Do You Need A Medical Answering Service?

27 March 2015

Jaime Allen

When you operate a medical practice, there are, as you know, so many overhead costs to take care of. The last thing you probably want is another one, but if you don't currently have a 24-hour medical answering service, you're doing your practice and your patients a grave disservice. The medical field is one that never really sleeps...even when the doctors do. Patients have requests, concerns, and even genuine emergencies at all hours of the day and night, and they need to be able to reach your practice whenever those situations arise. If you're still not convinced, read on to learn about why you absolutely need a medical answering service and how to choose the right one.

Affordable Answering

The fact is that you need someone to answer the phone all the time. You can either pay someone to sit in your office overnight and do that -- which would be expensive and ridiculous -- or you can pay an answering service to do it. Answering services tend to be very affordable because they are full of operators providing answering services for other companies as well. So, you pay only a small fee; some services even charge you only when they answer a call.

Another cost-saving benefit of an answering service is that you don't have to spend time and energy training the operators. They are already well-versed in how to handle medical calls. You can always provide special preferences to the operators who work for you, but you're also free to sit back, relax, and let them do their jobs.

Missed Calls = Missed Clients

Not everyone works a standard nine-to-five job. Some people are busy during regular business hours and can't call to book appointments or chat with a healthcare provider during those times. Unfortunately, though, if people call a provider and don't get an answer, they're less likely to leave a voice-mail and more likely to call different providers until they reach someone who is available.

Missed calls equal missed clients and, thus, missed money. While an operating service might not be as good as having a healthcare provider or receptionist answer the phone, it's the next best thing. Operators can provide basic information about pricing and services and can even book appointments for consultations and first meetings. Sometimes, this happens without the caller ever even realizing he's been directed to an answering service.

Obviously, the need for an answering service is real. Just make sure you choose one with a good, solid reputation and that is regulated by and knows how to follow HIPAA regulations. You can even test services out yourself by calling in and getting the "customer experience." The right service will be a wonderful addition to your medical practice.

Share

Search