Surgery Partners orthopedic scheduling and pre-op support¶
Status: Proposal archive; initial revenue-cycle build in validation | Last reviewed: 2026-10-07
Use this proposal to build a Surgery Partners demonstration with two outbound Voice Agents, one nurse Copilot, patient-facing multimodal components, and a Salesforce patient workspace. The first call completes scheduling and registration without a live handoff. The second call reminds the patient about preparation and transfers medication questions to a pre-op nurse.
This page retains the researched long-form proposal. The initial revenue-cycle call is now being implemented as two Studio agents, branded catalogs and Salesforce sandbox records. Use the current build runbook for implementation scope and verification; the longer clinical journey below has not been built.
For the current revenue-cycle video, use the five-minute recording script, which incorporates the tracked review and subsequent colleague feedback. It shows outbound AI verification, a live human handoff with Copilot, and a booked counselor callback. The scenarios below retain the longer orthopedic journey.
For an alternative centered on coverage, affordable in-network options, authorization work, and reimbursement preparation, see the access and affordability variation.
The spine working-session proposal applies the AI-first, live-Copilot structure to a 14-day surgery deadline, a potential single-case agreement, an $8,500 estimate, and eligibility operations across 150 patients and 10 facilities.
Experience and story¶
Working experience name: Surgery Partners | My Surgery. Use Surgery Partners | Patient Coordination for the Salesforce app. Both are proposed demonstration names.
Follow one patient from an orthopedic consultation through insurance verification, scheduling, pre-op testing, and the reminder call. Her practical concerns drive the conversation: understanding the bill, finding a workable date, getting home safely, and managing knee pain before surgery.
Surgery Partners describes a network of surgical facilities, physician practices, and anesthesia services, with a strong musculoskeletal presence. That makes a coordinated orthopedic journey a reasonable demonstration concept. Its local-market model also argues for facility-specific forms, instructions, and services. These observations do not establish that Surgery Partners currently offers the proposed automation or uses Salesforce for this workflow. R1
| Studio asset | Responsibility | Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Scheduling Voice Agent | Verify identity; explain recorded insurance findings; schedule; collect eligible forms; arrange support; teach preparation | Verified booking and registration receipts, plus an automated call summary |
| Pre-op Reminder Voice Agent | Call two days before surgery; verify identity again; read current preparation instructions; check changes and support | Reminder acknowledged, or accepted transfer to the clinical queue |
| Orthopedic Pre-op Copilot | Brief the nurse; reconcile medication questions; surface approved instructions and evidence; draft documentation | Nurse-reviewed advice and disposition saved to Salesforce |
The autonomous first call assumes an existing surgeon order, a documented consent discussion, valid insurance findings, bookable resources, and service providers that can confirm reservations. It completes the administrative journey. The treating team retains clinical decisions and day-of-procedure assessment.
Fictional demonstration patient¶
All patient, clinician, facility, payer, price, order, and reservation details below are synthetic. Cedar Grove is not presented as an actual Surgery Partners location. Use sandbox data for the eventual live demonstration.
| Field | Demo value |
|---|---|
| Patient | Elena Brooks, 62; independent, lives alone |
| Personal goal | Climb stairs and garden with less knee pain |
| Procedure | Right total knee replacement, ordered after consultation |
| Surgeon | Dr. Maya Chen, fictional orthopedic surgeon |
| Facility | Cedar Grove Surgical Center, fictional demo facility |
| Pathway | Outpatient pathway previously selected by the treating team; discharge remains conditional on assessment |
| Health context | Knee osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes; current clinical information available to the pre-op team |
| Known medicines | Naproxen/Aleve as needed; plain acetaminophen as needed; weekly semaglutide/Ozempic |
| Medication detail | Semaglutide 0.5 mg on Mondays, stable dose for six months; clinician-reviewed plan on file |
| Support | No day-of driver; daughter can help after the first postoperative day |
| Contact | Prior permission for care calls and secure SMS; preferred language and accessibility needs recorded |
Use America/New_York for this synthetic facility. All times in the script are Eastern; persist timezone-aware timestamps. This is a future demo timeline relative to the research date, October 6, 2026.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Thursday, October 8 | Orthopedic consultation; procedure ordered; surgeon documents discussion of benefits, risks, and alternatives |
| Monday, October 12 | Eligibility, network, and prior-authorization findings recorded |
| Tuesday, October 13, 10:00 a.m. | First outbound call |
| Thursday, October 29, 10:00 a.m. | Pre-op assessment and ordered tests, 21 days before surgery |
| Monday, November 16 | Pre-op team reconfirms the individualized medication and fasting plan |
| Tuesday, November 17, 9:00 a.m. | Reminder call and nurse handoff |
| Thursday, November 19 | Arrive 7:00 a.m.; planned anesthesia/procedure start 9:00 a.m. |
Offer November 12 first, then November 16, then November 19. Slot availability, procedure duration, facility, surgeon, anesthesia resources, and authorization validity must support each option.
