Healthcare · Prescription refills

Prescription refill requests, taken by your refill policy

An AI receptionist can take prescription refill requests the same way on every call: who is calling, the patient’s identifiers, the medication as named, the pharmacy and the last visit. It reads your refill rules to the caller and hands the request to the person who decides. It never approves or times a refill beyond your rules, and the controlled substances on your list go to a clinician.

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A refill line that takes requests, never decisions

A refill is routine for the caller and a clinical decision for your practice.

Only 6% of practices named refills their most time-consuming phone task in an MGMA Stat poll of March 2026. In some practices they dominate. One practice described by the American College of Physicians found refill requests took about 30% of its front office staff’s time (ACP, 2008). In an Oklahoma study, audited practices averaged 63 refill requests per physician a week, across every channel (JABFM, 2006).

Your AI virtual receptionist takes the phone part. It asks the same questions on every refill call, reads your rules about visits and turnaround, and books the visit your rule asks for. The request is in your 365vox portal and, with EHR or practice software that has an open API connected, in your system too. It sends no prescription and doesn’t contact the pharmacy, so it never says a refill is approved, sent or ready.

Who decides a refill

Your practice does. In the JABFM study, the least costly method was a nurse or medical assistant deciding most refills, with the physician deciding the questionable ones.

So the agent’s part stays narrow on purpose: a complete request, and a person decides.

Who calls about prescription refill requests, and how each call ends

Seven kinds of refill call reach a practice. Your rules decide how each one ends.

Who calls a medical practice about prescription refills, what the AI receptionist takes and how each call ends
Who calls	What they usually say	What the agent takes	How the call ends, by your rules
The patient	“I’m almost out of my blood pressure pills.”	The identifiers your policy names, the medication as said, the pharmacy and the last visit as recalled	A refill request for your clinical team, and your turnaround, word for word from your rules
A parent or guardian	“My son needs his inhaler refilled.”	Their name and relationship, the child’s identifiers, the medication and the pharmacy	A refill request, if your rules accept requests from parents; otherwise a message
A family member or caregiver	“I’m calling about my mother’s heart medication.”	Their name and relationship, the patient’s identifiers, the medication and the pharmacy	A refill request, if your policy allows it. Nothing about the patient is confirmed
A pharmacy	“We sent a refill authorization on Monday.”	The pharmacy’s name and direct number, the patient’s name and date of birth, the medication	Put through to your nurse line, if your rules say so; otherwise a request with the callback number
A patient asking about status	“Did my refill go through?”	The patient’s identifiers and the day they first asked	Your turnaround, from your rules, and a message. The agent never gives a refill’s status
A request for a controlled substance	“We’re traveling. Can I get my son’s ADHD medication early?”	The request and the medication in the caller’s words	A request for a clinician, with no promise about timing or outcome
A caller who ran out and feels unwell	“I ran out on Saturday and my chest feels tight.”	Nothing first: the safety rule comes before any question	Set up to tell the caller to hang up and call 911. Chest pain is on the built-in emergency list

HIPAA doesn’t require proof of identity from a family member who says they’re involved in the patient’s care, and a practice may set its own verification rules (HHS FAQ 534). The agent isn’t an emergency service and can mishear. General information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by state and province and change over time, so check yours.

A medication refill request call on a Friday evening

The patient’s last visit was over a year ago. The agent reads the practice’s 12-month rule, takes the refill request, books her visit and leaves the refill decision to the care team.

Cedar Hill Family Medicine (example practice) · Example call with made-up names. The recording, transcript and summary are in your 365vox portal for the days you choose.

AI receptionistThanks for calling Cedar Hill Family Medicine. I’m an AI assistant. This call is recorded and transcribed so we can handle your request. How can I help you today?
CallerHi. I need a refill on my blood pressure pills. I’m down to my last week.
AI receptionistI can take a refill request for the care team. If you’re the patient, may I have your full name and date of birth?
CallerAngela Morris. May 14, 1961.
AI receptionistThank you, Angela. What is the medication, as it’s written on the label?
CallerLisinopril, 20 milligrams.
AI receptionistAnd which pharmacy should it go to?
CallerMain Street Pharmacy, here in Cedar Hill.
AI receptionistWhen was your last visit with us, as you remember it?
CallerProbably over a year ago. Last summer, I think.
AI receptionistThe practice usually asks to see patients who haven’t had a visit in the last 12 months before refilling. I’ll pass your request to the care team, and they decide. I can also book your visit now. Which days and times suit you?
CallerTuesday or Thursday mornings.
AI receptionistDr. Patel has Tuesday at 10:40 or Thursday at 9:20. Which would you like?
CallerTuesday, please.
AI receptionistYou’re booked for Tuesday at 10:40 with Dr. Patel. The care team reviews refill requests within two business days, so please check with your pharmacy before you call back. Is there anything else?

What your care team sees in the portal

Every refill call arrives as a call record in your 365vox portal, each answer in its own field. With EHR or practice software that has an open API connected, the request and the call notes also go straight into it. Whoever handles refills checks the chart and decides, without calling back to ask which pharmacy.

