Family First Health, a federally qualified health center serving several counties in Pennsylvania, has begun using agentic AI to handle phone calls, scheduling and patient outreach, according to senior practice manager Kelly Taliano.
Front‑desk staff struggle with call volume
Before the technology was introduced, the clinic’s front desk staff focused on patients physically present in the waiting area, leaving inbound calls unanswered for too long. Patient surveys consistently flagged long wait times and missed opportunities to fill appointment slots when patients cancelled or rescheduled.
“Our front desk staff are really focusing their attention on patients in front of them, so the phones were really a pain point — just answering them in a timely way and giving all of our patients what they deserve in terms of that immediate response,” Taliano said.
Partnering with an AI vendor
At an electronic health‑record conference, clinicians from the center met representatives from Artera, a company that builds AI‑driven workflow tools for clinics of all sizes.
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Implementation and rollout
The vendor worked with Family First to co‑develop solutions that fit the clinic’s specific scheduling quirks. “We wondered if they were really going to be able to help us. We have a lot of nuances with our scheduling. Our patients like certain things, but they were able to help us,” Taliano explained. “They allowed us to go at our own pace… we didn’t want to introduce a full‑blown system and say, ‘this is what you’re using now.’”
The rollout began with a single specialty service, testing self‑scheduling features before expanding to other locations. The AI agents can confirm, cancel or reschedule appointments at any hour, providing a 24/7 option that Taliano says “is just more convenient for everyone.”
Future capabilities and patient outreach
Next steps include allowing patients to register new accounts and schedule appointments without staff assistance. The clinic also plans to launch AI‑driven campaigns targeting preventive screening reminders.
Early results
Since deploying the AI agents, Family First reports a measurable drop in missed calls and faster fill rates for cancelled slots.
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Patient satisfaction scores related to phone responsiveness have risen.
“We are continuing to add in layers as patients get used to each step along the way, and we see those results,” Taliano added. The incremental approach appears to be paying off, allowing the health center to modernize without overwhelming staff or patients.
The experience at Family First illustrates how smaller health providers can adopt advanced tools traditionally associated with larger systems, provided they work with vendors willing to tailor solutions and keep costs predictable.
