Answering Service for Doctors: How the New Business Model is Reshaping the Medical Field

As a doctor, you have probably received requests to answer specific medical questions from your patients. Over the years, the answering service for doctors would be used by the physician or his staff. They would call people out of the blue to provide information or to schedule appointments. In today’s world, most physicians are finding that it is much more efficient to utilize the best answering service for doctors.

Medical answering services handle all of your phone calls to your practice with a high customer service level and pay attention to every detail. A medical answering service can also ensure that you are meeting HIPAA standards for protecting patient information.

Cost-Effective: 

Why would a physician choose to use a service other than making their own phone calls? First and foremost, it is cost-effective. The service provider can bill the physician directly, which can significantly reduce the physician’s office overhead. Second, there is no need to have the physician commit to long-distance calls each time the physician or his staff needs information. When the doctor uses the best answering service for doctors, he does not have to make many phone calls each month. Instead, he can simply dial the number and receive the medical information immediately.

The Identity Of The Service Provider’s Remains Anonymous: 

One of the best aspects of utilizing this service for doctors is that the service providers remain anonymous. Since physicians often fear speaking to their patients about private issues, they do not want them to know that they are being called from a service provider. Some service providers list the physician’s and staff’s telephone numbers in their advertisements. This allows patients to discreetly contact the physician.

Proper Appointment Scheduling:

Another positive aspect of this service for doctors is that these service providers will take all of the pertinent medical records, insurance information and appointment schedules into account before rendering the medical answering service. Unlike physicians who make their phone calls to schedule appointments, service providers make all of the scheduling decisions based on the physician’s instructions. Plus, physicians who decide to use these services can select whichever service provider best suits their personality and lifestyle. For instance, some physicians like to keep their offices strictly staffed during weekends or holidays, while others prefer to keep the service line open every day.

Live Person Availability:

These answering service providers also make all of the doctor’s contact information easily accessible. In addition to the physician’s name and contact information, patients can also request their office fax number or website. This allows patients to simply call the service and speak to a live person rather than speaking with a receptionist. When possible, patients should also ask if the service provider can give them a customized report on their health at any time.

Higher Quality Control: 

The initial phone call from a patient is 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, and things can fall through the cracks.

Outsourcing your answering 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.

The Pool Of Qualified Staff: 

In order to provide the best possible services to patients, these kinds of service providers have their nurses, accountants, billing specialists and other personnel. Because the service operates as a part of a larger organization, the physicians can keep track of their budgets much easier.

Affordable Option:

The physicians do not have to worry about missing clinic hours because of their heavy workload. Rather than asking their patients to pay a large fee for extra services, physicians who decide to utilize these kinds of services can keep costs low by using a portion of their patients’ fees to cover all of the expenses.

There is a great deal of flexibility that is offered by these types of services. For instance, a service may offer different rates for the same procedures. The charges could be comparable, but the procedures could vary depending on the nature of the procedure and the type of insurance the physician has. Some physicians can receive payment directly from the insurance company for procedures they have completed while working with the service provider.

While some physicians choose to continue working with a traditional office-based clinic, many opt to establish private offices. By doing this, they can continue providing patient care, but they are not tied down to one location. They can travel wherever patients may be in the country. Answering service for doctors makes it much easier for them to accomplish their medical goals.