For an agent that hears health information, the call email only says that a call came in. The details stay in your 365vox portal, behind your sign-in.

Call record · 365vox portalExample

Message · Refill request from Angela Morris

Labels: Message · After hours · Returning caller
Caller: Angela Morris, (617) 555-0142
When: Friday, November 6, 6:42 PM
Length and cost: 2 min 14 s · $1.68
Summary: Angela Morris asked for a refill of lisinopril 20 mg at Main Street Pharmacy. She thinks her last visit was over 12 months ago. The agent read the visit rule and booked a visit.
Date of birth: May 14, 1961
Medication, as the caller said it: Lisinopril, 20 milligrams
Pharmacy: Main Street Pharmacy, Cedar Hill
Last visit, as the caller recalls it: “Last summer, I think”
Visit booked: Tuesday, November 10, 10:40 AM, with Dr. Patel

Example record with made-up details. Each question you add in step 3 gets its own field.

Controlled substances on your list go to a clinician

The agent doesn’t apply the refill rules for controlled substances. It routes the request.

In the US, a prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance can’t be refilled (21 CFR 1306.12). A Schedule III or IV prescription can’t be filled or refilled more than six months after it’s issued, or refilled more than five times (21 CFR 1306.22). The DEA’s scheduling page lists oxycodone, fentanyl, Adderall and Ritalin in Schedule II, and Xanax, Valium, Ambien and tramadol in Schedule IV.

In Canada, Health Canada’s new Controlled Substances Regulations replaced the earlier regulations for controlled substances on October 1, 2026 (Health Canada). The Ontario College of Pharmacists lists what they replaced, including the Narcotic Control Regulations and the Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations. Your province and your college may add their own rules.

So your business rules list the controlled substances your clinicians prescribe, by brand and generic name. When a caller names one, or asks for an early, lost or replacement refill of anything, the agent takes the request for a clinician and promises nothing. It doesn’t know a drug’s schedule unless your list says so.

Read the rule itself

General information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by state and province and change over time, so check yours. Your clinicians decide every controlled substance refill. The agent never says whether one is possible.

Starter refill rules: your refill request policy, ready to paste

Paste these into step 9, Business rules. Change every part in square brackets to match your practice’s refill request policy, then review the text with your clinicians and your privacy officer.

The 12-month rule is a common policy, not a requirement. MagMutual describes staff processing refills for patients seen in the past year and asking others to see their physician first. Your practice sets its own.

Starter refill rules

Starting point only: review with your clinicians and your privacy officer before you use it.

1. When a caller asks for a prescription refill, take a refill request. Never say a refill is approved, sent or ready. Never give a time beyond these rules.
2. Ask who is calling: the patient, a parent or guardian, a family member or caregiver, or a pharmacy. [We accept refill requests from the patient, parents of patients under 18 and caregivers the patient has named.]
3. Ask for the patient's full name and date of birth. [Match our verification policy.]
4. Ask for the medication as it is written on the label. Never correct, suggest or explain a medication, a dose or a side effect.
5. Ask which pharmacy to use: its name and town.
6. Ask when the patient last had a visit with us, as the caller remembers it.
7. If the last visit was more than [12] months ago, say: "The practice usually asks to see patients who haven't had a visit in the last [12] months before refilling. I'll pass your request to the care team, and they decide." Then offer to book a visit.
8. Tell every caller: "The care team reviews refill requests within [2 business days]. Please check with your pharmacy before you call back."
9. These medications go to a clinician: [the controlled substances our clinicians prescribe, by brand and generic name]. If the caller names one, take the request and say only: "A clinician reviews requests for this medication."
10. For an early, lost, stolen or replacement refill of any medication, take the request for a clinician. Never promise a replacement or a date.
11. When a pharmacy calls, take its name and direct phone number, the patient's name and date of birth, the medication and what it needs. [During office hours, put the call through.]
12. If the caller has run out of [the medications our clinicians list], say: "I'm putting you through to the care team now." Then put the call through. This call is urgent.
13. Never answer a question about symptoms, doses, interactions or side effects. Take a message for the care team.

The built-in safety rules come first on every call, whatever these rules say.

Build it yourself

A prescription refill line for doctors’ offices, built in the portal

When you create the agent, answer Yes to “Will callers share health information with this agent?” and accept the health-information agreement. Then set these on the Customize screen.

Build yours free for 7 days

You set all of this yourself in the 365vox portal, on the Customize screen. Everything saves as you type; then you submit, test the agent with a real call and activate it.

Customize · your agent

Step 1, IndustryMedical clinic.
Step 3, Questions to askAdd What is your date of birth? if your policy uses it. Step 3 is asked of every caller, so keep refill questions in your business rules.
Step 4, Forward to a personYour nurse line, for pharmacies in office hours and patients who have run out of a medication on your clinicians’ list. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, the agent takes a message.
Step 5, IntegrationsYour calendar, so the agent can book the visit your 12-month rule asks for. Your EHR or practice software too, if it has an open API: refill requests and call notes then go straight into it.
Step 7, When your agent answersAfter hours and weekends, or overflow in the day. Fridays bring patients who will run out over the weekend (ACP, 2008).
Step 8, Call notificationsYour refill nurse or medical assistant. Each email says a call came in, with a link to it. Calls your rules mark urgent get their own email.
Step 9, Business rulesThe starter refill rules, your controlled substances list and your turnaround. Your refill policy can be one of up to 3 documents.
Step 10, Things your agent will never doAdd Never say a refill is approved, sent or ready. and Never suggest a medication, a dose or a substitute.

