If you have noticed that your practice is starting to pick up and that you are gaining more patients, you might also have noticed that the phone never stops ringing. You may have a receptionist, but he or she is only able to answer a certain amount of calls during the day. After hours, you might not even have anyone there to answer the phone. Patients do not like having to leave messages on answering machines. If your practice is growing quickly and you are having trouble dealing with all of those incoming calls, you might want to consider hiring a physician answering service.
You will want to make sure that you hire a professional service that specializes in the medical field. Choosing a company that only offers a basic answering and message service is not a viable solution. Those companies will not be able to answer your patient's questions. In addition, if a physician answering service is dealing with patients, all of their employees will need to have HIPAA training so they know how to deal with patient security and privacy.
The company that you choose should also be able to contact you and your staff through different communication technologies, such as phone, fax, and email. This will ensure that you are able to get all of the messages on time so that you can answer your patient's questions quickly. You may even want to hire a company that offers nurse triage service, depending on the nature of your practice. With triage, the nurses will be able to point your patients in the right direction if they have an emergency.
Choosing a physician answering service that has professional employees that are able to communicate clearly and directly with your patients is important as well.
Rather than have your patients leave voicemails, let them speak with a live operator. Many people feel frustration when they have to leave a voicemail, and some people will choose not to leave a voicemail at all. This can put a bad taste in the patient's mouth, and they might not want to use your services if they are constantly faced with automated voicemail. If someone has an emergency, it is vital that they are able to speak with an actual person. A physician answering service can change the patient's attitude about your practice, and you can be sure they will be much happier when dealing with a live voice and not a machine.
You will want to make sure that you hire a professional service that specializes in the medical field. Choosing a company that only offers a basic answering and message service is not a viable solution. Those companies will not be able to answer your patient's questions. In addition, if a physician answering service is dealing with patients, all of their employees will need to have HIPAA training so they know how to deal with patient security and privacy.
The company that you choose should also be able to contact you and your staff through different communication technologies, such as phone, fax, and email. This will ensure that you are able to get all of the messages on time so that you can answer your patient's questions quickly. You may even want to hire a company that offers nurse triage service, depending on the nature of your practice. With triage, the nurses will be able to point your patients in the right direction if they have an emergency.
Choosing a physician answering service that has professional employees that are able to communicate clearly and directly with your patients is important as well.
Rather than have your patients leave voicemails, let them speak with a live operator. Many people feel frustration when they have to leave a voicemail, and some people will choose not to leave a voicemail at all. This can put a bad taste in the patient's mouth, and they might not want to use your services if they are constantly faced with automated voicemail. If someone has an emergency, it is vital that they are able to speak with an actual person. A physician answering service can change the patient's attitude about your practice, and you can be sure they will be much happier when dealing with a live voice and not a machine.
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