Archive for the tag 'doctor office receptionist'

Advantages of an Online Doctor Appointment Scheduler

Dr. Maulik December 8th, 2009

The primary focus of the doctor should be in his practice. He should not be wasting his time in doing supporting activities like managing appointments, attending calls, try to keep the service levels of his office high. Generally, these activities were handled by a receptionist till now but things have drastically changed in the past few years. Technology is playing a huge role in providing support to medical practitioners.

An online appointment scheduler can take your level of services to a completely different level and there are several advantages associated with it.

24/7 Support to Patients

When you install medical software for online appointment schedule it naturally converts your office into a virtual call center that can provide support to patients 24/7. Patients can latch to the system anytime and use the various services provided by the software.

Impact on Earnings

A virtual assistant will relieve you from most of the routine jobs that unnecessarily eat up your time. You will also be able to slash no shows with automated phone reminder that is associated to your online scheduler. Slash also appointment cancellations by introducing  pre-paid appointment service to patient. This save you and staff a substantial amount of time which you can effective utilize to improve other area of your practice and boost your earnings.

Satisfaction of Patients

If your patients are satisfied they will certainly bring your more business. When you have an automated office they will not have to wait for the receptionist to get free and answer them. An automated answering machine is able to handle multiple patients at one time and keep them away from the frustration of waiting.

Staff becomes more Reachable

Good medical software will also comprise of features such as voice commands. These voice commands let the patients reach to emergency contact as well as telephone number for routine business matters. A voice controlled virtual medical receptionist can also take appointment call on your staff behalf.  You staff can now focus better on more important tasks such as caring for patients in waiting room and medical billing .

Reminder Services for the Patients

An online appointment scheduler not only lets the patients book their appointments but also use email and automated call to reminde their appointments time. These reminders is not only good for business but also a good practice to keep patient-doctor relationship. 

Zero Maintenance

Online doctor appointment schedulers does not requires software installation and are very easy to operate. Additionally, they require no maintenance at all. Once in service it can serve you year after year. As web-based computer service, it is reliable, efficient and user-friendly.

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Achieve High Level of Client Satisfaction with Doctor Appointment Scheduler Software

Dr. Maulik November 29th, 2009

The best way to survive in any business is keep your clients satisfied by providing the services to best of your abilities. Most of the medical offices are managed by people today and when there are humans involved there is always a chance of an error. Don’t you think it will be a good idea to use some kind of software that will help you manage your medical services and improve your quality of service substantially? Everybody is becoming internet savvy these days and even your clients will want to do most of the communication with you online. If you provide them a platform and let them schedule and books their appointments online it will give you that extra edge over others as well as save you a lot of money in the long run.

Medical Practice is like any other small business in that cost of business directly affect your bottom line.  If you can do better streamlining the appointment scheduling procedure then you will be able to concentrate more on your core area of expertise. It will result in high levels patient satisfaction and ultimately increase your revenues.

Medical software for online appointment schedule has many benefits associated with it such as reducing paperwork, schedules recurring appointments, provide patient reminder services, act as a virtual receptionist 24/7 and many more.

You have to be a little careful in buying an online appointment scheduler for your automated office and make sure that you get all the necessary features that should be present in such software. Typically you should look out for the following features:

  • Most importantly it should be HIPAA compliant to ensure the security of your client’s information
  • It should let you customize itself as per your medical specialty
  • If you are a little tech savvy then you should definitely look up for the feature of synchronizing your appointments with Google Calendar so that they can be accessible from handheld devices such as iPhone, BlackBerry or Smart-phone
  • It should let you check your appointments through SMS commands or text messages
  • Support for most of the important languages like English, Spanish, French and Chinese

If you get all or most of these features in your online doctor appointment scheduler software then you should conclude that you have found the right software that will cater to all your needs.

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Patient reminder call system –care your patients

Dr. Maulik November 16th, 2009

When it comes to a customer care, there should be no compromise because that is the strength that keeps the business on. Satisfied customer brings more customers and this is a never-ending process to increase significant revenue every month.

To leave hassles behind, doctors now bank on the system that does patient reminder calls automatically. The system helps in keeping the record of patients and calls them back about their feedback or regimen. The good thing about such system is it can also be used for multi-purpose for a smooth medical clinic management. For instance, the system can be fed with different answers and can also be used as answering machine to tackle patients’ calls. The beauty of such answering machine is the callers are never kept on hold and will never get a busy call. They are answered separately but precisely.

