Worst Case Scenarios, Why You Need an Answering Service

With reports of identity theft and problems with financial responsibility running rampant, you can’t be too careful with your information. One place where you should feel completely confident with all of your personal info is with your healthcare provider. It’s very important to be able to give your doctor any and all information that might be prudent to your health care and your insurance.

 
This makes sure that you’re not being overcharged for services, and if they’re able to provide the kind of care that you need. Unfortunately, there are times when this information Finds Its way into the hands of the wrong people. This could be everything from medical records to your personal billing numbers. So, how does this happen?
 
Sometimes, private practices simply get overwhelmed with an influx of new patients. The insurance billing is not as easy as many people believe it to be. It’s a complex process that involves several different steps before statements are ever issued to the patients. Trying to get information to and from the patients is generally the responsibility of Secretarial staff. This can go beyond billing information, and involve sensitive Healthcare information as well. If someone who has the same last name as you is waiting on test results, the last thing they want is for someone else to get that important phone call.
 
If you don’t have a department within your practice strictly dedicated to communication, you can end up with badly crossed wires. When this affects the quality of health care provided, it can have a devastating effect on the practice itself. There are some times when legal consequences can shut down an office altogether. Avoiding this is as easy as hiring an answering service for doctor’s offices. There are wonderful services that can be outsourced and will handle all of the office communication. They understand the delicate handling of medical information, and can adhere to HIPAA privacy laws. If an office continues on its own, these are just a few of the worst things that can happen:
 
Missing Urgent Calls
 
There are times when patients desperately need to speak to a doctor immediately. Without the help of an answering service, sometimes these calls can fall through the cracks. This can have devastating effects for the health and well-being of some of your clientele. If they’re unsure of whether or not something is an emergency, and they are hesitant to go to the emergency room they may call you for input. If the phone call doesn’t find its way to the doctor, they can end up suffering serious medical consequences. It’s very important that emergency calls be correctly and quickly routed to the doctor on call.
 
Information Leak
 
When messages are taken incorrectly, they can end up allowing medical information to fall into the wrong hands. This is especially true if you have more than one patient with the same last name. If the last name is all that’s left on the message information and they’re requesting sensitive Medical information, then a doctor or nurse can return the phone call to the wrong patient. This is a violation of privacy laws, and can lead to severe legal penalties.
 
Scheduling Mix Ups
 
Scheduling issues have a major impact on the quality of service provided at a doctor’s office. When patients are forced to wait for hours at a time, or reschedule their appointments altogether they lose faith in their Healthcare practitioners. Scheduling is extremely important, and this is one reason why an answering service is an excellent asset. They have the ability to access the daily itinerary for the office, and to schedule things appropriately. This prevents double-booking and long wait times.

Report this Page