"What time does the clinic close?" "Do I need an appointment?" "I have a fever, can I come in?" - Even if you have questions before visiting a hospital, you may not be able to get immediate answers outside of business hours. The Government Public Relations Online also highlights the importance of providing information before seeking medical care, such as information on medical institutions and telephone consultation services available during nighttime and holidays *1. On the other hand, securing human resources is a challenge in the medical field, and many medical institutions are staffed by a limited number of personnel who handle both reception duties and patient inquiries *2.

Against this backdrop, Art Blue Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takayuki Aoyama) analyzed usage data accumulated by "CLIBO (Kuribo)", an AI chatbot for clinics, hospitals, dental clinics, and veterinary clinics, and conducted a "Patient Inquiry Reality Survey".

As a result, it was found that approximately 40% of patient inquiries were made outside of general business hours (6 PM to 9 AM). Furthermore, the most frequent question was related to "appointment and visit procedures," indicating that patients are seeking information not only about illnesses and symptoms but also about how to visit with peace of mind.

Sources

*1 Government Public Relations Online "How to Effectively Use Medical Institutions?" (Published February 2019, Related article published November 2024) *2 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Opinions on Comprehensive Reform of the Medical Care Provision System Towards Around 2040" (December 18, 2024) - Regarding challenges in the medical care provision system, such as the aging of clinic physicians and securing human resources.

AI Chatbot "CLIBO (Kuribo)"

Approximately 40% of Inquiries Occur Outside of Business Hours

Figure 1: Inquiry Ratio by AI Chatbot Usage Time Slot

Analysis of usage time slots revealed that approximately 40% of all inquiries were made outside of business hours, between 6 PM and 9 AM.

Usage increases in the evening after work or school, and a certain number of inquiries are also confirmed in the early morning, suggesting that patients are gathering information according to their own daily rhythms.

For patients, there are many situations where they want to confirm something "right now," such as when considering a visit the next day, a child's sudden fever, or a change in their physical condition. However, during these times, many medical institutions have already finished their telephone reception, making it impossible to resolve doubts and anxieties immediately.

This survey indicates a gap between the timing when patients seek necessary information and the hours when medical institutions can respond.

What Patients Want to Know Most is "Appointment and Visit Procedures"

Based on 1,896 patient inquiries received by CLIBO from April 2026 onwards, the tendency of questions from patients was categorized and compiled.

When inquiries were classified, the most frequent category was questions related to "appointment, visit, and change procedures."

Following that, the top categories included:

Business Hours/Reception Hours

Eligibility for Visits with Fever

Fees/Payment Methods

Vaccinations

Examination Details

and other items that patients want to confirm before their visit.

While it is often assumed that AI chatbots receive many consultations about illnesses and symptoms, in reality, the majority of inquiries were about matters that reception staff handle daily, such as "Can I make an appointment?" "What time is reception open until?" "I have a fever, can I come in?"

This survey reveals that what patients truly seek is not just specialized medical information, but "information to visit with peace of mind."

A New "Consultation Window" Option for Both Patients and Medical Institutions

Many of the inquiries that ranked high in this survey are also matters that reception staff handle daily by phone.

On the other hand, patients cannot make inquiries outside of business hours and may wait until the next day with anxiety. Additionally, medical institutions often have a limited number of staff handling both telephone inquiries and reception duties simultaneously, making it a burden to respond to repetitive inquiries.

AI chatbots are increasingly expected to be a means to support both the ability for patients to ask questions freely at the moment they want to know, and for medical institutions to maintain high-quality patient service even with limited personnel.

What is the AI Chatbot for Clinics "CLIBO"?

AI Chatbot "CLIBO (Kuribo)"

CLIBO is a generative AI chatbot exclusively for medical institutions, developed for clinics, hospitals, dental clinics, and veterinary clinics.

