Thursday 23 March 2017

Medical Answering Services – Taking Clinical Practice to New Levels of Efficiency

In this fast paced world of instant communication, ecommerce, and social media, people are used to having every kind of service at their fingertips, available round the clock. Therefore, there is no reason why doctors must miss out on this opportunity and leave their patients unable to access medical expertise outside regular working hours.

Being available for patients 24x7 is obviously not possible for any doctor. However, with advanced techniques such as doctors answering service, patients will be effectively able to keep in touch with their doctors, book or cancel medical appointments, and seek help in case of emergencies. In fact, medical answering services continue to streamline the processes in doctors’ offices without doctors having to employ, train, and maintain staff especially for the purpose.

How does the service work?

To put it in simple terms, hiring answering service for doctors is like appointing trained and experienced front office staff. The calls received at the doctor’s office are seamlessly forwarded to the answering company where efficient and reliable staff will promptly and courteously attend the calls. With ample medical training, the staff at answering companies is competent enough to make out the medical jargon that patients may specify while requesting for appointments. Answering services also offer doctors the option of sending text messages or emails to remind patients of checkups or consultations, thereby keeping the cases of no shows to a minimum. 

In addition to scheduling appointments, these services also reduce the workload of receptionists employed at the doctors’ office. For instance, during peak hours, there will be a high influx of calls that one or two receptionists will be unable to handle. As a result, a considerable number of calls will go unattended. However, doctors answering service companies feature a large number of staff who will pick up calls within two rings, thereby creating an excellent impression of professionalism and efficiency. 

The healthcare industry has always been on the lookout for ways to reduce operating costs without affecting the quality of communication with patients. Hiring extra staff and setting up necessary infrastructure to handle a flourishing practice can be an expensive option. The reasonable subscription rates and reliable efficiency offered by answering service for doctors make it an excellent choice for doctors keen on maintaining high standards of professionalism. Patients will surely be pleased when their calls are always promptly answered and they have the flexibility to schedule appointments any time of the day, even on weekends and holidays.