AI Receptionist for a Chiropractic Office: Cost, Recurring Visits

An AI receptionist for a chiropractic office costs from about A$139 (roughly $100) to $599 a month on published plans, depending on call volume and booking links. Recurring visits are the test: some tools book one visit at a time, so try "three a week for four weeks" on your own diary before paying.

Chiropractic is unusual among appointment businesses because a typical patient does not book once. They book a plan of care: two or three visits a week at first, tapering to weekly, then occasional maintenance. A receptionist, human or AI, has to think in series. A tool built for one-off haircuts or dental check-ups can look fine in a demo and fail on the first real patient.

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That makes the booking test more important than the price. A tool that books new patients well but scrambles care plans costs more in front-desk repair time than it saves. The physio clinic version deals with Cliniko and Jane in more detail.

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Published prices, with what each one assumes

Read on vendor pages on 4 November 2026. Prices move, and the plans differ in what they count.

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Lyngo's page says it counts inbound calls over 10 seconds and excludes spam, unanswered calls and immediate hang-ups. FrontDesk counts AI minutes. A chiropractor who gets many short, repeated calls from the same patients, for instance "can I move tomorrow?", will pay differently on each model. Another vendor, Confido Health, positions around insurance verification, referrals and patient balances for medical and dental providers, including multi-location groups, and claims more than 50 integrations; its page shows no price, so treat it as a quote-only option for bigger offices.

The recurring-visit test

Before you pay, run a script on your own diary. Ask the vendor to do it live, with you watching the calendar.

1. "I'd like to start treatment. Can I come three times a week for four weeks, mornings if possible?"
2. Watch what is created. Is it 12 appointments, one appointment with a note, or a request to staff?
3. "I can't do the second Wednesday." Does it move one visit without touching the rest?
4. "Can we drop to twice a week from week three?" Does it hand off to staff, or try to rewrite the series?

The result sorts tools into three groups. Group one books the whole series correctly and can edit it, which is rare. Group two books the first visit and takes a note for the rest, which is workable and safe. Group three offers one slot at a time and loses track of the plan; it can still help with new-patient calls but should not touch existing care plans.

An illustrative mistake: an AI offered a patient "the next available slot" on three separate calls over a week. He ended up with visits on Monday, Friday and the following Tuesday, with no spacing logic, and his adjustment plan was out of sequence. The fix was a rule: existing patients on a plan are routed to the front desk for any change to the series, while the AI handles single reschedules inside a set window.

Which visits an AI should book

A worked example: a two-chiropractor office

Illustration only. Say a two-chiropractor office has 25 patient-visits a day, mostly follow-ups, and about 280 inbound calls a month. Roughly 60 go unanswered, mainly early morning and lunchtime. The office manager counts that about 18 of those were new enquiries, and with an answered call about 7 would have booked an initial consultation at $85, with an average plan of six further visits at $55 that would follow for about half of them.

• Initial consultations recovered: 7 x $85 = $595.
• Follow-up visits that come with them, at half the plan: 3.5 patients x 6 x $55 = about $1,155 over the following weeks.
• Plan: FrontDesk Pro at $299, or Lyngo Growth at about A$249.

This is the particular reason a chiropractic office can justify a plan: one new patient's plan of care is worth several hundred dollars, so each recovered enquiry matters more than in a one-visit business. But the arithmetic only holds if the AI books new patients properly and does not damage existing plans. The follow-up value arrives over weeks, so judge the plan at 90 days, not 30; the measurement guide shows how to track it. And halve the conversion rate in your head. If only 3 of the 7 book, the first-month recovery is $255 plus roughly $500 of follow-ups, and you are break-even by month two.

Reading a recurring-visit call, line by line

Here is an invented call from a tool in the "first visit, then a note" group, which is the safest realistic outcome.

Patient: The doctor said I need to come three times a week for a month.
AI: Thanks. I can book your first visit now and the team will set up the
    rest of the plan. Would Monday at 8.15 work for the first one?
Patient: Yes. And the other two each week?
AI: I'll note that you'd like three visits a week, mornings if possible,
    for four weeks. The front desk will confirm the full schedule by text
    today. Is this the best number?

What is right: it did not invent a series it cannot write, and it recorded the pattern in words. What to fix: the "by text today" promise needs a matching task for staff, with a deadline. Check the summary email includes "3 a week x 4 weeks, mornings, confirm by end of day". If it does not, the promise will be broken by lunchtime, and the patient will ring back anyway.

When the tool can write a series

If your software and the integration can create several appointments from one request, add guard rails. Cap the series at a number you choose, say 12 visits. Require the same chiropractor and the same room type. Let the AI propose, then read back the dates before it confirms, in a sentence such as "That's Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8.15 for the next four weeks, starting on the 10th. Shall I book all twelve?" And have it send a text listing the dates, so the patient has them in writing.

Sort your own calls before choosing a tier

Pull two weeks of phone records and tally them. This invented tally for a two-chiropractor office shows how the AI's share is calculated.

