subject: Medical Answering Services Is Not The Same As Other Live Answering Services [print this page] If you own a medical facility and decide to get an answering service for their business, it may be tempting to simply go with a live answering service. But one must never make the mistake of thinking that every kind of answering services is the same, as each offers different services and benefits. If your business is a medical practice, then you may wish to look at getting a medical answering service.
One of the biggest benefits with a medical answering service is the fact that the hold time for your patients can be much less than what they'd experience if you went with a regular answering service.
A regular answering service representative will not only be receiving calls for your practice, but also for other clients. This means that your patient may have to wait on hold for a long time to speak with a representative as the available reps are explaining confusing bills, or taking orders for office supplies.
A medical answering service provider will specialize in providing only medical answering services. The representatives understand that each and every call may be of a critical nature, and so give patients the care and attention that they both need and deserve. Medical answering services are 24 hour answering services because medical emergencies are sudden and unpredictable in nature.
In such cases 24 hour answering services have to be provided as customers face emergencies situations at any time of the day or night and thus, require assistance at all times.
Medical answering services are normally HIPAA certified, while most regular answering services are not, as they don't specialize in medical calls. Some medical answering services also have triage nurses available should a patient need answers to specific medical questions, or need their symptoms diagnosed quickly.
These triage nurses can collect all of the information given by the customer and using their computer system finds the most likely cause of the ailment. If it's not of a critical nature, the nurses can also set an appointment for the patient, and forward the appointment information along with a printout or email attachment of the information that was originally given by the patient. If it is of a critical nature, the triage nurse can then tell the customer where to go or what to do in order to get the care they need immediately.
The timely manner in which the calls are answered and the more knowledgeable staff is only two of the reason that you may wish to go with a medical answering service. These services are not only available after hours, but can be put to use during business hours as well. You can set it up so that any time the lines to your office are busy; calls are forwarded to your medical answering service so that your patients can still be connected to someone that will be able to assist them.
When medical facilities hire medical answering services to assist customers, they can rest assured that their business is in good hands as the answering service representatives possess complete knowledge of medical terms and jargons and will thus, provide only the best and correct assistance to customers.
