An answering service for doctors – The benefits of outsourcing

Any medical office comes with specific, inherent challenges that can interfere with the operational integrity and reduce efficiency. When these challenges turn to problems, patient care is often the first thing to suffer and it starts with successful communication. This is the most important facet of your practice, if the patient doesn’t feel comfortable calling their doctor for any reason, that patient will seek out treatment elsewhere. The results can be damaging to your business and your reputation.

Suggested Read: An Answering Service for Doctors: Why a Typical Call Center Won’t Cut it

That’s why outsourcing your answering service can be such a critical part of your practice. It can alleviate the pressures that come with maintaining an effective dialogue with each patient who walks through the door. With an outsourced answering service, you’re opening a line of communication with that patient before they even arrive, signifying that your practice is professionally-operated and alleviating any fears or concerns the patient may have about their health and their treatment.

This is particularly vital for new patients who are coming to see you for the first time. Nothing turns off a new patient faster than getting the run around when they’re trying to set an appointment. If that aspect of your practice is disorganized and uncertain, they can only wonder what kind of care they are going to receive when they are examined.

There are many benefits to outsourcing your call center services, here are some of the most important factors to consider.

Higher Quality Control

The initial phone call from a patient is so crucial to the success of any medical practice. It’s the first interaction the patient will have with your business and when that is sub-par, it says a lot about you. Medical offices get busy, receptionists are dealing with many things at once, things can fall through the cracks. Outsourcing your contact services, avoids all of that. The patient will speak directly with a live, professional operator at all times. That operator can book appointments, take messages, and provide a satisfying experience for every patient.

24/7 Availability

If a patient has a medical emergency after hours, he or she wants to know that they can reach you no matter what. Having an outsourced medical answering service means you are on-call at all times. That will put your client’s mind at ease knowing that you are only a phone call away should something happen. Satisfied patients who have their medical issues handled promptly and professionally, even at four in the morning, are more likely to refer your practice to friends and colleagues. This can improve the operational integrity of your practice as well, allowing for appointments to be made after hours and offering care and treatment to more patients.

Higher Revenue

Hiring an outsourced answering service is often more cost-effective than hiring additional staff or paying temporary employees who will not be working for your practice over the long term. Juggling a succession of various individuals doesn’t offer the type of consistency that any good practice requires when servicing patients. If you do carry someone full-time, you are paying them to do a job that might be sporadic, and the rest of the time that person isn’t doing anything beneficial for your office. That isn’t a cost-effective way to do business. With an outsourced answering service you pay only for the calls that are serviced and nothing else, no one gets paid to just sit around.

Maintaining HIPAA Compliance

An outsourced answering service allows you to maintain HIPAA compliance as many of the best medical call centers meet or exceed the standards expected for compliance. As per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, there are specific privacy and security protocols that must be followed by any individual or organization that has contact of any kind with patient medical records.

This includes electronic Patient Health Information (ePHI), which has become standard operating procedure in medical offices across the country. Outsourced answering services must follow HIPAA compliance if they are to be hired by a medical organization and having this certification will benefit your practice by offering your patients peace of mind knowing that their confidential information is safe and secure.