Answering Services to Handle Call Overflow in the Medical Industry
Regulatory compliance seems to consistently grow more complex and time consuming in the modern medical industry. Largely, this is due to the ever increasing role and import of technology, and the changing needs this puts upon privacy and confidentiality regulations. This can make it difficult for a practice to grow and stay current with all the applicable regulations while still leaving time to concentrate on offering the best possible care and attention to patients.
Predicting call volume at a medical facility can be very difficult. While there are certainly peak times, such as around the holidays, the truth is that a rapid surge in calls can happen at any time during any day of the week. This can put a huge drain on the resources available at your reception desk. Despite the difficulty, many of these calls may be vital in nature, even involving emergency medical scenarios at times.
This type of high call pressure can leave a medical practice in a very difficult situation. It’s a fine line to walk when you have to juggle the needs of providing good service to clients who are calling into your business and managing the day to day internal operations of your practice. The reality is that both of these tasks require the time and energy of your office staff, and there isn’t always enough to go around.
The solution to this type of problem often lies in a professional medical answering service. A call service that specializes in working with the health care industry can give your staff freedom from having to man the phone lines around the clock. However, this doesn’t mean that your patients will receive sub-standard treatment over the phone. In fact, they will be treated with respect and care by professional call agents who are trained in the complexities of fielding calls for medical practices.
Three Ways a Medical Call Overflow Service Can Benefit You
- After hours calls often result in a patient having to leave a frustrating voicemail. With an answering service, the patient will have the satisfaction of speaking to a real person who can assure them that their issue has been heard, and that it will be addressed as soon as the health care professionals are back in the office.
- Calls from non-patient sources or solicitors can occupy a huge amount of your front-line staff’s time. With an overflow service, you can ensure that the only calls that are sent through to your practice are those that really need to be addressed internally.
- You can also find answering services that can provide additional services such as appointment scheduling or answering appointment inquiries from callers. If they encounter questions or services that they cannot provide, they simply transfer the call to the appropriate party in your organization.
Selecting a Medical Answering Service
Other industries have certain freedoms that people practicing in the health care professions do not. They can make the decisions about what type of answering service to use based purely on the technology they utilize or the prices that they offer. In the medical industry though, it is key to look for a company that specializes in medical answering services. This ensures that you hire someone who is familiar with all of the regulations and requirements that your business must adhere to in order to provide ethical and excellent services to your patients.