Call one: schedule and prepare¶
Target an eight-to-ten-minute demonstration, allowing the patient time to read and sign. The dialogue is a rehearsal example, not a fixed sequence that overrides the patient's answers.
1. Introduce the assistant and verify identity¶
Morgan, Voice Agent: “Hello, may I speak with Elena Brooks?”
Elena: “Speaking.”
Morgan: “I'm Morgan, an automated scheduling assistant calling on behalf of Cedar Grove Surgical Center. Is now a good time for a private conversation?”
For the eventual client presentation, identify the configured real facility and approved assistant name; keep the synthetic-data banner in the demo interface.
Elena: “Yes.”
Morgan: “Before I discuss your information, I'll send a secure verification link to the mobile number on your record. You can verify there while we stay on the call. May I send that, followed by your surgery-planning screens?”
Elena: “Yes.”
The patient verifies through the configured authentication ceremony. The agent waits for a trusted authentication result. A spoken “I'm done,” caller ID, or possession of a booking reference does not establish a grant.
Morgan: “Thank you, you're verified. I'm sending your planning screen now. Please open the new link and put me on speaker if that's comfortable.”
Component: Branded secure welcome, followed by a progress indicator: Costs → Date → Registration → Support → Your plan.
The repository currently uses separate authentication and multimodal links. Preserve that distinction in rehearsal; the existing consent handoff avoids asking permission twice. If the patient prefers to call back, provide the facility's independently verifiable callback route. See the authentication behavior.
2. Explain the insurance result¶
Morgan: “Your record shows authorization approved for your right knee replacement, and the facility, surgeon, and anesthesia group are listed as in network. Your estimated share for those three services is $2,500. Let me show you the breakdown.”
Component: Your estimated surgical costs
| Service | Estimated allowed amount | Estimated patient share |
|---|---|---|
| Facility | $7,500 | $1,900 |
| Surgeon | $2,000 | $400 |
| Anesthesia | $1,000 | $200 |
| Total | $10,500 | $2,500 |
The synthetic benefits calculation uses a $500 remaining deductible and 20% coinsurance on the remaining $10,000. The estimated plan contribution is $8,000; the remaining out-of-pocket maximum is $4,000 and does not reduce this estimate.
Morgan: “That includes $500 toward your remaining deductible and $2,000 in coinsurance. It's an estimate based on the benefits checked yesterday. Tests, therapy, medicines, and any optional transport or home help are shown separately because they aren't included in this amount.”
Elena: “So $2,500 is what I should plan for for the surgery itself?”
Morgan: “For the three services listed, yes. Your final bill depends on the services provided and how your plan processes the claims. Would you like to review a line item, or continue with scheduling?”
Elena: “Let's continue.”
Action: The patient selects Acknowledge estimate and continue. Save the estimate version and acknowledgment time. This action neither collects payment nor signs a waiver of billing rights. Call this an insured patient estimate, without labeling it a statutory Good Faith Estimate. R7
If a provider's network status or authorization is unverified, display that uncertainty and route the financial question appropriately. Do not generate an “approved” status from a narrative summary.
3. Negotiate the date¶
Morgan: “Dr. Chen's first available date is Thursday, November 12. Would that work for you?”
Elena: “I'm still working that week.”
Morgan: “I can check the following week. How about Monday, November 16?”
Elena: “I have a family commitment that Monday. Could we do later in the week?”
Morgan: “Thursday, November 19 is available. Would you like that date?”
Elena: “Yes.”
