In a Nutshell

How can MRI safety screenings be completed before every scan without consuming valuable staff time? 

A large orthopedic and sports medicine group on New Hampshire's Seacoast faced a familiar challenge: Every scheduled MRI required a full safety screening, but reaching patients by phone and documenting responses created an ongoing administrative burden for staff. 

The practice partnered with Otomo Health to automate MRI safety screening with an AI voice agent. Patients received a brief, conversational phone call before their appointment, completed the practice's standardized safety questionnaire, and generated a structured screening report for the technologist's review. 

Within the first two months, Otomo completed 234 of 251 MRI safety screenings by AI voice agents (93.2%). With each manual screening consuming an estimated 15 minutes of staff time across chart preparation, call attempts, the conversation, and documentation, the practice eliminated nearly 60 hours of staff work, while patients requiring follow-up were identified days before their appointments. 

The Challenge

Every MRI begins with a safety screening to identify implants, surgical hardware, metal exposure, and other contraindications before a patient enters the scanner. 

For this multi-location orthopedic and sports medicine practice, pre-visit screenings relied on manual outbound phone calls. Staff began by reviewing the patient's chart, then made multiple call attempts before reaching the patient. Because the practice served a population with a high prevalence of prior surgeries and orthopedic implants, screening conversations routinely lasted more than five minutes. After each call, staff manually documented the patient's responses in the medical record. End-to-end, from chart review and patient outreach through documentation, each completed screening required approximately 15 minutes of staff time — the bulk of it spent on everything around the conversation rather than the conversation itself. 

The operational impact extended beyond staff workload. When screenings remained incomplete until the day of the exam, technologists were forced to collect critical safety information under time pressure, increasing the risk of appointment delays, rescheduling, and unused scanner time. 

The Solution

Otomo Health implemented an AI voice agent to complete MRI safety screenings before scheduled appointments. 

Before each scan, the AI called the patient and guided them through the practice's standardized MRI safety questionnaire in a natural conversation, covering implants, prior surgeries, metal exposure, medical devices, and other required screening questions. Patients could review or update their responses before the call ended, ensuring the screening was complete. 

Each completed call generated a structured screening report delivered directly to the MRI team before the appointment — no staff dialing, no phone tag, and no manual documentation. Patients who could not be reached or did not complete the screening were flagged and triaged early so staff could follow up well before the scheduled scan. 

Otomo completed the initial safety screening, while MRI personnel continued to conduct the required verbal review and make the final determination before imaging. 

The Results

Within the first two months, Otomo automatically called 251 patients scheduled for MRI and completed 234 full safety screenings, replacing an estimated 15 minutes of staff work per screening across chart preparation, dial attempts, the conversation, and documentation. 

• 93.2% of calls completed without staff involvement.

• 60+ hours of staff time eliminated in the first two months, nearly 30 hours per month.

• 17 screenings flagged early for human follow-up, instead of surfacing in the waiting room.

By automating first-pass screening, the practice shifted routine administrative work away from clinical staff while ensuring nearly every patient arrived with a completed safety questionnaire already prepared for review. 

The Bottom Line

Otomo Health transformed MRI safety screening from a manual calling workflow to an automated pre-visit process.

Instead of spending close to 30 hours a month contacting patients and documenting responses, staff now received completed, structured screening reports before the appointment. Technologists could focus on reviewing findings and making final safety determinations rather than collecting routine information.

The result was a more efficient workflow, earlier identification of incomplete screenings, stronger documentation, and better protection of patient safety and MRI scanner utilization.

Otomo handles the screening. Your MRI team makes the final determination. 

Every screening is logged, auditable, and delivered directly into your existing workflow. 

Ready to automate MRI safety screening?

See how Otomo Health helps imaging centers reduce administrative workload while ensuring patients arrive prepared for their scan.