5 Things to Look for in a Medical Answering Service

Medical offices and clinics can be quite busy at times. If you run a health facility, as a business owner, you know that every customer is important. Sometimes, you may be too busy to answer all the phone calls, yet you want to attract more customers and keep the existing ones satisfied. When you are receiving multiple calls at a time, your work can become overwhelming, and that is where a medical answering service can come in handy. 

An answering service run by professionals who can address even the most sensitive of medical questions and help you manage your affairs effectively is exactly what you need. However, there are many service providers to choose from. How do you decide what to look for in a service provider? Below are five tips that will ease your search for a suitable medical answering service.

1. Write down the kinds of services you need help with 

The type of services you need will depend on the medical business you run. You should also consider how many doctors you have, how many patients you receive per day and the average number of calls. Also important are the kinds of medical situations you frequently handle and the kinds of emergencies you have dealt with in the past. If you are an optometrist, for example, you are less likely to have emergencies, compared to an obstetrician-gynecologist office where emergencies can easily come up. In this case, you can have a service for emergencies from an experienced provider.

1. HIPPA compliance of a medical answering service

HIPPA compliance is crucial because it means that your patients will receive the utmost care and enjoy the privacy of their confidential information. The service should have policies on how to handle HIPPA information and also have secure messaging and staff who have experience in handling such kinds of calls and information.  

1. Can the service step in when you need them the most

The medical call service must be able to manage your overflows. As a business, you have certain times of the week, month, or year that are busier than others. These include weekends and holidays. 

1. Offers accurate and customized services

A medical answering service should work with you to help you determine which situations you should consider urgent and which ones can wait. The service providers will recommend which areas your business needs more attention so that you can offer maximum service. They should also have the skills to extract all the essential information from patients before you call them back. Moreover, they need to be clear about what the patient needs before ending the call. 

1. Offer an appointment reminder service

Appointment reminder services are crucial as they help to close a sale, which brings in the money into your business. Choose a service provider who offers a reminder service. This will also help save you the time you would need to call your patients to schedule an appointment. Reminders can be one-time or multiple based on the seriousness of the medical condition. For example, in the case of a patient who requires a surgical procedure, the service provider should make multiple call reminders leading up to the date of the surgery. The medical call service should also ensure that surgical patients are taking necessary action, such as taking their meds as they await the surgery.

Final words

There are few things more frustrating than automated emails. These serve to show that you are not there for your customers and therefore risk losing them. Direct calls answered in time serve to show that you care for your patients, and you are more likely to retain them.

Accessibility is a top determinant of the success of your medical business. If you are not reachable when customers need you most, you end up losing them to other health care providers. Apart from that, you should provide them with quality services that meet their specific needs. Pick a service that has lots of experience in handling all manner of patients, including those who are very sick and in pain. This will ensure that your customers are getting the best help possible.