees to avoid claiming professional superiority in any area of practice, and that is the safest standard to apply everywhere.
No testimonials
It never repeats a testimonial, a review or another patient's story, even one on your website, and never confirms whether someone is a patient. The same alert requires written authorisation and consent before using a patient's portrayal.
No pressure selling
It never uses urgency or worry to get a booking, never presses someone who has said they're unsure, and never offers a discount, prize or reward for a referral. Scare tactics and referral schemes are both named in that alert.
Referrals are your clinic's answer
Every state allows some direct access to physical therapy, but the limits differ by jurisdiction and an insurer may still require a referral. It answers from your pages and hands over where they're silent.
Benefits are checked, not promised
It never says a plan covers a visit, what it will pay, or what someone will owe. It says the clinic checks benefits before the appointment.
No self-treatment advice
It never advises on exercises, stretches, ice, heat, painkillers, rest or whether to keep working.
What reaches you
What reaches your phone
Each enquiry arrives by text and email with what you need to book them, and nothing clinical.
- Name
- Aisha Bello
- Phone
- 555-0181
- New or existing
- New patient
- Insurance
- Cigna
- Wants
- An appointment
- Note
- Urged to seek emergency care
Your tools
Works alongside your practice software
- WebPT
- Jane
- ClinicSource
- Cliniko
Questions
Common questions
Is it safe to have a chatbot on a clinic website?
It's built so the question doesn't arise: it never asks about symptoms, injuries, conditions or medications, and where a patient volunteers them it doesn't repeat them back or write them into the lead you receive. What you get is a name, a number and what they'd like to book.
What happens if someone describes something serious?
It tells them to call 911 or go to an emergency department, before anything else, and takes no booking. Loss of bladder or bowel control with numbness around the inner thighs, one-sided weakness, slurred speech, chest pain and a sudden severe headache are all on that list.
Will it tell patients whether they need a referral?
Only what your pages say. Every state allows some direct access to physical therapy, but the limits differ and an insurer may still want a referral, so a general answer would be wrong for somebody. Where your pages are silent, it hands the question to you.
Can it say our technique fixes the root cause?
No, even if your website says it. Health claims need real evidence behind them, and a chat has none to offer. It sticks to what you do and offers an assessment, which is where a claim about an individual's outcome can honestly be made.
Does it check insurance?
It says which plans your pages list, and takes the patient's insurer as part of the enquiry. It never says a visit is covered, what a plan will pay or what someone will owe, because that's a benefits check your team does.
Can it book appointments directly?
Yes. It sends patients to your booking page, or offers real free times from your Google Calendar, and texts you the enquiry either way.
Would you recommend it for a chiropractic practice too?
Yes, it's the same pack. The advertising rules it follows are drawn from a state chiropractic board's own guidance: no superiority claims, no scare tactics, no pressing a hesitant patient, no referral rewards and no testimonials without consent.
More business types
Built for other businesses too
- HVAC, plumbing and electrical
- Dentists
- Salons and spas
- Real estate agents
- Law firms
- Accountants and CPA firms
- Gyms and fitness studios
- Driving schools
- Tutors and tutoring centers
- Veterinary clinics
- Auto repair shops
- Medical clinics
- Roofing contractors
- Pest control
- Solar installers
- Cleaning services
- Moving companies
- Home improvement fitters
- Med spas and aesthetics
- Nurseries and childcare
- Insurance and mortgage brokers
- Online stores
- B2B SaaS companies
- Fintech companies