Of 280 calls a month, the first three rows are 60 per cent, about 168 calls. On Lyngo that sits between Growth (100 calls) and Pro (200 calls): Growth would cost A$249 plus 68 extra calls at A$2.50, or A$419, against A$395 for Pro, so Pro is cheaper at this volume. On a minutes-based plan, 168 calls at roughly two minutes each is about 340 minutes, comfortably inside a 500-minute allowance at $299. The sum is the same exercise whatever the vendor: count your calls, convert to the vendor's unit, and compare the total, including overage.

No-shows, late cancellations and the fee question

Chiropractic offices that charge for late cancellations should decide what the AI says. The AI should not waive a fee or promise one, because the decision is yours. A safe script: "Our policy asks for 24 hours' notice. I can cancel this visit now, and the team will let you know if a fee applies." Then log a task for staff. For same-day cancellations, set the AI to offer the freed slot to a waiting list only if your software supports it; otherwise leave the slot for the desk.

The reverse is more valuable: the AI can fill gaps. When a patient cancels, the recovered slot can be offered to the next person on a list by text. Few small offices have a waiting-list process, so start with a simple one: a list of patients who asked for an earlier slot, with their preferred days. It is a modest win and one the AI does well, since it never forgets to text.

Quick sums for three office sizes

• Solo chiropractor, 40 AI-handled calls a month. Lyngo Starter at A$139 covers 45 calls; the cost per call is about A$3.50. Check whether you actually have a diary link, or whether it is message-only.
• Two chiropractors, 170 calls. Lyngo Pro at A$395 covers 200, about A$2.30 a call. FrontDesk Pro at $299 would cover roughly 340 minutes of calls out of 500.
• Four chiropractors across two sites, 600 calls. On Lyngo's per-call model, 400 extra calls over Pro's 200 at A$2 would add A$800, so ask Lyngo for a Scale quote. FrontDesk Elite at $599 covers 1,150 minutes, about 575 calls at two minutes each, and up to three locations.

The point of the exercise is to notice where the per-call and per-minute models cross. At small volumes the per-call plan is cheaper; at high volumes of short calls, minutes can be cheaper, and the other way round when calls run long. Ask each vendor for your own volume at both rates, not the headline.

The FAQ sheet the AI answers from

An illustrative extract, to be rewritten for your own office and reviewed each quarter:

Hours: Mon-Fri 7.30-12.00 and 15.00-18.30, Sat 8.00-12.00
First visit: 45 minutes, includes assessment and first adjustment
Follow-up: 15 minutes; typical plan: 2-3 a week at first, then weekly
Insurers we accept: [list]. We cannot check your own benefits by phone.
Payment: card, cash, direct billing for approved plans
Cancellation: 24 hours' notice; staff decide on fees
Never answer: diagnosis, whether treatment is safe for you, benefits,
              medication, imaging results

A stale sheet is a quiet source of complaints, so put a quarterly review in the diary. When a fee changes, edit the sheet the same day.

Contract points to check

• Month-to-month or fixed term; Lyngo advertises no lock-in during its trial, and MedReception lists month-to-month plans.
• Whether overage is billed or the service stops.
• Where recordings are stored, for how long, and whether they train any model.
• Who owns the phone number if you leave; forward your own number rather than porting it in.
• What happens if the diary integration fails: you want a fall-back to message-taking with an alert to your team.

Insurance questions: what to let the AI say

Insurance calls fall into three kinds, and only one is safe for an AI.

• "Do you take [insurer]?" Safe, if your office keeps an approved list and the AI reads it verbatim. Add "please check your plan for your own benefits".
• "Is this visit covered, and how much will I pay?" Not safe. Benefits depend on the individual policy, visit limits and deductibles. Take a message for your biller.
• "My claim was denied" or "I got a bill." Transfer or message to a named person.

An approved wording for the first kind: "We work with a number of insurers, including [list]. I can't check your own benefits, but the team can help, and your insurer can confirm what your plan covers. Would you like a callback?" FrontDesk's page says its assistant can be trained on the practice's FAQs and insurance lists, which is useful here, but whether it stays within the wording is something you must test with ten different phrasings.

A message summary worth demanding

Caller: existing patient, name as given, DOB confirmed
Topic: insurance question about visit 7 on the plan
What the AI said: "the team will check your benefits and call you"
Callback number: confirmed by read-back
Priority: normal; patient has an appointment Thursday
Not done: no coverage information given

The "not done" line is a good habit: it lets staff see that nothing was promised.

Calls that go to staff, whatever the plan

1. New neurological symptoms, such as numbness, weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe headache.
2. Chest pain, shortness of breath, or a recent fall or accident.
3. A patient who says their pain is much worse since the last adjustment.
4. Any caller asking whether a treatment is safe for them, a child or during pregnancy.
5. Complaints, fee disputes and refund requests.
6. Anyone who sounds distressed, or who asks for a person.