What it never does on a refill call

Each of these belongs to a person at your practice. The agent takes the request and stops.

Never approves, sends or confirms a refill

It sends no prescription and doesn’t contact the pharmacy. The request is with the care team, and it says nothing more.

Never gives a time you haven’t written

No “it’ll be ready tomorrow”. It reads the turnaround in your rules, or says it doesn’t know.

Never talks about the medicine

No doses, interactions, side effects or substitutes. The question goes to a clinician.

Never handles a controlled substance alone

Early, lost or replacement requests for anything on your list go to a clinician, with no promise attached.

Never decides on a bridge supply

A short supply for a patient overdue for a visit is your clinicians’ call. In the JABFM study, practices typically gave one month.

What a refill line costs, worked out

$0.75 a conversation minute, billed by the second. No monthly plan, no setup fee and no long-term contract. Taxes where applicable. A 365vox phone number is $3 a month, free during the trial, or keep your own number and forward it.

See AI receptionist pricing Estimate your own calls

Example: refill calls at a four-provider practice

The refill calls that reach the agent: overflow in the day, plus evenings and weekends.

Refill calls a week: 50
Refill calls a month: 217
Average call: 2 min

Monthly cost$325

50 calls a week × 4.33 weeks × 2 min × $0.75 USD = $325. Illustrative numbers chosen by 365vox, not a customer result.

Comparing virtual receptionist services?

Live answering services usually sell monthly plans of minutes or calls. 365vox is an AI virtual receptionist that answers forwarded calls on the first ring, day and night, follows your approved answers and costs $0.75 a minute, billed by the second, with no plan.

The virtual receptionist, minus the call center

Prescription refill request FAQs

How should a medical practice handle prescription refill requests by phone?

Take every request the same way, then let a nurse, medical assistant or clinician decide by your written policy. ACP advice from 2008 recommended a checklist for refill calls, so staff gather every detail the first time. A typical one covers who is calling, the patient’s identifiers, the medication, the pharmacy and the last visit. With 365vox, the agent asks those questions, reads your rules to the caller and leaves the request in your portal. It never approves a refill.

What does the agent tell a patient who hasn’t had a visit in 12 months?

Whatever your rule says. A common policy, described by MagMutual, lets staff process refills for patients seen in the past year and asks others to see their physician first. With that rule, the agent says the practice usually asks to see the patient before refilling, passes the request on and offers to book a visit. Your clinicians decide about any supply in the meantime.

Can the AI receptionist send a refill to the pharmacy?

No. It sends no prescriptions and doesn’t contact pharmacies, and the built-in rule “Never make a decision” stays on. It takes the request and tells the caller your turnaround. The request is in your 365vox portal and, with EHR or practice software that has an open API connected, in your system too. Someone on your team reviews it and sends any prescription through your usual system.

How are pharmacy calls about refill authorizations handled?

Your rules decide. The agent takes the pharmacy’s name and direct number, the patient’s name and date of birth, the medication and what the pharmacy needs. In office hours it can put pharmacy calls through to your nurse line, the one number set in step 4; if nobody answers within 20 seconds, it takes a message. After hours, it takes the request. Some practices ask pharmacies to fax instead; the practices ACP described said that cut their phone time.

What happens when a caller asks for an early refill of a controlled substance?

The agent takes the request for a clinician and says only that a clinician reviews it. It never says whether an early or replacement refill is possible. In the US, Schedule II prescriptions can’t be refilled (21 CFR 1306.12), and Schedule III and IV refills are limited (21 CFR 1306.22). List the controlled substances you prescribe in your rules, by brand and generic name, so the agent recognizes them.

Can a family member call in a refill request for a patient?

If your policy allows it. HIPAA doesn’t require proof of identity from a family member who says they’re involved in the patient’s care, and a practice may set its own verification rules (HHS FAQ 534). Write yours into the business rules: which relationships may request, and which identifiers they give. The agent takes the request and confirms nothing about the patient. See talking to a patient’s family.

Should patients call the pharmacy first, or the practice?

Some practices ask patients to call the pharmacy first, so the pharmacy sends the request to the office. In the JABFM study, 55% to 88% of patients in those clinics did so. Your agent can say the same from your rules, and still take the request if the patient prefers. It sends nothing to the pharmacy itself.

What does a refill line cost for a four-provider practice?

Say 50 refill calls a week reach the agent, about 217 a month, at 2 minutes each. That’s $325 a month at $0.75 a conversation minute, billed by the second, with no monthly plan, setup fee or long-term contract. Taxes where applicable. Requests sent by fax or electronically never reach the agent. See pricing.

Every refill request, taken the same way, by your rules.

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