Professional patient call answering machine can also be used as online appointment scheduler that helps patients to fix up an appointment with a doctor or health care provider. They can also fix up an appointment for routine checkup. All they have to do is dial the number or simply approach the health care center through internet and fix up the appointment.

Patient reminder call system comes with many benefits. The first among all is it has an option of multiple languages and hence it is quite easier to tackle the patients from other countries, the foreigners. Foreigners can have the choice of languages such as French, Spanish and English etc. They fell homely and there is always a better communication. Patient reminding online system can also be tailored into 24/7 standby receptionists answering calls to the patients without any failure. Professional way to answer the patients’ calls is one of the best things that build the rapport of the health care provider and the clinic or healthcare center.

Another benefit of online virtual medical receptionists is it can synchronize the appointment information with Google Calendar and hence can be managed using handheld devices such as iPhone, SmartPhone and Blackberry. The appointments can be checked through cellular phone using single-word command SMS or plain text message.

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Virtual Medical Answering Service – Pay per Call or Flat Fee ?

Richard E PANTALONY April 18th, 2009

When it comes to medical answering there are many services out there to choose from. But what narrows your search is the ability to stay out of long-term contracts, and be in charge of how you would like to be invoiced. It is important to know what is available before you jump into a service package with a vendor. Once again do your homework, shop around (Search google using on “medical answering” and you will find everything on the Internet), and ask copious amounts of questions of the vendor.

The first question you should ask yourself when choosing medical answering service is what you intend to use it for? Will it be mainly used as a back up or will it be your main front desk receptionist for answering the phone? Are you intending to use it as an after hours appointment scheduler , or will it be used for callbacks and reminders or other functions? This then brings into question how feature rich do you want your package to be?

The more features you purchase the better your overall price will be relative to a basic package with limited options. This will also mean you could probably negotiate for more flexibility when it comes to invoicing. Do not be afraid to ask for what you want in a package, technical support, and billing options. If you shop around and get competitive pricing perhaps you can use those prices to leverage a better deal from your medical answering vendor of choice.

Although purchasing an online virtual medical answering service may not be the largest expenditure your business will ever make but it could well be the most important one. This means you should not jump at the first service that impresses you. Watch the demonstrations and take advantage of the free trial offers, which are generally for 30 days each. DO NOT be afraid to say no if you are not satisfied after the trial ends. Make a call and try a different package.

Pay per call medical answering packages are probably a wise choice for after hours use because the number of after hour calls will in all likelihood be fewer than what you will receive during regular office hours. You can purchase a package with numerous features sufficient for after hours use and pay [depending on the vendor] $50.00 per month. This will include 50 calls, and if you average ten after hours calls a day for 20 days @ $1.00 per call, that’s $150.00 per month extra for paid calls with an excellent medical answering service package.

Flat fee monthly pricing is more cost effective if you are going to be using your virtual medical answering service more often throughout the regular workday. Regular hours use could include back up phone duties, reminder calls, sick days or vacation leave. Perhaps you would like to transfer one of your employees permanently to other more important office tasks, let the virtual answering service be your new office workhorse. An all-inclusive monthly flat fee on a premium package works for these scenarios.

Whatever your reasons for using your new virtual medical answering service, calculate the number of phone calls on average during the time you will be using the service the most and which options you are likely to use more frequently, and base your choice on these factors.

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Your Medical Front Desk Receptionist Is the Tip of the Spear

Richard E PANTALONY December 19th, 2008

Think about what your medical front desk receptionist does all day long and you will realize how critical this presumably straightforward staffing position really is. They are on the frontline of your medical practice and deal with the day-to-day, hour-to-hour and minute-to-minute needs of your callers. Every one of these callers believes their reason for calling is THE most important matter to be dealt with and front desk receptionists are often juggling two or three calls at once!

Separating incoming calls and in-office patients is a mind-bending burden for the health care receptionist especially if the practice is an established one. They must be courteous, relatively outgoing, and even friendly without losing their professional edge. Each patient expects to be treated with respect and given the time of day. If they have been going to the same medical practitioner for some time, chances are they know the medical front desk receptionist as well or even better than the doctor.

