What it Takes to Become a Patient-Centered Medical Provider
Like in every business, profits are the measurements of your medical practice’s success. That said, its primary goal is patient care. Here is what it takes to become a more patient-centered provider, and here is how a physician answering service can help.
Everyone is a Caregiver
To be a patient-centered medical provider, everyone who comes in contact with your patients should be considered caregivers. This includes the physicians and nurses as well as the front office and billing staff.
However, this can be a tall order for administrative staff that may not be trained in patient care or cold be otherwise overwhelmed with work. One way you can help give them some relief is to partner with a medical answering service that will answer your practice’s phones and act as an extension of your business. With a quieter atmosphere, everyone can put more focus on the patients who are in the office.
Increase Your Availability
Patients need to know that they can reach out to their medical provider and speak to someone about their issues. When they can only reach the voicemail or a confusing mane that sends them for a loop, it tells them that nobody cares about their wellbeing. A physician answering service will allow you to have a live, friendly call operator answer your phones around the clock.
Your call operator will not only understand medical terminology, but they will also show compassion and patience with each caller. Once a patient describes their reason for calling, the call operator can forward a message, schedule an appointment, or contact an on-call doctor or nurse for urgent matters.
Be Responsive and Accountable
One thing all patients dislike the most is unanswered questions or complaints. If you ignore a patient long enough, they will either go somewhere else for care or spread the word about their bad experience, or both.
Instead, put a system in place to respond as quickly as possible to any patient concerns or complaints. When you are using a medical answering service, you can ask your call operator to fill out a specific form to detail concerns or forward those concerns to a particular person in your office so that they could be addressed immediately.
Respect Your Patients’ Privacy
In the wake of some of the largest data breaches in history over the past several years, patients are understandably nervous about the security of their private information. One of the best ways to show patients you care about them and respect their privacy is to ensure you are 100% HIPAA compliant.
When using a HIPPA compliant medical answering service, you can continue to deliver the highest degree of privacy and security to patients. Also, this way, you will protect your practice from potential liability. Your physicians’ answering service will be HIPAA compliant through the use of secure technology. In addition, it will have training programs in place for all call operators regarding the latest HIPAA and omnibus rules.
When you own or manage a medical practice, the business can become hectic, and your focus might get blurred between patient care and business success. The good news is, the better you take care of patients and pay attention to their needs, the more successful your practice will become.
If you would like to know more about the benefits of hiring a medical answering service, contact Answering365 now for a free consultation. We are available 24/7 via the website contact form or at 888-588-9800
