Timely intervention is the essence of the medical field. If one does not act at the initial stage itself, the whole purpose of this profession gets defeated. Medical practitioners have a very critical role to play in the lives of their patients. They have the difficult task of ensuring the wellbeing of all those who entrust their faith in their qualified hands. It is such a demanding profession leaving medical representatives with very little time to attend to routine matters. A specialized medical office answering service takes a huge load of medical practitioners as they ably support the latter with their range of requisite services.
Before hiring an answering service company, carefully research the following aspects to enable you to make an informed decision:
Level of Standard Maintained
Always aim to hire a medical office answering service that shares your vision. They should consciously practice laid down medical ethics considering they would eventually be representing your concern. If they are non-compliant, your practice could run into serious legal hassles. In addition, the answering company should conform to the basic standards followed your end to ensure you sustain and even exceed the reputation earned over the years.
Functional Hours
In this line, you need to be accessible round the clock as an emergency can arise when least expected. The agents employed by the phone answering companies should work in shifts thereby ensuring that calls received at odd hours or on holidays are duly attended to. In this manner, you can be sure that priority calls will be forwarded and urgent messages conveyed in real time. This also gives your patients the reassurance of being valued and cared for.
Aspects of Training Covered
Your medical practice should delegate administrative functions to an agency whose operators at least possess a working knowledge of your field including awareness of basic medical jargon. These agents will only be productive when they can completely comprehend what the caller is trying to communicate, have the ability to assess whether the call is a high or low priority one and react accordingly. The training imparted to these operators at the very outset is of prime importance. They should be well equipped to efficiently handle every call received and display their proactive skills whenever warranted.
Focus on Confidentiality
Patients entrust immense faith in medical practitioners and the same must even be upheld by a third party representing your practice. It is advisable to ask the answering company for some references from whom you can get valuable feedback on the agency you intend hiring. Also, reiterate this important aspect from the start so there is no scope for any ambiguity. Confidential patient-related data must not be compromised with at any cost.
Select an answering company that best compliments your medical practice.