It is an understatement that the medical receptionist’s job is chaotic but many medical practices now institute online voice recognition software to lighten the load. Virtual medical receptionist software is the answer for a busy medical practice that wants to keep its professional edge yet maintain a personalized atmosphere within. Allowing your receptionist the luxury of turning on your remote receptionist service every once and a while will give them the freedom to catch their breath and focus on important in-office functions when things get hectic.

The busier your practice becomes, more tasks will inevitably fall on the shoulders of the front desk receptionist. If this employee becomes overwhelmed, having the virtual medical receptionist system as a backup will make them more productive. If staff training were taking place than having the back up receptionist available would be helpful during on the job training periods.

Training your medical front desk receptionist to take on more office challenges is normal for a growing practice so this backup receptionist capability will be a windfall. Being able to trust that your valuable patients are well cared for not only in the examination room but also in the reception area makes for satisfied patients. Having a virtual receptionist as back up for your employee will improve the office environment by ensuring in-house patients are treated personally. As a medical practitioner your focus is your patients’ health and worrying about office operations is simply unacceptable.

Building a medical practice is not easy and requires a plan of action starting with the medical front desk receptionist. They are representative of the kind of practice you are trying to achieve so streamlining their effort with a virtual medical receptionist as back up will increase efficiency. Medical visits are stressful and wait times can be long, so having a virtual medical front desk receptionist frees your staff to provide in person assistance. Your call-in patients will not suffer because of a busy waiting room either.

Back up receptionist duties are vital to any medical practice especially newer or growing practices since staffing levels are being tested constantly by an increasing workload. You could hire a part time receptionist but this will add to your expenses. Considering the use of a remote receptionist service as your medical practice grows and prospers would be a prudent measure.

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Virtual Receptionist Easiest Hire You’ll Ever Make

Richard E PANTALONY December 19th, 2008

Hiring staff employees can be a time consuming burden on your organization or business practice. You need to place a newspaper ad or online advertisement and depending on the position like say, a medical receptionist, it could become costly. When you start fielding phone calls or sorting emailed resumes and snail mailed CV’s you soon realize the burden this all has on your time.

The hiring burden does not stop there. You or someone else on your staff will need to choose a number of reception desk candidates to then interview by phone and eventually, choosing three or four for an in-person interview. You could also call an employment service and they will charge you the first month’s salary or more to find your medical office receptionist candidate but you will still need to interview them. There is a lot of work involved in hiring someone and it is all so unnecessary.

Hire a virtual receptionist! You will be free of all of those hardworks!
A virtual receptionist is a 24/7 back up receptionist you can count on! For the time and money it would cost to hire even a part time or back up receptionist, a virtual receptionist can be ready to handle your front desk receptionist duties in a fraction of the time it would take to hire someone qualified. Your initial investment and set up will be minimal in comparison.

A virtual receptionist will save you money like you won’t believe. Automated voice recognition software never takes a vacation and you will not pay any benefits. You won’t need to worry about scheduling and paying extra hours for a part time versus full time employee. Human resource issues regarding payroll will be non-existent. It is not nearly as costly as it sounds to start using virtual receptionist software and it’s actually simple to learn and use.

With a virtual receptionist, you can avoid staffing issues like maternity leave. You will not experience the frustration of having to arrange for a long-term temporary front desk receptionist when your regular employee informs you of her “happy event”. There are no sick days with a virtual receptionist. So even last minute sick day calls mean a simple switch over to your virtual receptionist and you will not lose any valuable business.

You maintain professional control of all the functions of the virtual office assistant and can even have different languages available. You can program your virtual assistant to ask and answer questions callers may have and set up immediate paging for emergencies. Whenever you leave your office unexpectedly you can be assured your call in clients, patients or general inquiries are being looked after.

If you run a medical practice, dental office, chiropractor clinic, naturopath clinic, or any other form of out patient facility in the medical field the virtual office assistant will seem like it was created and engineered just for you. The virtual receptionist will fit right in to your practice…but you will still have to get your own coffee!

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Dealing with seasonal demand with a virtual receptionist

Aubrey Andrews December 16th, 2008


With the holiday season upon us, you may find that your medical or dental surgery is experiencing lager-than-usual custom, especially by phone. Whether it is someone calling in to say they won’t be making an appointment because of a festive duty, or the opposite, someone calling to make an appointment because of some winter-related injury, this time of year is often the busiest.

So rather than take on new staff, or risk your current reception desk becoming over-run, why not put your patients in the safe hands of a virtual receptionist.

