subject: Reasons To Hire A Physician Answering Service [print this page] For busy doctors, a physician answering service is necessary to be in constant touch with their patients. Very often, doctors are unable to attend to each and every patient phone call. They need to maintain a 24x7 receptionist office to cater to patients queries. It is more lucrative to hire telephone answering services in doctor clinics. These services are made of professional staffs that are well trained to respond to all patient queries, any time of the day or night.
How to Choose a Physician Answering Service
To choose a good answering service for physicians, you need to first make a list of the things you are looking for in a service and then search for a company which is capable of meeting your expectations.
You should look for a service which is reliable and trustworthy. It should have been in the industry for long and enjoy a strong reputation. The best way to get names of reputed companies is by searching on the internet and reading up testimonials and client feedback about the firms.
The company should be able to offer you round-the-clock services so that no patient call is left unattended. You must also inquire about their back up services in case of any software breakdown or electrical hardware collapse.
The staff in such services should be trained adequately to be empathetic to patients and record accurate information in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. They must be well informed about the different types of medical terminology and should note down patient messages accurately to enable doctors to make a correct diagnosis.
The company must guarantee complete confidentiality so that it can respect the medical privacy of all individuals. The staffs should be trained in HIPAA rules and all patient related data must be transferred according to stated guidelines.
The staffs should transfer the urgent calls to doctors on call while keeping other routine calls for attention the following day at the office.
So, for doctors who cannot take time out to attend to all patient calls or find maintaining a 24 hour receptionist extremely expensive, you should consider a physician answering service. Not all companies offering these services out there are equally proficient and you must research them actively before signing them on. The key to looking after your patients better is by choosing a service which is affordable, offers a free trial run, and enjoys a solid reputation amongst clients.
