subject: Why Should Your Medical Practice Use a Call Center? [print this page] Why Should Your Medical Practice Use a Call Center?
When running a medical clinic, regardless of the size, you must always consider the patient first. Giving the patient the best treatment when they visit the clinic is only part of the equation though. You must also consider those times when the patient is calling the clinic whether it is to speak with you or another staff member, make an appointment, or if they have an emergency. Using a call center can be the best way to make sure that the patient gets the attention he or she needs quickly.
By using an answering service, your patients will have no trouble reaching your office and contacting you, and they will not have to leave a message on a voicemail something that many patients hate to do because they do not want to leave their private information on a machine. An answering service will be able to take your calls during the day when you are at the office, when you are away from the office, and even when you are home or on vacation. It will be easy for you to get all of your messages from the call center as well. Most of them allow you to check your messages by phone or through email.
The best centers for those who have a medical practice are those that are able to offer some medical assistance over the phone. Some have nurse triage services that will be able to answer some of your patients' basic queries. If it is an emergency, the operator will be able to give them advice on what to do as well as contact you. Your patients will feel more secure knowing that they can reach you when they truly need you. A call center will be able to give you peace of mind too.
The cost of the service is not as much as one might think. When you consider how much it would cost to have your own employees manning the phones all day and night and on the weekends, you will quickly see what a bargain these centers are.
When you choose the call center, make sure that they have the training they need to answer your phones. You must also make sure that the employees who will be answering your phones have had HIPAA training, which instructs them on the importance of patient privacy.
