How Much Does a Medical Answering Service Cost? Buyers Guide

In today’s fast-paced healthcare industry, managing incoming calls while delivering top-quality patient care can be a challenging task for medical professionals. This is where a medical answering service comes in. It acts as an extension of your medical office, handling patient calls efficiently, while you focus on providing excellent healthcare services.

What is a Medical Answering Service Used For?

A medical answering service is designed to manage incoming calls for healthcare providers, ensuring no patient call goes unanswered. These services often provide 24/7 support, handling various tasks such as appointment scheduling, urgent call filtering, patient follow-ups, and answering common patient queries. They are often staffed by virtual receptionists trained in HIPAA regulations and medical terminology, thus ensuring patient information is handled confidentially and professionally.

How Much Does a Medical Answering Service Cost?

Medical answering service costs can greatly vary depending on the pricing structure, the volume of calls, and the complexity of the tasks involved.

• Per Minute Pricing: This is the most common pricing model, where you are charged for the actual time the service spends on the phone with your patients. The rates usually range from $0.70 to $1.20 per minute, depending on the service provider and the call volume.
• Flat Rate: Some providers may offer a flat rate for a predetermined set of services. While this offers predictability in costs, it might not be cost-effective if your call volume is low.
• Monthly or Per Call Costs: Other providers may offer a monthly subscription fee or a per-call cost. These might be beneficial if your call volume and requirements are consistent.

Add-on services like appointment scheduling, custom call scripts, emergency dispatch, etc., may come at additional costs, often in the range of $20 to $50 per feature.

What’s a Fair Price?

Given the broad range of prices, determining a fair price for a medical answering service depends largely on your specific needs. It’s important to consider your call volume, the complexity of your calls, your budget, and the specific services you require. As a rule of thumb, a service that offers a comprehensive range of features, excellent service quality, and a price within the industry standard of $0.70 to $1.20 per minute can be considered a fair deal.

Choosing the right medical answering service is crucial for healthcare providers. It not only ensures seamless communication with patients but also helps medical professionals focus on what they do best – providing excellent patient care. By understanding the services offered and their pricing structures, you can make an informed decision that best suits your medical practice needs.

Remember, the best-answering service for your medical office is one that provides value for money, ensures patient satisfaction, and enhances your practice’s efficiency.

Add-on Services for Medical Answering Services

Medical answering services offer a host of additional features that enhance the scope and efficiency of their basic call-handling services.

• Appointment Scheduling: Medical answering services can schedule appointments directly into your practice’s management system, ensuring a seamless scheduling process.
• Emergency Dispatch: Some services provide emergency dispatch, alerting the designated on-call medical professional during urgent situations.
• Custom Call Scripts: To provide personalized service, providers can create custom call scripts tailored to your practice’s needs and preferences.
• Bilingual Support: As medical practices often cater to diverse patient populations, some services offer bilingual or multilingual support to accommodate non-English speakers.

The Best Medical Answering Service

Determining the “best” medical answering service ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. However, a service that consistently receives high praise for its professional answering service, HIPAA-compliant processes, after-hours live answering service, and competitive service pricing is MAP Communications. They offer a comprehensive suite of services, including appointment scheduling and custom scripting, making them a strong choice for many medical practices.

Top 5 Best Medical Answering Services

In no particular order, here are five medical answering services known for their exceptional service and features:

1. MAP Communications: Known for their exceptional customer service, MAP Communications offers a comprehensive suite of features, including 24/7 live answering, HIPAA-compliant processes, and appointment scheduling. Their service pricing is competitive, and they provide a free 7-day trial for new clients.
2. Signius Communications: A reputable provider, Signius offers bilingual answering services, appointment scheduling, and emergency dispatch. Their professional answering services are available 24/7, and they offer both per-call and per-minute pricing plans.
3. AnswerConnect: With their team of virtual receptionists, AnswerConnect provides 24/7 live answering services, including appointment scheduling, message taking, and emergency dispatch. Their call scripts are customizable, allowing your practice’s unique voice to shine through.
4. Stericycle Communication Solutions: Stericycle stands out for its robust healthcare-focused services. They offer 24/7 live answering, appointment scheduling, and reminder calls, with all services being HIPAA compliant. They also provide a range of additional healthcare services such as patient outreach and post-discharge follow-up.
5. Ambs Call Center: Providing 24/7 live answering service, Ambs offers a range of features including appointment scheduling, emergency dispatch, and custom call scripting. They are particularly known for their advanced technology, providing real-time call reports and secure message delivery.

Each of these medical answering services offers a unique blend of features and services. It’s best to identify your practice’s specific needs and preferences before deciding which service is the perfect fit for you.

What to Look for in a Medical Answering Service

When choosing a medical answering service, consider the following:

• HIPAA Compliance: This is crucial as the service will be handling sensitive patient information.
• 24/7 Availability: A service that’s available round the clock ensures all patient calls are answered, regardless of the time they come in.
• Customizability: Look for a service that can tailor their offering to your practice’s unique needs.
• Quality of Service: The service should have professional, well-trained staff who handle calls with empathy and efficiency.
• Positive Reviews and Testimonials: Look for a service with positive reviews and testimonials from other medical practices.