Component: Choose your surgery date. Show the current offer prominently, with alternatives available on request. Show facility, surgeon, procedure and laterality, and any provisional arrival/start times. Avoid making the patient read a large calendar during the call.
Morgan, after an atomic booking succeeds: “Your right knee replacement with Dr. Chen is booked for Thursday, November 19 at Cedar Grove.”
Action: Verify the booking receipt before saying “booked.” A hold, queued write, or calendar suggestion is insufficient. Release superseded holds. If another patient takes the slot, apologize and offer fresh availability.
4. Review and sign registration documents¶
Morgan: “Next is your registration packet. It includes your details, the facility forms, and the procedure consent your surgeon prepared after your consultation. I'll explain what each section is for while you review it.”
Component: Review and sign
Show separate document rows with readable summaries, full-text access, version, status, and I have a question:
- Pre-registration: demographics, emergency contact, insurance, and communication preferences.
- Facility admission and general treatment forms, using the facility's approved templates.
- Privacy acknowledgment and financial acknowledgment, kept distinct.
- Procedure-specific consent: right knee, named surgeon, and linked prior consent discussion.
- Any anesthesia-specific consent still required by the facility, shown with its actual status.
Morgan: “Please check your name, the right knee, and Dr. Chen's name. You can open the full documents or pause to ask a question. Signing is your choice.”
Elena: “Those are correct. Dr. Chen went through the operation with me.”
Morgan: “When you've finished reviewing, choose ‘Sign’ for the forms you agree to.”
Elena: “Done.”
Morgan, after signature receipts return: “Your signed documents are saved, and your copies are available here.”
Action: Capture signer identity, document version/hash, signing intent, timestamps, required attestations, provider envelope/receipt, and completed PDF. A drawn signature alone is not a complete consent workflow.
Only permit remote procedural signing when the facility allows it and the required clinician discussion is documented. A new question about risks, alternatives, procedure, or anesthesia opens a clinical follow-up; the AI does not answer it to obtain the signature. The autonomous rehearsal takes the branch with no unresolved clinical consent question. R6
5. Schedule pre-op assessment and ordered tests¶
Morgan: “Your care team ordered a pre-op assessment and tests before surgery. I have Thursday, October 29 at 10 a.m., which is three weeks before your procedure. Does that work?”
Elena: “Yes.”
Morgan, after confirmation: “That's booked. Bring your medication list and any supplements you use. The appointment details show the tests your clinician ordered and any preparation needed for that visit.”
Component: Pre-op appointment. Show location, time, ordered services, preparation, accessibility, and confirmation reference.
The requested two-to-four-week window is a scheduling preference for this scenario. It does not authorize universal lab panels, ECGs, chest X-rays, or new clinical orders. AAOS supports assessment several weeks before joint replacement and individualized testing. R2
6. Arrange a discharge escort and home support¶
Morgan: “Who will take you home and stay with you after surgery?”
Elena: “My daughter can't get here until the next day, and I don't have anyone to drive me.”
Morgan: “I can check the services the center has approved for transport and discharge support. Would you also like help at home until your daughter arrives?”
Elena: “Yes, that would take a lot off my mind.”
Component: Your ride and recovery support. Separate three needs: getting to the center, a responsible adult at discharge, and help at home.
Morgan: “The available arrangement includes transport to and from the center, a caregiver to accompany you home, and care for the first 24 hours after discharge. The demo quote is $95 for transport and $720 for the caregiver, paid separately from the surgical estimate. Would you like me to reserve it?”
Elena: “Yes.”
Morgan, after provider confirmations: “Both services are confirmed. The provider and contact details are on your screen. Your daughter is listed as taking over after that first day.”
Action: Store provider acceptance, approved escort role, service duration relative to actual discharge, accessibility needs, price acceptance, and handover contact. Confirm who covers any gap if discharge or the daughter's arrival changes.
A transport booking alone does not confirm a responsible adult or home care. The demo assumes the facility accepts this professional caregiver arrangement. Medical home-health services or physical therapy require their own orders, eligibility, availability, and confirmation. Avoid promising insurance coverage for private support. R2, R3
7. Explain preparation and close without a live handoff¶
Morgan: “Your checklist has three things to start now: clear walking paths at home, put the items you use within easy reach, and bring an up-to-date medication list to pre-op. Follow the center's washing instructions and avoid shaving the surgical area. Tell the team if you develop an illness or a skin problem near your knee.”
