Providing the best services to all patients 24/7 is an important part of any doctor’s office. Having a top answering service is critical to handling both emergency and non-emergency phone calls. In choosing the best service, office managers may focus on the price, but there is more to consider when looking a different physician answer service cost factors.
It is important to realize that price is only one part of the total physician answer service cost. Unfortunately, it is often the one that is front and center when trying to decide which type of service to use.
Often the physician answer service cost is judged by the dollar amount, with the lower cost options dismissed as low quality or less effective. In reality, the automated and low-cost systems are highly dependable, fully HIPPA compliant and can be customized to ensure only the correct doctor on call receives emergency messages.
Speed of Notification
With an automated system, there is never the need for a third-party, medically untrained operator to try to determine if the call rises to the level of an emergency or not.
This means that within seconds of the patient calling into the office, the doctor on call is notified of the emergency message and can immediately respond to the patient through the system with a press of the button.
Additionally, when evaluating this physician answer service cost feature, keep in mind that a patient will never receive a busy signal or be put on hold, giving a more professional and compassionate response for your patients. This not only assists during an emergency situation, but it also helps with your branding and reputation as a top quality medical health provider.
Physician Confidence in the System
In some situations, even when using a very high priced answering service manned by experienced phone service staff, mistakes can occur. This can result in a physician being called when they are not the on-call doctor, or a call be missed due to high volume into the call center.
When these things happen on a regular basis, the physicians lose confidence in the after-hours system. This adds to the physician answer service cost as office managers have to deal with complaints from their doctors as well as complaints from patients.
With the technology of today, automated systems that are highly effective, eliminate human error, and add to the patient experience need to be considered when looking at physician answer service cost.
While No More Phone Tag is one of the lowest cost systems available, there is more to consider with physician answer service cost.
