Three Reasons why the Office Message System Should be User-Friendly

by Kristen White Blogger

Patients have busy lives between their work schedules, family responsibilities and social engagements. While their health is important, especially if they have a specific condition, trying to talk with their doctor for simple questions should not be a task that takes a lot of time. They should be able to call the office number any time, day or night, and leave a message that will be returned in a timely manner. This allows them to call according to their schedule with full confidence they will get a response that same day or the next business day. A timely response from the doctor’s staff gives the impression that they care about the patient and respects their time.

Another reason to use a reliable physicians answering service is for patient privacy which is a critical part of a medical practice. There are plenty of message systems to choose from but if they do not have a secure system or a dedicated way to protect patient information then it doesn’t matter what the price is because they shouldn’t be used. A doctor’s office is responsible even with a third party to maintain this and, if there is a breach of privacy, then fines and penalties will be imposed. In addition, patients may lose confidence in the medical office if they realize that secure protocols are not in place and if their information is not being treated with care than their physical health may not be getting the quality attention it deserves.

During an emergency, patients should not have to ‘jump through hoops’ to get in touch with their doctor. The best after hours medical answering service should be easy to follow, straightforward and simple so patients can choose the path they need to leave a message and get immediate response. To help ensure this expectation is met, the service should have a reliable on-call process that contacts the correct individual in their preferred method. During difficult medical situations, patients want to feel like they are the top priority for their doctor so the faster the response, the more confident they are in the professional health guidance that is given to them. If they have to fight the system to figure out which option to select then they are going to be frustrated and either hang up and go a different route or they will already be in a bad mood when the physician calls them back. Keeping the process simple is one of the best ways to ensure customer expectations are met.

While choosing an after-hours message service may seem like a small decision, it can have significant impacts on how a patient views the practice and the physician’s ability to do their job. Every aspect of this system should exude professionalism, simplicity and a desire to meet patient expectations about communication during the day and after the office has closed. Take time to go online and search for a vendor that has an excellent reputation, meets these standards and offers affordable flat rate pricing that works with the budget.