Component: My surgery plan. Show the booked procedure, pre-op visit, signed forms, transport, caregiver, and preparation checklist. Mark final medication and fasting instructions as awaiting the pre-op team's review until that review occurs. R2
Morgan: “Before we finish, when is your pre-op appointment, and who will help you get home?”
Elena: “October 29 at ten. The transport service and caregiver are arranged.”
Morgan: “That's right. Your surgery is booked for November 19, your registration is complete, and your support is confirmed. I'll call two days before surgery to review the care team's latest instructions. Your plan and the center's contact details are saved on this screen.”
Action: Send the secure summary, schedule the reminder, and complete the interaction record. Leave the surgery episode open with future clinical tasks visible. No live representative joins this call.
Call two: reminder and medication handoff¶
Target a three-minute AI segment and a four-minute nurse segment. The demonstration jumps forward to November 17; Salesforce now contains the completed pre-op visit and clinician-authored November 16 instructions.
1. Reverify and review the current plan¶
Repeat private-conversation and authentication steps. A prior call's authentication does not authorize the new call.
Morgan: “Your right knee replacement is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m., with arrival at 7 a.m. Your pre-op visit and registration are complete. Are the transport and caregiver arrangements still working for you?”
Elena: “Yes.”
Component: Thursday's plan. Show the same appointment, transport, caregiver, and signed documents. Highlight the new preparation instructions.
Morgan: “The anesthesia instructions signed yesterday say no food after midnight Wednesday night, when Thursday begins. You may have the approved clear liquids listed here until 7 a.m. Thursday. After 7, nothing to eat or drink unless the anesthesia team gives you a specific instruction.”
Component: Eating and drinking cutoffs
- Food and non-clear drinks stop: Thursday, November 19, 12:00 a.m.
- Approved clear liquids stop: Thursday, November 19, 7:00 a.m.
- Examples in this synthetic order: water and black coffee or tea without milk or cream.
- Arrival: 7:00 a.m. Planned anesthesia/procedure start: 9:00 a.m.
- Source: individual anesthesia order, clinician, version, and November 16 approval timestamp.
Morgan: “Can you tell me when you'll stop food, and when you'll stop clear liquids?”
Elena: “No food after Wednesday night at midnight, and stop the clear drinks at seven Thursday morning.”
These times are a fictional individualized order, not general instructions for a person with diabetes taking semaglutide. ASA's baseline fasting recommendations concern healthy elective patients; diabetes, delayed gastric emptying, medicines, and local policy can change the plan. The agent reads an approved current order and does not calculate a new clinical plan from general guidance. R4
2. Identify the medication question and transfer¶
Morgan: “Have your medicines, doses, or health changed since your pre-op review?”
Elena: “Nothing changed. But my knee is keeping me awake. I stopped Aleve like they said. Can I use Tylenol PM? And I took my Ozempic yesterday. Someone told me I should have stopped it a week before surgery.”
Morgan: “I'll connect you with a pre-op nurse to review both questions against your medication plan. I'll pass along what you've told me so you don't have to start over. Is that okay?”
Elena: “Yes, please.”
Action: Transfer to the approved clinical queue. Bind the verified patient, surgery episode, current VoiceCall, medication question, relevant orders, and reminder progress into the handoff. The nurse's greeting follows successful connection.
Keep the patient-facing screen on her plan. Clinical reasoning cards remain in the nurse's private Copilot rail.
3. Nurse and Copilot resolve the questions¶
Jamie, pre-op nurse: “Hi Elena, I'm Jamie, a pre-op nurse. I see your surgery is Thursday, and you're asking about Tylenol PM and yesterday's Ozempic dose. Let's check those together.”
Copilot card: Medication review needed
| Topic | Record evidence and next prompt |
|---|---|
| Aleve/naproxen | Surgeon-authored hold instruction; patient reports following it. Confirm last dose and any other NSAIDs. |
| Tylenol PM | Newly proposed OTC product; contains acetaminophen and diphenhydramine. Distinguish it from the plain acetaminophen in her approved plan. |
| Ozempic/semaglutide | Stable weekly dose and prior anesthesia review recorded. Verify last dose, dose changes, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, or constipation. |
| Missing information | Ask about other pain, cold, or sleep products; allergies; relevant liver history; alcohol and sedative use before endorsing an OTC option. |
The nurse confirms these facts interactively; the Copilot must not prepopulate answers from the script.
