Three Things You Must Know About A Healthcare Answering Service
A healthcare answering service is useful for both physicians and their patients. It allows the physicians to enjoy their off-duty hours at their convenience and leisure with the knowledge they have an open communication channel with their patients. In case of an emergency, their patients can communicate with them at any time.
Patients, in many cases, do not even realize the existence of a doctor answering service. They just dial a number, just like when they call a doctor. When the doctor is not available, an operator at the answering service company takes the call. Based on the nature of the case, the operator transfers the call as suggested by the physician who hired the service.
Some major options for a call executive in case of emergency cases are:
- transfer the call directly to the physician concerned,
- transfer the call to some other available doctors as suggested the physician who hired the service,
- set up an appointment with the physician the next day (this is done usually for patients who do not require immediate medical attention).
This article deals with three basic aspects one must know about a healthcare answering service, namely-
- how it works,
- top features, and
- main benefits.
How it works
A doctor answering service works just like other telephone answering services, except that this service is exclusively for doctors and hospitals. When hiring the service, physicians get a number which they can advertise as their 24-hour contact telephone number.
The clients have many options, such as:
- The executives of the answering companies take the call always.
- Call executives take the calls only at the certain timings.
- The executives take calls only when the client physician is not available.
Top features
New technological changes and modern software and hardware advances have added many more useful features to medical call answering services. Some of the latest features include
- instant communication to the clients through multiple mediums, such as text messages, emails, faxes, and mobile phone calls,
- many lines of telephone that virtually rule out the chances of the line being engaged when a patient calls,
- excellent battery and back-up support that ensures smooth functioning of the service round the clock.
Main benefits
Physicians gain a huge number of benefits by hiring a doctor answering service. The first and foremost benefit is that a good answering service can work as if an extended office of the physician. The call executives are like a receptionist that works even after the office hours.
The other benefits of a physician answering service are:
- Better communication between doctors and patients,
- Increased physician confidence among the patients,
- Doctors can relax when they are off-duty, which enhances their efficiency in the long run.
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