Patients call their physician’s office at all hours of the day or night. It might be to setup an appointment for a checkup, but more often, it is because of an immediate concern. The problem comes in when your patients call during your off hours. When this happens, they are forced to leave a message on your voicemail system. These messages will not be received until the office opens the next day. What if the message is urgent? A physician answering service can help ensure that your patients’ messages are given the appropriate care and that you receive them immediately.
What is a physician answering service? Simply put, this is a medical call center, staffed by HIPAA certified operators. You’ll find that these call centers ensure that your patients are provided with personal, professional, caring service no matter what hour they call. This provides your patients with greater peace of mind. However, it also provides singular benefits to you, the physician.
After the patient leaves a message with the service, the operator will then deliver the message to you, regardless of the time. This has tremendous benefits for emergency situations that occur during your off hours. For instance, you can choose to have patient messages forwarded to you via email, which can be checked from your home computer, your PDA or your cell phone, no matter where you are. This ensures that all messages receive the attention they are due.
In addition, a physician answering service will give you delivery options that include faxing, pager service, operator delivery and voicemail messages. You’ll also discover that such a service will ensure that the patient’s call is answered on the first ring, with a maximum of 30 seconds on hold. This provides patients with immediate service, rather than forcing them to wait during an emergency, or while the operator assists other callers.
A physician answering service provides you with numerous advantages, as well. You will find that these call centers offer benefits that can be of use during the business day, as well. Nurse telephone triage is a tremendous option that can save you and your staff valuable time, while standard answering service ensures that you and your staff can help patients more expediently during busy office hours. This is a tremendous option that can provide you, your staff and your patients with convenience and dedicated service.
