If you run a medical practice, your patients are your most important consideration. You are there to serve their needs in the most efficient and prompt manner, and because there is competition in the medical field, you risk losing patients if they feel they are not being treated properly. Many physicians are turning to live medical call center services to fill their telephone answering needs, but there can be problems with these services.
Prioritizing Patient Calls
Patients call your office all during the day and night and for a number of reasons. Some may have questions about medications or treatment options. Plus, some patients may actually be experiencing medical emergencies when they call. Your medical call center must make sure the most important calls are sent through to you or the doctor who is on call. You would think a live call center would be best for this issue, but you could be wrong.
Suppose a patient calls your practice at 11 pm on a Saturday night. He is experiencing chest pains and wants to talk to a medical professional. Now also assume this patient has called numerous times before and is known to be a hypochondriac. Your medical call center personnel may not take him seriously and he could actually be in the early stages of a heart attack. This could end up in a nasty lawsuit and a long drawn out legal battle.
HIPAA Laws
Current patient privacy laws are very strict and as a medical professional you are responsible for data breaches. People sometimes make mistakes and it’s possible for a staff member from the medical call center to accidentally disclose privileged medical information about one or several of your patients.
Monthly Costs
It takes a great deal of money to operate a medical practice. For example, the cost of professional liability and business insurance continues to escalate and you must pass these costs on to your patients. Plus, a live medical call center can be very expensive.
The Solution to Live Services
There is a viable alternative to a live call center. A trusted automated call center has the ability to triage all your calls and serves you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It always works the same way each time, so this eliminates the possibility of human error. In addition, when you find a company which charges flat rate fees, you know what your bill is each month and you can save a great deal over the costs of a live medical call center.
