Archive for the tag 'medical office assistant'

Complete your office automation with Online Appointment Scheduler

Dr. Maulik January 19th, 2010

If you think your office automation is completed without installing online appointment scheduler that takes care of arranging patients’ appointments online, probably you need to look at some of the great benefits that come with that wonderful system.

Online appointment scheduler, as the term suggests, is software system that fixes patients appointments online without any human assistance! If this is not enough, patient appointment scheduler can also perform various tasks that are quite difficult by human medical receptionists at a time. The patients do not need to go through series of questionnaires! Also, the system can be manipulated as per doctor’s expertise and can be used as automated virtual receptionist.

Easy availability is one of the best tools to take your business graph on high! By installing online appointment scheduler for patients, the health care center is accessible by patients 24/7 without any hassles. In addition, when your use a scheduler connecting virtual receptionist, there are no chances for the patients to get busy calls that otherwise frustrate them and they keep down the phone. Woven with latest technology, the virtual receptionist cum online appointment scheduler comes with multilingual option for smoother communication with foreigners. Designed in a very user friendly way, automated virtual receptionist is gaining much popularity among health care providers for medical management.

Some added features of online medical management system include its reminder service. The system can make calls to patients and remind them about their forthcoming appointments and visits to health care centers. Also, patients can be notified about their regimen, dos and don’ts as per doctor’s advice using patient reminder calls. Reminder service, according to many health care providers, proves to be very helpful in minimizing patient no-shows those are major factors contributing the revenue loss.

Online appointment scheduler also synchronizes patients’ appointments with Google Calendar and sends it to handheld devices such as Blackberry, iPhone and Smartphone. A two way communication allows health care providers to reschedule, cancel or alter appointments as per his or her convenience. This proves to be very useful tool for health care providers who travel out of their town/clinics frequently.

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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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Why should you switch to an Online Doctor Appointment Scheduler?

Dr. Maulik November 29th, 2009

Although, it is said that humans are more intelligent than machines but it will not be wrong if we say that machines are more dependable than humans. Even we as humans do not trust other humans but we trust the computers. Technology has really made machines so powerful that they have outperformed humans in efficiency and reliability.

As any other office, medical offices also have receptionists to help doctors coordinate with the patients and perform jobs like answering to the queries of patients, fixing appointments and do a basic level of management. With the advances of technology these routine jobs can be done very well with medical software for online appointment schedule. A medical professional who is a little techno savvy can get the information of all the appointments directly on to his handheld device like iphone or blackberry, if the online appointment scheduler is synchronized with the Google calendar. Some of the best software also let you know about the appointments by single word command SMS or using a text message.

A virtual receptionist is also capable of communicating in several languages such as English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Look out for a Doctor Appointment Scheduler that should also has patient reminder services bundled with it so that it can also help you from loosing any revenue resulting from no shows by patient. This is done by either and automated email notification and a telephonic reminder to the patient. Things will be a lot easier to handle with you will have an automated office. An online appointment scheduler works all the responsibilities of a virtual receptionist and also able to respond to your patients using an automated answering machine.

We have seen the advantages of a doctor appointment scheduler but there are few things you should consider when you decide to purchase such software.

Before you decide to buy and online doctor appointment scheduler make sure that it is HIPAA compliant to ensure security and privacy of the conversation as well as patient information. You should also ask for additional features that the product has when compared with the competitive products. One such important feature you should look for is the ability of the software to let you customize it as per your medical specialty.

Do not shy away from asking for a Demo of the short listed medical software as it will give you a clear picture of the features supported as well as let you have a look at the user interface of the system.

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Finally, the solution to the ‘new patient curse’

Martin Wright May 3rd, 2009

Paperwork, loads and loads of paperwork! That’s what goes through the mind of many doctors in private practice without a virtual medical office receptionist when a new patient walks in the door. Of course there is the initial excitement of your practice growing but then the reality sinks in a short time after that.

There is a routine common to every new patient visiting a privately owned medical practice for the first time. The paperwork and the processing involved is time consuming and can be cumbersome for both patients and medical staff. Patients have to fill forms that allow the release of information, insurance forms, forms about their medical history and HIPAA agreements. If your practice is receiving a steady flow of new patients and you would like this trend to continue, do not let the paperwork overwhelm you and your staff. It’s time to let technology work in your favor.

A virtual medical office receptionist will ease the burden of paperwork for both your patients and your staff. Your patients will especially enjoy the convenience of scheduling their own appointments with the help of a medical assistant online. What’s more they can do this from the comfort of their homes as opposed to spending several hours in a medical reception.

A remote receptionist service allows new patients to enter their insurance information and other medical history into a HIPAA compliant website. This virtual receptionist saves you the cumbersome task of having to cross check the new patient’s health insurance to ensure that it can be accepted at your practice. A virtual medical office receptionist will do the cross checking of the new patient’s insurance as well as ensure that the HMO that covers the patient approves you as a physician. When the patient is sure that their visit will be covered by their health insurance they can go ahead and schedule an appointment.

Your remote receptionist service will also act as a backup receptionist. In any busy medical practice a front desk receptionist is required to attend to patients waiting in the lounge as well as answer phone calls. This can be cumbersome and your medical office assistant may not be able to work efficiently enough. A virtual medical office assistant can greatly ease this burden. When your regular receptionist is busy attending to the needs of patients waiting in the lounge, the backup receptionist can answer any incoming phone calls. This remote receptionist service can assist both old and new patients in scheduling appointments. The virtual receptionist will forward any calls that are of a more complex nature. Your regular receptionist will also be spared the burden of having to assist new patients in filling out bulky forms, processing and filling them.

Remote receptionist services are also 24/7 backup receptionists. Patients can call any time of the day to schedule appointments or log in online to do the same.

Many doctors reading this may be tempted to shrug off the idea of a virtual medical office assistant as an unnecessary luxury. It is a necessity to those who want their practice to run efficiently. Once you give the virtual receptionist a try you will be left wondering how you ever got by without it in the first place.

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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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