Medical answering services have been around for quite some time. But that does not mean that they are obsolete now. In reality, they might actually be more important today than ever. With an increased emphasis on the patient’s personal contact, a medical answering service adds the latest technologies to their medical service offerings in order to provide best-in-class medical service to their medical healthcare patients.
For instance, a medical answering service for clinics often features a live person operator. This helps improve the interaction between the patient and medical professional, as well as between medical professionals and their office staff.
What are the benefits of using a medical answering service in your clinic?
One of the benefits of using a professional medical answering service is the benefit to patients. Since the majority of these calls are from patients, the professional staff knows exactly what questions to ask to maximize the patient’s comfort level. They are also trained to steer the conversation so that they are helpful and not too distracting. Some clinics that have used a live person operator have reported a significant reduction in mental health visits for patients who took advantage of the increased personalization and consultation offered by the operators.
Not only are these services beneficial to patients and doctors, but they are also a great benefit to any medical clinic. Any medical office will benefit from the ability to quickly and easily answer all the phone calls and emails that are made to the office.
Even if the clinic is not open at the time that the patients’ call comes in, the receptionist can take messages and quickly put them in order. This means that no one has to leave the front of the clinic waiting while someone gets the information. Because these service operators are always on duty, this also means that the medical answering service will be able to provide the patient with impeccable service, without having to put too much pressure on one employee.
Another benefit of medical answering services is that it helps to maintain the personal relationship that patients have with their physicians. In a day and age when technology is omnipresent in every aspect of life, many patients feel more comfortable receiving their medicine through a phone call than they do through a visit to the doctors’ office. The same is true when it comes to taking their medicine; it is easier for patients to remember the name of the medication, rather than having to jot it down or type it into a computer.
The relationship that patients have with their doctors is a crucial one, and if patients receive good service from a medical answering service, they are likely to be happier with their healthcare professionals. They are far more likely to stay within the organization for longer, if the service they receive is above par.
Final Take
There are numerous benefits to providing a medical answering service, but perhaps the most important is that it helps to ensure patient care. If the medical staff is able to keep up with the demands of the busy lifestyle that many patients have, it will give the medical staff time to focus on more important things, such as taking calls or handling emergency situations.