--- title: "David Lara — Tech Mentor · Engineering at Arbol | Arbol AI" description: "Marathon runner and cyclist when he's not behind the keyboard. Mentors builders on cloud architecture and product engineering, and helps…" url: https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/authors/david-lara/ lang: en --- # David Lara Tech Mentor · Engineering at Arbol · Bogotá, Colombia Marathon runner and cyclist when he's not behind the keyboard. Mentors builders on cloud architecture and product engineering, and helps the Arbol team ship systems that stay up when the clinic's phone won't. - Their articles 19 articles - Writes about [Practice operations](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/category/practice-operations/) [Pediatrics](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/category/pediatrics/) [Optometry](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/category/optometry/) [Mental health](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/category/mental-health/) - Markets [Australia](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/market/australia/) [United Kingdom](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/market/united-kingdom/) [United States](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/market/united-states/) [English-speaking markets](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/market/english-speaking-markets/) [Learn more](https://www.getarbol.com/about/) ## 19 articles 1. Aug 7, 2026 Ireland Pediatrics ### [Ireland's Immunisation Catch-Up Gap Is a Recall Problem, Not Refusal](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/childhood-immunisation-catchup-ireland/) HPSC data shows MMR uptake in Ireland still below the WHO target as measles cases rise across Europe, and the gap sits mostly in missed GP recall, not refusal. 10 min read 2. Aug 6, 2026 Canada Optometry ### [Chain vs. Independent Optometrist in Canada: Who Books Faster?](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/optometry-chain-vs-independent-canada/) Comparing how Canadians actually book eye exams at big optical chains versus independent optometrists, and what the two-year recall gap really costs. 11 min read 3. Aug 5, 2026 United Kingdom Optometry ### [Chain Opticians vs Independent Practices in the UK: Who Wins](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/opticians-chain-vs-independent-uk/) With current UK sector data, we compare booking an eye test, waiting times and recall reminders between chain and independent opticians. 11 min read 4. Aug 4, 2026 Australia Practice operations ### [GP Wait Times and Bulk Billing in Australia: What the Numbers Show](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/gp-wait-times-bulk-billing-australia/) Government bulk-billing numbers are climbing, but patients still wait weeks for a GP. Here is what practices can control while the system catches up. 10 min read 5. Jul 26, 2026 United States Mental health ### [The hidden gap between a positive PHQ-9 and treatment](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/phq9-followup-primary-care-us/) Positive PHQ-9 screens are not treatment. Peer-reviewed US data show up to 30% get no documented follow-up, and few practices track their own rate. 10 min read 6. Jul 26, 2026 Australia Cardiology ### [Heart failure follow-up calls: a protocol for Australian GPs](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/heart-failure-followup-gp-australia/) Australian guidance points to GP review within about a week of a heart failure discharge. Here is how a GP clinic can structure that follow-up call safely. 9 min read 7. Jul 10, 2026 United Kingdom Practice operations ### [Online vs phone booking for NHS GP appointments](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/online-vs-phone-booking-nhs/) The NHS App can cut the 8am rush when practices enable booking and cancellation — but phone remains essential for triage-heavy demand. Verdict inside. 10 min read 8. Jul 9, 2026 English-speaking markets Technology ### [Region study: build vs buy contact (US/AU/GB/CA)](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/anglo-build-vs-buy-contact/) Build vs buy the clinic contact layer across Anglo markets (US/AU/GB/CA as data points)—non-comparable signals, matrix, and a clear verdict. 18 min read 9. Jul 1, 2026 English-speaking markets Practice operations ### [Appointment wait times and no-shows are the same problem](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/wait-times-no-shows-access-gap/) Patients in the US wait 31 days on average for an appointment and one in four Australians waits longer than they find acceptable, while booked slots go unused. 10 min read 10. Jun 19, 2026 United States Primary care ### [Medicare Annual Wellness Visit reminders that convert](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/medicare-annual-wellness-visit/) US Medicare covers a yearly Wellness visit at $0 with assignment — if your practice qualifies people, books the right visit type, and follows up. 10 min read 11. Jun 17, 2026 United Kingdom Practice operations ### [Telephony overflow in UK practices](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/gp-telephony-overflow-uk/) Why UK GP phone lines still overflow after digital telephony—and how practices redesign queues, callbacks, and first-line capacity without pretending the 8am rush vanished. 11 min read 12. Jun 17, 2026 Australia Pediatrics ### [Australia's childhood vaccination coverage: a five-year slide](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/childhood-immunisation-coverage-australia/) National coverage has fallen every year since 2020, and the gap is widest in specific cohorts, not evenly. Here is what a general practice can do. 10 min read 13. Jun 12, 2026 United States Compliance ### [TCPA for appointment reminders: ops, not panic](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/tcpa-reminders-ops-not-fear/) TCPA-aware appointment reminders for US practices: treat the FCC healthcare exemption as an ops checklist—purpose, cadence, opt-out, scripts. 12 min read 14. May 31, 2026 Australia Practice operations ### [Bulk billing and reminders: what patients tolerate](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/bulk-billing-reminder-ethics-au/) Australian Medicare bulk billing and clinic reminders collide when messages feel like marketing. What patients tolerate—and how consent shapes ethical prompts. 12 min read 15. May 29, 2026 English-speaking markets Practice operations ### [Primary care access across Anglo markets: metrics aren't ranks](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/primary-care-access-anglo-region/) CMWF and national series measure different clocks. A RegionGrid guide for leaders who refuse fake league tables across UK, AU, CA, US and IE. 11 min read 16. Apr 17, 2026 Canada Practice operations ### [OHIP appointment access in Ontario: an operator’s guide](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/ohip-appointment-access-ontario/) Health Care Connect attaches patients to primary care; your clinic phone still decides whether OHIP coverage becomes a booked visit. What operators can fix. 11 min read 17. Mar 27, 2026 United Kingdom Practice operations ### [NHS 111 vs practice phone: where demand actually lands](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/nhs-111-vs-practice-phone/) NHS 111 routes urgent need; the practice phone still carries day-to-day access. Here is where each channel sits — and why an agent belongs on the practice line. 10 min read 18. Mar 6, 2026 United States Practice operations ### [Flu season fills chairs that unanswered phones never book](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/flu-season-practice-capacity/) CDC puts flu medical visits in the tens of millions; MGMA ranks phone access among 2026 priorities — yet many practices still leave inbound demand unmeasured. 12 min read 19. Feb 13, 2026 Australia Practice operations ### [After-hours clinic coverage in Australia: own the first line](https://www.getarbol.com/en/blog/clinic-after-hours-coverage-au/) Healthdirect took 1.4 million calls in FY25, mostly after hours. RACGP still requires clinics to own access — how a first-line voice agent closes the gap. 10 min read ## Let’s look at your population in Arbol. A 30-minute video call with our team, using your cases: your contract, your patients and your channels. You leave with a first read of your population, your contract and your utilization rates. [Book a demo](https://cal.com/tomas-giraldo-pdfbl9/30-min-arbol-ai-demo) [Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/573185230045?text=Hello%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20learn%20more%20about%20Arbol%20for%20my%20organization.) [**Colombia**](https://www.getarbol.com/en/colombia/), in operation · Built for Latin America --- **Arbol AI** — AI agents for clinics and healthcare providers: they answer and reach patients by phone, WhatsApp, SMS, email and web chat, book their appointments 24/7 and keep a record of every conversation. - Original page: - Book a demo: · Pricing: - Agent index: · Support: