Guide · updated on 6 November 2026

AI phone assistant for your practice: what it is and what to look for

Short answer. An AI phone assistant answers the phone when you or your front desk are busy. It talks like a person, books appointments straight into your calendar, answers routine questions and logs everything else as a task. It says at the start that it is an AI, makes no diagnosis and gives no medical advice. For a physiotherapy practice, a dentist or a GP in Belgium, it has to comply with the EU AI Act and the GDPR.

What is an AI phone assistant?

Software that holds phone conversations by voice. It listens to the caller, turns their words into text, chooses an answer and speaks it with a natural voice. Unlike a phone menu ("press 1 for …") or an answering machine, the caller simply says what they want, in their own words.

In a practice, it works as an extra front desk: it answers when nobody is free, outside opening hours or all the time, as you set it up. You keep your own number and forward calls.

What does it do on a normal day?

Book, move and cancel appointments in your own calendar, with the length you set per type of appointment. For example 45 minutes for a first physiotherapy session, 15 minutes for a GP consultation.
Answer routine questions: opening hours, address, parking, new patients, payment, cancelling.
Log a callback request when the answer is not in the practice information, with a short summary and a priority.
Someone wants to come in today: it offers the slots you keep free for that. If they are taken, it says so honestly and logs an urgent callback request.
Several languages: for example Dutch, French, English and German, and it switches when the caller switches.
Put callers through: callers on your list, such as a referring doctor or the lab, go straight to you. Sales calls are politely turned away.
Overview: after each call, everything is in an app, with a summary of a few lines, the task and the transcript.

What it must never do

No diagnosis and no medical advice. To a question like "can I take a painkiller?" or "ice or heat?", it says it cannot judge that. It logs the question for the clinician.
Never decide by itself how urgent a complaint is. It only follows your rules. Software that assesses the urgency of a complaint by itself can fall under the rules for medical devices (Regulation (EU) 2017/745).
In an emergency, it refers the caller to 112 right away. For a GP in the evening and at weekends: the out-of-hours GP service on 1733.
Never pretend to be a person.

Which rules apply in Belgium?

AI Act, Article 50: since 2 August 2026, people talking to an AI must be told, unless it is already obvious. So the assistant says it at the start of every call. The 2026 Digital Omnibus did not move this date.
GDPR: what a patient says about their health is a special category of personal data (Article 9). The practice stays responsible. The provider only processes the data on the practice's behalf, under a data processing agreement (Article 28). Ask which services are used, where the data is stored and how long it is kept.
Recording: the assistant should say that the call is recorded or transcribed, and you choose whether recordings are kept.
Outbound calls: if the assistant calls out itself, for example for reminders, only to your own patients and customers. For marketing calls to strangers, the Belgian "Do Not Call Me" list applies.
AI literacy (Article 4): make sure your team knows how the assistant works and where its limits are.

What to look for when you choose one

Does it work in your own calendar: Google, Outlook, Apple or your practice software?
Does it only see whether you are free or busy in your private calendar?
Does it say at the start that it is an AI?
Does it spell the name back and ask for confirmation before booking?
Do you set the rules yourself: who gets put through, what counts as urgent, which slots stay free?
Does it avoid asking about complaints and giving advice?
Do you get a data processing agreement that states which services process the calls, where and for how long?
Can you first try a demo yourself, without giving your details?
Can you stop every month?

Who is it worth it for, and who not?

It pays off mostly when the phone rings often while you are with a patient or customer: from about 15 calls a day. Below 5 calls a day it is usually too much. A good voicemail with a fixed callback time is then enough.

How Belrust does it

Belrust is a Belgian AI phone assistant for physiotherapists, dentists, GPs and busy business owners. It is a service of Tenlingo from Hasselt, Belgium. Belrust answers in Dutch, French, English and German, books in your own calendar and follows the rules above. You keep your own number. It is ready within 10 working days, with your opening hours and rules.

Try it yourself. Call Lotte, our demo assistant, from your browser as a dentist, physio or GP practice. Lotte speaks English too. Or request a free demo for your own practice.

Questions

Does an AI phone assistant replace my front desk?

Not completely. It takes the phone when nobody is free and does the routine work: appointments, routine questions and callback requests. Your front desk gets more time for the people in the waiting room and for what a person has to decide.

What if the assistant does not know the answer?

It says so honestly and logs a callback request with a short summary. The practice calls back.

Do callers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes. It says so at the start of every call. Since 2 August 2026, that is also required by law.

Can I try it first?

Yes. On belrust.com/demo you call Lotte from your browser, without giving your details. It is a made-up practice: do not share real medical information.

How much does Belrust cost?

That depends on the number of calls and what you want it to handle. You get your price in the free demo, with no obligation.

Sources

AI Act: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Articles 4 and 50 (EUR-Lex)
GDPR: Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Articles 9 and 28 (EUR-Lex)
Medical devices: Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (EUR-Lex)
Out-of-hours GP service 1733 (1733.be)

This guide is general information, not legal advice.