Write them as trigger phrases and test each. For wording of the transfers, call scripts and escalation rules has templates. The first item matters most, since a message left on a voicemail for two days is the worst outcome, and a transfer with the reason attached is the best.

What the first fortnight should look like

Start with message-taking and new-patient booking only, then widen. A sensible sequence:

1. Days 1 to 3: test calls covering new patient, existing patient, insurance, urgent, and "three a week".
2. Days 4 to 10: forward only after-hours and lunchtime calls. Read every transcript and summary.
3. Days 11 to 14: add busy-period overflow. Count bookings, messages and transfers.
4. Day 14: decide whether the AI may touch existing patients' single reschedules.

Cost control during this fortnight: set a usage alert at 80 per cent of the allowance, and ask whether the trial period counts towards your first invoice. Lyngo advertises a 14-day free trial, and MedReception lists month-to-month options, so you can test without a long commitment. If the AI cannot meet the recurring-visit test but handles new patients well, keep it for new patients only and look at whether a cheaper tier suffices. The wider general price picture is in how much an AI receptionist costs a small business.

Checking it worked at 30 and 90 days

At 30 days, compare four numbers with the tally you made before buying: new-patient consultations booked from AI-answered calls, single reschedules completed without staff, messages that turned into bookings after a callback, and urgent transfers handled. At 90 days, add the longer measure that matters for a plan-of-care business: how many of the new patients the AI booked went on to complete a plan. If initial consultations rise but plans do not follow, the problem may be what patients are told on the phone, so read ten transcripts for wording that sets the wrong expectation. Count patient complaints about the phone separately; a rise is a signal to tighten the transfer rules before widening the AI's hours.

Wording changes to patient-facing messages

Three small edits help. The answerphone: "You've reached [office]. I'm the automated assistant. I can book a first visit or a follow-up, or take a message about insurance or your care plan. Say 'reception' to speak to someone." The confirmation text: "Hi [first name], you're booked with [chiropractor] on [day] at [time]. Your next visits on your plan will be confirmed by the team." And the website: one line, "Calls to us are answered in part by an AI assistant, and calls may be recorded; see our privacy notice."

Check what the vendor stores. FrontDesk's plans include call recording and intelligence, and Lyngo says it complies with several privacy laws; either way, patient conversations about back pain and injuries are health information, so get the data terms in writing and ask where recordings sit and for how long.

Questions from chiropractors

How much does it cost a chiropractic office?

Published prices run from about A$139 a month on a call-capped clinic plan to $299 to $599 for minute-based plans, with managed services such as MedReception from $495. Your volume decides the tier, so count calls first.

Can it book a care plan of three visits a week?

Some can book one appointment at a time, and a series depends on the diary software and the integration. Test it by asking for 'three times a week for four weeks' and check what lands in the diary. If it cannot, have it book the first visit and take a note.

Should it answer insurance questions?

It can share what your office has approved, such as which plans you accept, and take a message for anything about a specific claim or benefit. It should not confirm coverage, because only the insurer or your biller can.

What if a patient reports a new injury or severe pain?

Route to a person. New numbness, weakness, loss of bladder control, chest pain or a recent fall are not booking requests. Test your trigger words before go-live.

Do I need an integration with my software?

Only if you want live booking. Without one, the AI takes messages or sends a booking link. That is cheaper and safer to start with, and you can add the integration after the first month.

Further reads

• AI Tools for Physiotherapy Clinics: What Each One Actually Does — What AI does across a neighbouring clinic type.
• What to Do When an AI Receptionist Gets a Booking Wrong — When a booking goes wrong.
• What Is an AI Receptionist and How Does It Handle Bookings? — How an AI receptionist handles bookings, from the start.
• AI Receptionist vs Front Desk Hire: A Dental Practice Comparison — Front-desk hire against AI, worked through for dental.
• How to Set Up an AI Receptionist Without Losing Callers — Setting up without losing callers.
• AI Receptionist or Answering Service for a Booking-Based Business? — Human answering against AI for booking businesses.
• Chiropractic Software With AI: Which Features Are Genuine? — ChiroTouch Rheo, Jane's AI Scribe and ChiroHD checked against their own pages, plus a ten-minute test for separating real AI from marketing.
• AI Marketing for Chiropractors: Claim Limits and Review Replies — Use AI for chiropractic posts and review replies without outcome promises: ASA and FTC limits, a claims register, safe reply wording and prompts.
• ChatGPT for Chiropractors: What Is Safe Without a BAA? — A clear line for chiropractic clinics: which ChatGPT jobs are safe with no BAA, which involve PHI, and what a HIPAA-ready route looks like.
• Chiropractic AI for Clinic Owners: Which Admin Jobs to Start With — A clinic owner's order of play for AI: bookings and recalls first, notes with review, marketing within claim limits, no AI diagnosis.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: Lyngo pricing page, FrontDesk pricing page, Confido Health site, MedReception pricing page (checked 4 November 2026).