Archive for the tag 'medical office assistant online'

Is it mandatory to go for patient reminder service?

Dr. Maulik January 20th, 2010

Nothing is mandatory, including your life insurance! But then, you should stop expecting your medical management go flawlessly! More and more health care providers now opt for patient reminder service at their hospitals, clinics and health care centers for a better management. Patient reminder service improves the relationship between doctors and patients as a result of that there could be a significant increase in numbers of satisfied patients.

There are many places where health care providers can get patient reminder service with no extra cost. Nevertheless, many of such service come with multitasking options –for instance, patient reminder service can be used as online appointment scheduler. Online appointment scheduler fixes patients’ appointments with doctors at their preferred time. Automated reminder service automatically makes calls to patients and informs about their forthcoming center visits and appointments whereas online appointment scheduler fixes appointments and informs the doctor by synchronizing it with Google Calendar, which is accessible through handheld devices such as iPhone, Smartphone and Blackberry.

Another benefit that comes with patient reminder service is apart from using it as online appointment scheduler, the system can come with multilingual options; it can be set with French, Spanish or English etc languages to have better communication with foreign patients.

One of the most important factors that contribute to revenue loss of medical center is patient no-shows. Minimizing patient no-shows is quite possible with online automated reminder service and pre-paid appointment facility. And that is why; most of the health care centers are now powered with office automation using online appointment scheduler cum patient reminder system.

You can have an automated virtual receptionist that perform automated phone reminder calls. An automated virtual receptionist can be your standby front desk receptionist 24/7 that makes health care center more accessible for the patients.

When you have an automated, voice controlled virtual receptionist, you patients can contact your medical office anytime and doctors will not miss any potential call or inquiry. Unlike human medical front office receptionist, voice controlled virtual receptionist is tireless and is dependable for performing its tasks without errors. As such system can handle multiple call at the same time, no patient would get a busy tone at any given time that otherwise frustrates the caller forcing him or her to keep the phone down.

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Patient Scheduler Online –Making appointment scheduling easier

Dr. Maulik December 26th, 2009

Advancement in medical informatics has gifted us with powerful medical office automation software. maiking the entire medical management easier than before. 

Good example of such automation is automated virtual receptionist that can book patient appointment over natural language dialog. Tuned with sweet friendly voice, a virtual medical receptionist can not only fixes up patients’ appointments without any error but it can also make automated reminder calls to patients in their preferred language through its multilingual option (such as Spanish, English and French).

If you have patients who love to surf Internet. Such system also provide doctor appointment online scheduler with user friendly modern visual design. Patient self-service scheduling is not only convenience to your patients, but also cost-saving to your medical practice.

Look for a system that can automatically sync patient appointments to Google Calendar so that you can manage business scheduling from any handheld devices such as Smartphone, iPhone and Blackberry.

If your suffer revenu loss because of patient no-shows, you can also use your virtual medical receptionist to make telephone reminder calls. Patient reminder calls can also be tailored as per health care provider’s requirements. For instance, it can be fitted with customized regimen and medical advices.

HIPPA compliant system that has strict norms about security and privacy protection, patient scheduler online is a perfect tool for smooth medical management for all health care providers.

To summarize what a modern office automation system (service) can do for you

  1. It is 24/7, serving calls with reliability and consistency. Patients can contact health care center at anytime they want
  2. Software will never gets tired as people do! There is no option for apathies and laziness in performing virtual medical assistant job. They are simply more dependable, more reliable than live agents.
  3. Automation allows your office staff  to focus their time and attention on other more important jobs. i.e. Your office should see revenu up by keeping your patients happier and by improving medical billing.
  4. Patient reminder calls can develop good relationship between customers and health care provider – cutting down no-shows as well as patient service satisfaction will be key to improved practice income.
  5. Two-way sync Google Calendar system enables health care providers to check, cancel or reschedule appointments when they are away from office.

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Managing Medical Center made easy using Online Appointment System

Dr. Maulik November 10th, 2009

If you are a busy doctor or a health care provider and feel it difficult to tackle all the management at your center, here is a way! You can simply let your health care center go automated, using online appointment scheduler. With all advancement in medical technology, installing the system that can work as virtual receptionist has proven to be a very useful tool to boost the sales and generate revenues.

Medical office assisting system is an automated software plan that can schedule the patients’ appointments with doctors and also call them all for the follow ups. Also, the system can be fed with tailored answers and feedbacks those can be played as and when required. Designed as a 24/7 front desk helpers to the doctors, automated medical receptionist can perform multiple tasks that would never keep patients busy and will run a smooth medical management all day, all night!

Medical answering service helps patients being in touch with medical reception anytime they want. On the other hand, when you are away from the clinic or health care center, you can access all the important information. The medical management automated system can automatically synchronize the appointments information onto the Google Calendar that enables you to manage the schedules from your handheld devices such as iPhone, BlackBerry and SmartPhone. You can also check the appointments on the cellular phones using a single-word-command SMS or text message. All this is possible by installing online medical scheduler.

Telephone appointment reminder can also be used as answering machine that comes with multiple language options (like French, Spanish, and English etc) for a better conversation with your foreign customers, the patients. More and more health care providers are now installing virtual office assistant system that comes with HIPPA compliance that follow very strict security and privacy protection measurements. The system is quite easy to operate and is very useful especially when you have a shared practice (multiple doctor scheduling option).

