The short answer
An AI receptionist for podiatrists built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.20 per answered call, or $61 a month for 300 calls averaging 2.5 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 75 of those calls (25%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Book new patient visits
Collect name, date of birth, insurance, referral status and the general reason for the visit, then book the right appointment type and text the intake forms.
Answer coverage questions with approved wording
Explain that Medicare usually does not cover routine foot care such as nail trimming or callus removal but does cover medically necessary treatment, and that staff check each case.
Orthotic status and fittings
Read the orthotic status field on the contact, tell the caller whether their orthotics have arrived, and book a fitting if they have.
Route urgent calls
When a caller mentions a wound, a concern after surgery, or anything else on the podiatrist's urgent list, transfer to clinical staff or give the after-hours instructions.
What to send to a person
- Wounds, post-surgery concerns and diabetic foot problems
- Whether a specific visit is covered
- Surgical scheduling and consent
- Billing disputes
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical podiatry practice: 300 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 2.5 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 3 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $51.00 | $10.49 | $61 | $0.20 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $66.00 | $10.49 | $76 | $0.25 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $150.00 | $10.49 | $160 | $0.53 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $10.49 | $107 | $0.36 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a podiatry practice.
Compared with staff time
Those 300 calls take about 13 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $228, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThanks for calling Stride Foot and Ankle. I'm the practice's AI assistant. How can I help?
CALLERI need my toenails trimmed. Does Medicare pay for that?
AI AGENTMedicare usually doesn't cover routine nail trimming, though it does cover medically necessary foot care, and our team checks each case. Would you like me to book a visit and have them confirm your coverage beforehand?
CALLERYes, go ahead.
AI AGENTDr. Sandoval has Monday at 10:15 a.m. or Wednesday at 1:45 p.m. Which works?
CALLERMonday.
AI AGENTYou're booked for Monday at 10:15. Can I confirm your date of birth and your Medicare plan?
CALLERMay 30, 1948. Original Medicare.
AI AGENTThank you. Our billing team will call if anything isn't covered. I'm texting your confirmation now.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Put Medicare's routine foot care rule in the knowledge base as one plain sentence, and forbid the agent from deciding coverage for any caller.
- Tip 2List appointment types by length, such as new patient, nail care, orthotic fitting and post-op, so the agent books the right slot.
- Tip 3Have the podiatrist write the urgent list, and make every item on it a transfer or an after-hours instruction.
Rules to watch
Medicare and routine foot care. Medicare says it does not usually cover routine foot care, such as trimming nails or removing corns and calluses, while Part B covers medically necessary treatment for foot injuries or diseases. The AI should share this general rule only and let staff decide coverage for any visit.
HIPAA. Podiatry practices that bill Medicare or insurers electronically are HIPAA covered entities. If appointment reasons, surgery dates or intake answers go into HighLevel, budget for its $297 a month HIPAA package with a business associate agreement, and keep clinical records in the EHR.
Reminder content. HHS allows appointment reminders on answering machines and with family members but advises limiting the details. Keep AI voicemails and reminder texts to the practice name, the time and a callback number.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
What does an AI receptionist cost a podiatry practice?
Can the AI answer Medicare questions?
How does the AI handle a diabetic patient calling about a foot wound?
Can the AI tell patients their orthotics are ready?
Sources
- Medicare coverage: foot care
- Covered Entities and Business Associates (HHS)
- HHS FAQ: may health care providers leave messages for patients
- HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance on marketing (HHS)
- FCC makes AI-generated voices in robocalls illegal (Declaratory Ruling, Feb 8, 2024)
- HIPAA compliance with HighLevel (help center)
- HighLevel pricing page
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- Voice AI outbound calling (HighLevel help center)
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)