In the same way that you can now order a pizza or check your bank balance by telephone, you can now offer your patients a 24/7 medical answering service and online appointment scheduling by employing a virtual receptionist.

A virtual receptionist can answer and log calls, make appointments, direct calls to the correct recipient and even telephone patients to remind them of their appointment.

Human error is known to be one of the biggest problems in improving productivity, efficiency and quality of service. You only need to look at the improvements we now enjoy thanks to inventions like cash machines, vending machines and self-service supermarket checkouts.

The same principle can now be applied to your medical reception desk.

Your current receptionist is only human, so can only handle one call at a time. That means that if you have an exceptionally busy day, some patients may not be able to get through to you.

These problems are a thing of the past with a virtual receptionist, which is able to handle any number of simultaneous calls, regardless of the call length or reason. No longer need you worry about missing out on calls due to telephone congestion, as all calls are handled simultaneously, with exceptional service and dependability.

Also gone from your practice will be the constant sound of ringing, unanswered phones from your medical front desk. Your staff, rather than being always glued to the receiver making appointments and attending to callers, the virtual receptionist will handle your patients’ every need, leaving your medical reception staff free to concentrate on patients who are actually in the building.

In addition to answering your calls, a virtual receptionist can contact your patients to remind them of appointments, in their own language and in a clear and informative manner. The automated receptionist also detects the difference between human voices and answering machines.

While a human receptionist is limited by the hours they work, the virtual receptionist will retry unanswered calls at different times of the day until they get through to your patient, and logs all calls, attempts and results with efficiency and accuracy.

A virtual receptionist also eliminates other potential pitfalls your patients may encounter, such as regional dialects and accents which can confuse both caller and operator, or human factors such as the receptionist having a cold, or a sore throat that may make them less intelligible.

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IS THIS YOUR MEDICAL OFFICE RECEPTIONIST WANT AD?

Dr. Hawkins December 7th, 2008

Wanted: Experienced medical office receptionist for busy local practice. The qualified candidate must be available 24 hours of the day, seven days a week. Vacation days are not offered. Sleep will not be tolerated. Requirements include perfect coordination of all medical appointment scheduling without error. All individually tailored patient information must be memorized and accessed at will. The successful candidate must be multi-lingual. Pay is less than competitive.

How many responses do you think you will get with a help wanted ad like this? Even in a down economy you will not be interviewing many medical receptionists. Of course, all clinics would love to have a medical front desk receptionist with all of these fantastic qualities, but it’s just not realistic, right? Wrong. A Virtual Medical Office Receptionist is all of these things and more.

Modern web-based doctor appointment scheduling services perform most of the mundane tasks needed to run a medical practice. Your new “medical receptionist” can be a virtual answering service that your patients will love since they are never left on hold again. Plus the natural dialogue is pleasant. When your clinic has a staffing crunch due to illness, vacations or turnover, your new Virtual Medical Office Receptionist is the back up answering system that covers the gap.

Acting as 24/7 medical reception, your automated answering service will field all calls assign them to emergency or non-emergency status. Patients calling urgently in the middle of the night are already stressed out. They either need access to you or someone that can help. They need to know that their physician will return their call or make sure they are helped. Remember that calls do not just come at 2 AM; they also come at 5:01 PM, just as your current medical receptionist is pulling out of the parking lot. You need to have an inviting, fail-proof answering service that can triage all of your calls.

Has your office calculated how much revenue is lost due to missed appointments? When appointments are missed, there tends to be a gap between making a new one. How many patients would have made their appointments if they had a reminder? Now, your patients can receive fully automated appointment reminder calls or emails. Reducing no-show appointments not only helps your bottom line, but also ensures patient continuity of care.

A virtual receptionist service organizes each patient’s information to identify preferences. With secure privacy restrictions in place, your patients’ preference for email or phone appointment reminders is stored. Whether they would rather call the office or use self-service patient appointment scheduling by phone or internet is noted. Plus, the best programs are multi-lingual and interact with patients in the language of their choice.

The perfect doctor office receptionist is available for immediate hire. You do not need to place an ad to find such an exceptional medical receptionist. Web-based medical scheduling programs can greatly improve your office’s efficiency. Place a want ad for a new medical technician instead. Sit back and witness the morale of your office staff soar as they are freed from redundant, monotonous tasks. Your patients will appreciate the smooth appointment scheduling, the friendly staff and the overall quality of care.

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