Healthcare AI Glossary
Plain-English Definitions for Clinic Owners
AI, telephony and healthcare technology can feel overwhelming. This glossary explains the key terms in plain English — so you know exactly what you're buying.
A
- AI Reception
- An artificial intelligence system that answers incoming phone calls on behalf of a clinic, handling bookings, FAQs, and patient enquiries without human involvement.
- AI-Human Hybrid Model
- A call handling approach where an AI agent manages routine calls and automatically escalates complex or sensitive calls to a human receptionist. This is the model used by Clinic Assist.
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- A set of protocols that allow two software systems to communicate with each other. Clinic Assist uses APIs to connect with practice management systems and CRMs.
B
- Booking Conversion Rate
- The percentage of inbound enquiries that result in a booked appointment. AI reception typically improves booking conversion by 15–30% compared to a missed call or voicemail.
C
- Call Routing
- The process of directing an incoming call to the right destination — whether that's an AI agent, a human receptionist, a voicemail, or a specific department.
- Call Transcription
- The automatic conversion of a spoken call into written text. Clinic Assist transcribes all calls and stores them securely for audit, reporting, and compliance purposes.
- CQC (Care Quality Commission)
- The independent regulator of health and social care in England. Clinics using digital tools must ensure they support CQC compliance requirements.
D
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
- A legally binding contract between a data controller (your clinic) and a data processor (Clinic Assist) that defines how personal data is handled. Required under GDPR.
E
- Escalation
- The process of transferring a call from an AI agent to a human when the call requires empathy, a complex decision, or a situation the AI is not trained to handle.
G
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- UK and EU data protection legislation that governs how personal data (including patient data) is collected, stored, and used. All Clinic Assist processes are GDPR-compliant.
I
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
- A traditional phone menu system (“Press 1 for appointments”). AI reception replaces IVR with a natural conversation, removing the frustration of keypad menus.
M
- Missed Call Rate
- The percentage of inbound calls that go unanswered. The average clinic misses 27–40% of all calls. Clinic Assist reduces missed call rates to near zero.
N
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- The AI technology that allows a system to understand, interpret, and respond to human speech in a natural, conversational way. NLP powers the voice agents in Clinic Assist.
P
- Practice Management System (PMS)
- Software used by clinics to manage appointments, patient records, billing, and clinical notes. Examples include Cliniko, Jane App, TM3, and PracticeHub.
V
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
- A technology that allows phone calls to be made over an internet connection rather than a traditional phone line. Clinic Assist uses a proprietary VoIP infrastructure built on Asterisk.
W
- White-Label
- A product or service provided by one company but rebranded and sold by another as if it were their own. Clinic Assist offers white-label options for technology partners and resellers.
