How a Custom Automated Message System Enhances a Medical Office

Large ‘live’ call-taking services connect callers with real humans at any time of day or night so a message can be taken and passed on in the correct path. The downsides to this approach are the high expense of paying individuals for 24-hour coverage, the risk of miscommunication or vital information getting lost in translation and the lack of flexibility as call-takers use a script to read from and a process to follow.

The best automated med answering services allow the machine to do all the work after custom messages have been created to account for the client’s unique situation. This ensures that single physician offices have the same level of service as facilities with multiple locations and several doctors employed.  Specialty areas of the medical field can tailor their messaging and routing options to known specific patient needs and situations, so the caller knows what to do to get the help they need. At a basic level, the patient gets to select the priority of their call between urgent and non-urgent which determines whether the on-call physician is contacted immediately, or the message is stored and prepared for secure delivery at the scheduled time the next business day.

The next layer of customization offered by the best doctors answering services is the contact notification list which documents the on-call schedule and the individual physician’s contact preferences. If a text/call is not returned within a designated period of time, then the system moves to the next name on the list until the patient is connected with a health professional to discuss their situation. Callers appreciate the automated system because it allows them to leave a message in their own words for the office with no concern that information will get lost in translation especially when the service offers multi-lingual messaging for diverse communities.  

Pricing is always a concern when deciding where to spend capital on third-party services but with the flat rate, no contract option, every client gets the same level of quality attention and they don’t have to focus on monitoring call/message volume because it’s covered. This puts the attention fully on patient care both in the office during business hours and after the doors have closed when life continues to happen with accidents and unforeseen situations.

Doctors never diagnose patients with the exact same code in every visit, so why choose a messaging service that offers the same solution for everyone. Instead, choose a top-rated answering system that customers find easy to work with, requires no installation to put into place and offers a free demo to try it out before making a final decision. Patients are in control of their health so they are the best ones to leave the message about a question or concern so the office staff can review, prioritize and get to the doctor for a timely callback. This efficient process increases confidence in the doctor and provides a positive environment for patients to feel comfortable where they are a face and not just a record number.

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