If you have a private practice that is doing well, you probably are aware of the influx of phone calls that you are getting. While this is good news for the business, it means that you and your staff are spending far more time on the phone than you are with your patients. Even with a fulltime receptionist, you have to consider lunch breaks, nights, weekends, and vacation time. You need to have someone available to answer those phones 24hrs a day, but the cost of hiring that many people just for the phones is astronomical. A physician answering service could be the answer that you need.

It is important that you choose only a high quality answering service. You will want a company that has employees who are able to communicate clearly with your patients. They should be able to answer your phones quickly so the patients do not have to wait on the line, and they should be able to make appointments and forward calls when needed. All of the employees through these companies should have HIPAA training as well, which lets them know the importance of patient confidentiality.

The physician answering service should also have several methods through which they can send you the messages, making it easier than ever to retrieve them. Make sure that they are able to offer phone, fax, and email messaging.

If you want to give your patients even more options, consider hiring a company that offers nurse triage service over the phone. The nurses will be able to answer some of your patient's basic questions and this can free up more of your time.

As long as you are able to find a physician answering service that can offer all of the above, both you and your patients will be happy.