Getting the most out of a medical answering service can be a big help to a practice. They can handle many tasks, including appointment setting, TTY support, live ASL video chat, and more. Getting a good service can also free up your in-office staff to focus on patients. These services can also help you stay HIPAA compliant.
Some medical answering services offer automated appointment management systems, which can save your staff a lot of time and resources. They can also notify patients of changes to appointments, such as cancellations and office closures. Getting a good answering service can help your practice provide the best care possible.
A good service will also allow you to send and receive messages to multiple email addresses and cell phones. They may also send you an email or call you in case of an emergency. The best service should offer 24 hour live support, which means that you will have a live receptionist on hand to answer your phone and relay messages to the appropriate person.
A good service will also be able to handle the most important question of all: how much does a medical answering service cost? Some services offer plans based on talk time, while others charge by the minute. While there medical answering service are no hard and fast rules, providers that charge by the minute may charge you more for a phone call that hangs up. This is because you are paying for extra support provided when you aren’t talking to the patient.
The best medical answering service will also be able to take the time to show you how to handle certain situations. You can upload a patient list to an answering service portal, which lets you select the most effective method of contact. Some services will also have a web-based calendar system, so you can easily keep track of appointments.
The best service will also have a solid backup plan in place. You don’t want to be left on the phone with a frustrated patient. If you’re dealing with a large volume of calls, you might not have the time or the manpower to answer all of them. In this case, a medical answering service can be the savior.
The best service will also have specialized employees who can handle high-volume calls. You might want to consider a medical answering service with bilingual receptionists, which can make callers feel more at ease. Some services also offer IP Relay for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. These services may also offer extra security measures, such as the Extended Validation Certificate.
In the medical field, there is a lot of time spent on patient communication. A good service can make your practice run smoother, and provide patients with the best experience possible.
The best medical answering service will also have the ability to send you an email or call you in case an emergency occurs. You should also consider getting a medical answering service that is HIPAA compliant. These services are designed to handle calls in the name of your medical practice, making it easier to comply with HIPAA laws.