How to Choose the Best Medical Answering Service
Are you a medical provider curious about the benefits of medical answering service?
A healthcare answering service is a valuable resource for your office to thrive. Your patients will appreciate the convenience should an emergency arise. Continue reading to learn more about selecting the best medical answering service.
Identify Your Office Needs
The first step in choosing the best answering service is identifying your needs.
To best serve patients, look for medical answering service with the latest software. A healthcare answering service must have the proper equipment to assist callers best.
Hiring an answering service can give your office staff the freedom to focus on what matters. You will receive peace of mind knowing that your medical office is in good hands after hours. Trained professionals will greet your patients and incoming callers.
If you need help determining your office needs, create a list. A detailed list will help you narrow down your answering service choices.
Cost and Expenses
Another key factor to consider is cost. Find a medical answering service company that charges a flat rate.
A flat-rate package for services can eliminate any costly fees. Call volumes can ebb and flow over time. Before committing, get a quote from several providers.
Having this information on hand can help you make the best decision for your office. The 24/7 Doctors Answering Service has a list of the top providers readily available for you to compare.
Answering service price points vary. Plans are available per minute, per call billing, and per-unit billing. Be sure to inquire about any contracts before signing on the dotted line.
Each company varies on flexibility. Some medical answering service companies offer month-to-month plans. Others require a more extensive contract.
HIPAA Compliance
In determining the best after-hours answering service, HIPAA compliance is essential.
The HIPAA acronym stands for health insurance portability and accountability act. This set of governing rules outlines how sensitive health care information is protected.
Due to the information that medical answering services handles, protecting your patients is a priority.
HIPAA compliance is crucial to avoid any potential penalties and fines. HIPAA compliance ensures that your patient’s privacy and personal interest are protected.
Ability to Schedule Appointments
Choose an answering service that schedules appointments to free up your in-house staff. This will create a more relaxing office atmosphere amongst your office staff.
A call line for appointment scheduling can be beneficial. If patients are free to adjust appointments, this reduces incoming call volume.
A top-notch answering service can use software compatible with your medical office software. This allows any appointment scheduling modifications to take place in real-time. It eliminates any potential for booking a patient twice for the same appointment.
A well-organized and functional medical practice can thrive with a medical answering service. Your patients will appreciate the attentiveness, and your staff will appreciate a more manageable workload.
Emergency Response
Emergency response is a key factor in selecting the best answering service. Your patients will feel at ease, knowing if an emergency occurs, help is available.
Save yourself the hassle of interviewing and questioning prospective receptionist candidates. Hiring a medical answering service will give you a great sense of peace while you are out of the office.
A quality answering service has staff available 24/7. Depending on the level of medical care needed, staff can guide callers in the right direction.
The first step is determining if the situation is an emergency. If the situation dictates, the answering service will contact the on-call person.
If the situation is not urgent, a reputable answering service can take a message. The message in return will be delivered the following morning. These employees are calm under pressure and can reassure worried callers.
Reputation
An answering service with an award-winning reputation speaks volumes. Before committing to one company, take the time to read online reviews.
An answering service that wishes to gain your business will have a list of references. Avoid any candidates with a trail of negative online reviews.
It is important to remember not everything you read online is factual. However, a company that cares about providing a premium service will promptly resolve any consumer issues.
Medical Answering Service
Hiring a medical answering service to handle after-hours calls may seem like a no-brainer. The benefits an answering service provides far outweigh any cons.
As with any business decision, do your research before partnering with any company. Choosing the best doctor’s answering service may seem like a difficult choice, but it doesn’t have to be.
Obtain references and ask questions from fellow professionals in the medical community. Not all medical answering services are equal, so be sure to compare how each service differs.
Some answering services may offer unique features such as direct messaging. Other medical answering services may offer to read and respond to emails. Web responses may be a more popular option for healthcare settings such as a hospital that would benefit from a hospital answering service.
If your medical practice is located in a populated city area, medical answering service will become a vital asset in managing your office. A larger answering service provider ensures that a trained professional is available for your patients 24/7 365 days a year.
Let the 24/7 Doctors Answering Service Help
24/7 Doctors Answering Service can help you and your office staff. A qualified medical answering service can handle after-hours inquiries, appointment scheduling, and more.
If you are looking for the best company, let 24/7 Doctors Answering Service help. Contact us for a free answering service quote today.