Simply by installing it on the medical institution's website, it automatically responds to patient inquiries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The generative AI learns the consultation information and various other details posted on the website and provides answers tailored to each medical institution in a natural conversational style.

Patients can quickly confirm necessary information by simply asking questions in the same way they would in a normal conversation, such as:

"Can I visit today?"

"I want to change my appointment."

"Is there parking?"

"I want to get a health check-up."

Features of CLIBO

24/7 Availability

Patients can confirm information at their desired time, even outside of business hours or on holidays.

Learns Information Specific to Each Medical Institution

It learns from consultation hours, treatment details, access information, fees, and data such as PDFs posted on the website, and provides answers tailored to each medical institution.

Natural Conversation with Generative AI

Patients can ask and answer questions in natural language, as they would in everyday conversation.

Reduces Burden on Reception Staff

Supports reduction in the number of phone calls and efficiency of reception operations, contributing to an environment where staff can focus on patient care.

Increase in Web Reservations It can naturally guide users to the web reservation page, leading to an increase in reservations.

Easy Website Integration

It can be used by simply installing a dedicated tag, without the need for large-scale system modifications.

Available from ¥9,980 (tax included) per month

It adopts a pricing structure that is easy for small clinics to introduce.

The goal is not just to reduce phone calls. CLIBO provides an environment where patients can ask questions with peace of mind at the moment they want to know, and it is also a new communication tool that supports the reception operations of medical institutions.

Recommended for the Following Medical Institutions

CLIBO is utilized by medical institutions facing challenges such as the following:

High volume of phone calls, placing a heavy burden on reception staff

Desire to increase web reservations

Inability to respond to inquiries outside of business hours

Desire to make better use of their website

Desire to improve patient satisfaction

Desire to build an efficient reception system with a small staff

Desire to advance medical DX using AI

Representative's Comment

"This survey revealed that the information patients want to know most is not 'explanations of illnesses,' but rather pre-visit information such as 'appointment procedures,' 'business hours,' and 'whether they can be seen.' It also became clear that approximately 40% of inquiries occur outside of business hours, and patients' timing for gathering information is diversifying. While medical institutions face challenges with the burden of phone calls and reception duties, patients want to access the information they need when they need it. AI chatbots are one of the new communication methods that support both of these needs. Moving forward, CLIBO will continue to evolve as a service that balances improved patient convenience with increased operational efficiency for medical institutions, by leveraging accumulated data."

Survey Overview

Survey Period: April 2026 - July 2026

Survey Method: Aggregation and analysis of anonymized usage data accumulated by CLIBO

This survey analyzed CLIBO usage data and does not represent the overall trend of medical institutions nationwide.

AI Chatbot "CLIBO"

CLIBO is a generative AI chatbot that can respond to patient inquiries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, simply by installing it on the medical institution's website.

Based on information specific to each medical institution, such as business hours, appointment procedures, access, fees, and treatment details, it answers patient questions in a natural conversational format, supporting the reduction of phone call burdens and improvement of patient satisfaction.

View Details

Company Profile & Contact Information

Art Blue Inc.

URL: https://artblue.co.jp

Business Activities: Media Business, Internet Advertising Business

Head Office Location: Takano Building 4F, 1-13-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

TEL: 03-6868-3930

FAX: 03-6452-5991

Representative Director: Takayuki Aoyama

Inquiries regarding this matter: [email protected]

Generative AI Chatbot for Medical Institutions "CLIBO (Kuribo)"

https://clibo.jp

Local Community-Based Search Site for Clinics, Hospitals, Dental Clinics, and Veterinary Clinics

▶Tokyo Doctors: https://tokyo-doctors.com

▶Kanagawa Doctors: https://kanagawa-doctors.com

▶Saitama Doctors: https://saitama-doctors.com

▶Chiba Doctors: https://chiba-doctors.com

Clinic Management and Startup Support Site for Practicing Physicians

▶Web Doctor: https://tokyo-doctors.com/webdoctor

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Survey結果