Services Provided by Medical Answering Services

A comprehensive medical answering service typically provides:

• Call Answering: 24/7 live answering service to handle patient calls at all times.
• Message Taking: Taking detailed, accurate messages and delivering them via your preferred method.
• Appointment Scheduling: Booking, changing, and canceling appointments in your practice management system.
• Emergency Dispatch: Routing urgent calls to the appropriate medical professional.

By considering these factors and services, you can choose a medical answering service that best fits your medical practice’s needs, improving efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Understanding the Importance of HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance is a crucial factor when considering a medical answering service. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data. Any company dealing with protected health information (PHI) must ensure that all the necessary network, physical, and process security measures are in place and followed.

Medical answering services are no exception to this rule. They handle a significant amount of PHI in the form of patient inquiries, appointment details, and sometimes more complex medical information. Therefore, they must adhere to HIPAA regulations to protect this sensitive information from breaches or misuse.

A HIPAA-compliant medical answering service will have stringent protocols in place for data security. This includes secure messaging systems, encrypted databases, and restricted access controls. When you’re considering a medical answering service, their compliance with HIPAA should be a top priority.

The Value of Bilingual Services

In today’s diverse society, offering bilingual services can be a significant advantage for medical practices. Patients who are not native English speakers will appreciate having their concerns heard and understood in their own language. Not only does this make patients feel more comfortable, but it also reduces misunderstandings that could affect their care.

Many top medical answering services offer bilingual support, especially in Spanish, considering the large Hispanic population in the United States. When reviewing your options, consider the diversity of your patient base and whether bilingual services would be a beneficial feature.

Integrations with Your Current Systems

Lastly, consider how the medical answering service integrates with your current systems. The best medical answering services should be able to sync with your existing software for scheduling, electronic health records (EHRs), and billing. This seamless integration will make your operations more efficient, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring that your office has the most up-to-date information at all times.

The Cost Impact of System Integrations and Bilingual Services

When considering the cost of a medical call center, it’s important to factor in the potential financial implications of system integrations and bilingual services. These add-ons can significantly enhance your practice’s efficiency and reach, but they may also impact your bottom line.

System Integrations

System integrations allow your medical answering service to work seamlessly with your existing software solutions, such as EHRs, scheduling systems, and billing software. While this can greatly enhance efficiency and reduce the risk of errors, it may also come with an additional cost.

The cost of these integrations can vary based on the complexity of the systems you’re using and the level of customization required. For some providers, a basic integration might be included in the standard service package, while others may charge additional fees for this service. It’s important to discuss this with potential providers to understand the full cost implications.

Bilingual Services

Offering bilingual services is another potential cost factor. Bilingual operators can help your practice serve a broader patient base, ensuring all patients receive the same level of care and understanding. However, bilingual operators often command higher salaries due to their specialized skills, and this cost may be passed on to you in the form of higher service rates.

Again, the cost of this service can vary. Some providers might include bilingual services in their standard packages, while others may offer it as an add-on for an additional fee. It’s crucial to clarify this upfront to avoid any surprise costs down the line.

Choosing the right medical answering service for your practice is a significant decision that can greatly impact the efficiency of your operations and the satisfaction of your patients. By considering factors such as service pricing, HIPAA compliance, bilingual services, and system integrations, you can find a service that meets your unique needs and enhances your practice’s service delivery.

Free Trials and Their Value

When evaluating medical call services, one factor that might tip the scales in favor of a specific provider is the availability of a free trial. A free trial can be an invaluable tool for any healthcare practice looking to assess the suitability of a service before making a financial commitment.

Using a free trial, you can test the service’s capabilities, gauge the responsiveness of the customer support team, and assess how well the service integrates with your current systems. It also provides an opportunity to see firsthand how the service handles patient calls and manages scheduling or other tasks. This firsthand experience can be a critical part of your decision-making process, helping you determine whether a particular service is the best option for your practice.

Determining the Best Option for Your Practice

As a business owner, it’s essential to find a medical call service that offers the best value for your investment. This goes beyond merely comparing service pricing. You need to consider factors such as the quality of customer service, the range of services offered, system compatibility, and the potential impact on your practice’s efficiency and patient satisfaction. To determine the best option for your practice, consider your specific needs and priorities.

• Do you need a service that can handle high call volume during peak hours?
• Do you require bilingual operators?
• Is HIPAA compliance a must?

Once you’ve established your requirements, you can narrow down your choices and make a more informed decision.

Investing in a medical call service is a significant decision that can dramatically impact the efficiency of your healthcare practice. It’s not just about choosing the service with the lowest price, but the one that offers the best value and suits your practice’s unique needs. By taking advantage of free trials and carefully evaluating your options, you can find a service that enhances your practice’s operations and ultimately improves patient care.