Jamie: “What strength is on the Tylenol PM bottle, and have you taken any yet? Are you taking any other pain, cold, or sleep medicines?”
Elena: “It's Tylenol PM Extra Strength. I haven't taken any. No other products.”
After reviewing the bottle details, relevant history, and signed plan:
Jamie: “Your surgeon's plan says to keep Aleve stopped. It allows plain acetaminophen at the dose listed in your plan. Tylenol PM adds diphenhydramine, a sleep medicine, so it isn't the same product. Use the approved plain product as directed, and don't add the PM version or combine acetaminophen products without checking with the team.”
Copilot: Displays the existing dose and limits verbatim, with a link to the signed order. It highlights duplicate-ingredient and sedative warnings from the product evidence. It does not invent a dose or present a generic maximum as Elena's prescription. R8
Jamie: “For Ozempic, have you increased the dose recently, or had nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloating, or constipation?”
Elena: “No. It's been the same dose for months, and I feel fine.”
Jamie, after checking the current anesthesia plan: “Your anesthesia team reviewed that stable dose and recorded a plan for you to continue it. Yesterday's dose matches that plan. The instruction to stop a week before surgery doesn't apply to everyone. Keep following your written plan, and contact us if your dose or symptoms change.”
Copilot card: Explain the anesthesia concern. Semaglutide can slow stomach emptying; the concern is aspiration during anesthesia or deep sedation. Current multi-society guidance permits continuation for many patients after individual assessment. Higher-risk situations, such as dose escalation or gastrointestinal symptoms, need anesthesia review. R5
If no applicable approved plan exists, or the patient reports a dose change or symptoms, the nurse obtains an anesthesia decision. Neither the nurse script nor the Copilot silently converts general guidance into clearance. A review task remains open until the responsible clinician responds.
Jamie: “I'll send the medication instructions we've reviewed to your secure plan. Please tell me which pain medicine you'll use and the two fasting cutoff times.”
Elena: “The plain acetaminophen from my plan, not the PM version. No food after midnight, and clear drinks stop at seven.”
Jamie: “Correct. Your written instructions and our contact details are on your screen.”
Action: The nurse reviews and saves the note, reconciled medication details, questions answered, teach-back, and any follow-up. The Copilot drafts; the nurse confirms. Closing this interaction does not declare the patient medically cleared for surgery.
Salesforce workspace and component direction¶
Use the inspected Clear Connect/Takeda pattern: native Salesforce components in the central workspace, patient context on the left, and a contextual Copilot rail on the right. Keep the call controls and VoiceCall identity above the workspace. See existing implementation evidence.
| Region | Surgery Partners component |
|---|---|
| Header | Patient name, active call, procedure/side, surgery date, and separate scheduling and clinical-review statuses |
| Left | Patient profile, verified-contact badge, allergies, emergency contact, support needs, preferred language |
| Center top | Surgery details; surgeon/facility; arrival/start times; consent and pre-op status |
| Center middle | Medication list with prescribed/patient-reported provenance, last dose, last reconciliation, and signed instructions |
| Center lower | Engagement timeline: consultation → insurance → initial outbound call → pre-op tests → clinical review → current reminder |
| Right rail | Handoff brief, active medication question, evidence-backed suggested language, unanswered checks, nurse review/save |
Suggested component names: spPatientOverview, spSurgeryPlan, spFinancialEstimate, spConsentPacket, spMedicationReview, spRecoverySupport, and spEngagementTimeline. These are proposed assets.
Sample the current Surgery Partners website's navy #25395d, slate #5D7883, pale blue #bfd0d8, and white. Use orange #D64000 sparingly for emphasis. These are observed website colors, not a supplied brand standard. Preserve the compact, neutral Clear Connect layout and readable Salesforce typography. Patient screens should use larger text and touch targets; status should have text labels as well as color. R1
The key visual moment is the switch from Reminder in progress to Medication review with nurse, followed by the saved advice appearing in both the patient plan and the Salesforce timeline.