Medical answering system is proved to be a very helpful tool for health care practitioners who cannot afford more staff for all different tasks. They can save money by installing online appointment scheduler that can also make reminder calls and keeps patients up dated.

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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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Virtual Medical Office Receptionist: Things to ponder before buying this service

Martin Wright February 25th, 2009


I have penned many articles about online appointment explaining its benefits and why every doctor in private practice should invest in it. At the risk of sounding repetitive it is important for me to point out that the services of online appointment are a big plus for any medical practice. There will be reduced pressure, patients will be more satisfied and will most likely visit your practice another time.

Best of all online appointments is having a speech-recognition capable virtual receptionist enable patient self-service appointment by phone. This modern service will help you reduce patient now-shows and generally reduce your operating costs. That said it is vital for me to point out also that not all remote receptionist services are good. So, how do you make sure that you get value for your money?

The Internet is awash with many types of virtual medical office receptionist service providers. However, not all are good or are suitable for your medical practice. It can be tricky for a potential buyer to choose the right service but the following tips should increase your chances of getting a good return for your investment.

Know what you need first

A virtual receptionist can do many things but you may not need all them. It is therefore important to have list of what you are looking for in a front desk receptionist service before committing to buy. What you need depends on the nature of your practice. If you have a problem with patient no-shows for instance, then you need a service that offers ‘call backs’ to remind patients of their forthcoming appointments.

Initial investment

Just like any other businessperson a medical practitioner should be savvy enough to know that tying huge sums of money by paying for services that will be used in the future is not a very good idea. The future is very uncertain and you don’t want a situation whereby the company offering you the service goes under with your one year’s service subscription! Whenever possible, pay in small amounts e.g. for a month’s service. If within that one month you’re not satisfied with what you are getting then you have the liberty of shopping elsewhere.

Operating costs

One of the biggest reasons why many doctors invest in a remote receptionist service is to increase their bottom line. If the service you are buying does not help you to reduce costs and therefore bolster profits especially during these challenging economic times then it makes no economic sense at all to invest in it. Don’t go for a service that requires installation of software or hardware. There are very good receptionist services that are solely based on the web. Go for those ones as you need not call a technician to fix them in your office because they are not working.

Benefits

The main goal of most businesses is to maximize profits. So, ask yourself what you stand to gain by investing in a given type of remote receptionist service. Other than the ability to provide ‘call back’ services, a good receptionist service should also act as a back up receptionist. This will enable your practice to handle pressure especially when there is an upsurge of patients with each needing attention. In addition, if the human receptionist is out for one reason or another the backup receptionist can ‘take over’. This would in turn prevent unnecessary losses in revenue due to customer dissatisfaction.

Thus, as you plan to give your practice a boost make sure you bear these few points in mind. You will end up with a better service at a lower cost and ultimately more returns.

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Virtual Medical Office Receptionist: A Good Investment Now and In The Future

Martin Wright February 2nd, 2009

Medical professionals should be a happy lot especially due to the fact that health related practices and the education sector are some of the areas that have managed to remain steady even with the current economic tantrums. Despite the recession people still have to go to school and seek medical care. However, it is important to note that the recession has been so severe such that some people are even postponing visits to the doctor. That means that the profits are not as high as they used to be before the recession set in.

Due to this medical practitioners are devising ways of beating their competitors. They are doing major restructuring and changing the way they normally run their business. One way of doing this is to ensure that the overall customer satisfaction is looked into. Private medical practices are ensuring that the medical receptionist not only helps in retaining the usual clients but also attracts new ones. Unfortunately most health practitioners have realized that human receptionist can only do so much. When overstretched, the human receptionist caves in easily. A medical clinic receptionist can only take one phone call at a time, attend to one or two clients at a time and gets tired pretty fast. Human beings are also affected by their surrounding environment and the pressure that sometimes characterizes medical practices can sometimes take its toll on the medical office receptionist. This has made medical practitioners to invest in what is commonly referred to as a Virtual Medical Office Receptionist.

Unlike a human front desk receptionist a medical office assistant online will not get tired or sleepy on the job. It is an easy to install program that can complement the existing medical office staff and can do the necessary but otherwise repetitive and sometimes boring tasks. This program does not require any maintenance and will not complain or ask for a raise! A 24/7 backup receptionist as it is also known ensures that your office remains ‘open’ even after your normal office hours. It is capable of distinguishing between the important and less important calls and ensuring that the important ones get through to you in real time. This is a huge plus for your practice because patients will know you as a reliable medical practitioner and hence developing customer loyalty. In addition, such a health care receptionist will help your business cut the huge losses that are sometimes as a result of the patient no-shows.

Well, you may be saying to yourself, ‘that must cost a whole lot of money’. It all depends with what you want and the software provider. The market is awash with a lot of office automation software. However, before buying any kind of software ensure that you know exactly what you want. Once your ‘shopping list’ is ready then find the software that serves your purpose.  Get a program whose payment is done monthly so that you don’t tie up a lot of your money and the software is not delivering what you expected. Have some ‘exit route’ if a need to exit arises. With this information now you can buy the software that suits your practice well.

Give your medical practice a ‘facelift’ today by investing in a good back up receptionist.  It is a sure and cost effective way of not only beating this recession but also a worthwhile investment into the future!

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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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