AI Phone x Medical Triage AI to Automate "Pre-Consultation" for Medical Services, Nationwide Rollout Planned for April 2026

Dr.JOY Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO, Physician: Hiroaki Ishimatsu, hereinafter referred to as "the Company") has been selected for the "FY2025 TestBed Demonstration Support Project (Okinawa Prefecture Subsidy Project)" conducted by Okinawa Prefecture. In collaboration with Jinai Medical Corporation Urasoe General Hospital, the Company conducted a demonstration experiment of a "pre-consultation" support service utilizing an AI phone from November 10, 2025, to February 27, 2026.

This demonstration verified a system that integrates an AI phone for hospitals with medical triage AI to automate the process from listening to patient symptoms to determining the urgency of consultation. During the demonstration period, approximately 77% of consultations were completed by the AI phone, confirming the dual benefits of reducing the telephone response burden on medical staff, especially nurses, and improving convenience for patients.

※This service does not provide medical treatment; it aims to support initial reception before consultation.

600,000 Hospital Phone Consultations Nationwide Daily

In Japan, approximately 600,000 phone consultations occur daily across about 8,000 hospitals, averaging 25 hours of telephone response per hospital. Consultations regarding whether to seek immediate medical attention are particularly concentrated on the main switchboard, leading to issues such as difficulty connecting for appointment calls.

Furthermore, many patients who feel anxious due to the lack of consultation options during nights and holidays visit emergency rooms even for minor ailments. This situation not only hinders nurses from concentrating on their primary duties but also increases the operational burden on medical institutions and strains emergency medical services.

What is Pre-Consultation?

【Reception】: Patients call a dedicated pre-consultation line. The AI understands the content and assists with reception and initial screening.

【Analysis & Sharing】: It estimates urgency and recommended department and shares a summary report within the hospital.

【Operation】: AI handles initial reception → analysis → nurses call back patients with more severe/urgent conditions first.

【Infrastructure】: Maximum simultaneous incoming calls: 100 lines (best effort) / 24-hour service (excluding planned shutdowns and maintenance). Calls are automatically transcribed and shared within the hospital.

※Recording and transcription are conducted with consent, based on our company's policy and hospital regulations.

Demonstration Experiment Overview

This demonstration aimed to solve the problems of "unreachable" and "unanswered" phone consultations at medical institutions by verifying the effectiveness of a pre-consultation support system that integrates an AI phone and medical triage AI.

When a patient calls the dedicated line, the AI phone collects information about their symptoms.