Continuing with the theme of the last post, we're taking a closer look at one of the main challenges faced by medical practices according to the 2011 MGMA member survey. For the past few years, operating costs have been rising faster than revenues for the average medical practice and this trend is expected to continue.
Cost cutting is a necessity for medical practices. Automation of routine tasks can help cut costs and boost office efficiency without compromising customer service. Let's look at three ways that automation decreases business operating expenses:
Incoming message management. An automated answering service can replace the more expensive live doctor answering services. A virtual office phone answering service records messages and sends new message notifications, providing greater message accuracy and greater speed and reliability than a live human operator can. The automated service can route callers according to their reason for calling and perform many of the functions of a medical receptionist when the practice is closed.
Timely responses to after hours calls from patients with the need for clinical advice are also an opportunity to increase patient satisfaction and look after your patient's health.
Outgoing automated messages that improve communication with patients. An automated notifications service can perform functions typically performed by a receptionist, including sending out appointment reminders, payment reminders, lab results availability, and more. Think of how many appointment reminder calls your office makes per week, per month, and per year. The cost of those phone calls adds up quickly, especially if you pay extra for long distance. With an automated reminders system in place, you can decrease your monthly phone bills. If you mail appointment reminders, shifting to automated phone reminders will save you about 35 cents per postcard or 85 cents per letter.
Offering greater convenience with self service tools. A new survey conducted by Intuit, the company behind Quicken Health financial management software, found that 72% of respondents said they would "use online tools to pay bills, send messages to physicians, make appointments and get lab results. Eighty-four percent would fill out forms online prior to an appointment if that option were available."
Cost cutting need not involve reducing staff but it should involve making better use of your staff and increasing office efficiency. Instead of paying your receptionist to make hundreds of reminder calls per week, why not have her use her time in a more valuable way? Let the service send out the reminders through an automated call system. Maybe your receptionist can spend that extra time on billing or something that raises your revenues. You won't have to hire someone just to help out with making phone calls.
It's a new year and the time we typically reflect on lessons learned in the previous year. Here at Webley MD, we deal with helping our clients with their patient no show problem every day. We've compiled a list of best practices that can help medical practices manage their patient no shows.
Tip #1: Send out messages when patients are likely to be home
If you have handled reminder calls from your office during regular business hours, you know that you reach an answering machine 80% of the time. You have a better chance of reaching most people at home by calling in the evening. By using an automated reminder system, calls can be made in the evenings and on the weekends, when patients are likely to be home.
Tip #2: Make the message personal and specific
Your appointment reminders are more effective if you can provide your patients with personalized information about their appointments. Always mention the date of the appointment, time of the appointment, and the patient’s name. Look for an automated reminder system that makes it easy to add personalized information for each call.
Tip #3: Be clear and offer to repeat information
Many reminder calls are made from a noisy practice by someone rushing to get through the reminder calls before the office closes. It’s better to use a pre-recorded message for appointment reminder calls. A good script for reminder phone calls keeps the message short and simple and minimizes background noise. Make sure the message is clear, slow-paced, and that the patients have the option to have key information repeated.
Tip #4: Automate to save valuable office time
At a typical practice, reminder calls can take several hours every day. Each call takes at least three minutes and it can take multiple attempts to reach a patient. Good appointment reminder software makes it simple to automate your phone reminders. When you do not have to make each call manually, you save valuable office time. A good reminder system also saves time on tracking appointment confirmations and cancellations.
For additional information, visit our
website.
An automated patient messaging service can be just what your staff needs, if you find that understaffing and/or inefficiency are plaguing your practice. By automating time consuming, routine tasks such as appointment reminder calls, lab test results notifications, and account balance due notifications, reminder call software offers the following key benefits to your staff:
Reliability and tracking. The service automatically tracks when messages were sent and message outcomes (e.g., someone answered the phone, message was left on an answering machine). Because of this tracking, your staff will know with certainty whether the reminders and other messages were sent.
Time savings. Your staff can save hours a day by using this service and reducing the number of calls that they need to make. This is time that they can spend on other tasks, such as greeting patients.
Improved communication with patients. Your messaging service can use multiple communication channels (phone, email, text) to reach patients according to their communication preferences and it can do this when your practice is closed. Your staff will appreciate the ease and effectiveness of automating routine patient messaging.
Your staff may have some concern that automating calls will reduce their usefulness and possibly their job security. While this is a natural concern, a good manager will find better uses for his/her employees and since this should improve the overall health of the practice, this benefits all employees.
Driven by economic necessity, many physicians are seeing more patients than ever. Some are extending their hours to accommodate more patients. "According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, more than one in three primary care doctors now sees patients after hours, a figure experts say has surged among all specialties in the past 12 to 18 months."
This increase in patient load puts a greater demand on office staff as well. Over 75% of physician's practices use reminder telephone calls from their staff to remind patients about their appointment time and date. Even the smallest practice can benefit from automating appointment reminder calls.
Reminder phone calls from a phone dialer program help maintain peak patient flow. An automated appointment reminder system uses a computer software program to dial customers at a preset time before their appointment. A pre-recorded message provides a details of the appointment, including date, time and patient name. Even messages that are left on answering machines serve as effective reminders. However, the most effective reminder (i.e., the one with the lowest probability of a no show) is one where you reach your patient and your patient confirms the appointment.
Traditional communication methods have grown less effective
Many traditional patient appointment reminder techniques are no longer as effective today because lifestyles and communication preferences have changed. It's easier to reach many people on their cell phone and email than at home with a phone call.
Calling patients to remind them of upcoming appointments may take up several hours of effort. Dialing each person by hand and speaking with them, or leaving a message takes away from patients that are in the office. Using an automated phone reminder service can help to reach patients without the effort of a staff member. And the phone dialer can make calls during the evening, when the practice is closed and patients are more likely to be home.
Automated phone reminders are more efficient and more cost effective. The cost of making an automated phone call is typically 80% less than mailing a postcard and 72% less than making a manual phone call.
The same call reminder can deliver other routine messages, such as account balance notifications, lab test results, recommended health screenings, and more.
Automated phone calls have proven effective at getting the patient's attention and may offer interactive features that make it convenient for the patient to respond. This also makes it extremely easy for practices to track responses.
Many medical and dental practices have persistent problems with patients that don't show up for their appointments. And many practices, both large and small, have found a successful solution to this problem by using reminder call software. To obtain the best results with automated appointment reminders, we recommend the following best practices:
Personalize your message. Anyone is more responsive to a message that is personalized. Look for a reminder call service that can customize the call script based on the needs of your practice and also include the basic information: the patient's name, time and date of appointment.
Short, clear messages work best. While it's tempting to create a long message, an effective call reminder is clear, short, simple and slow paced. The patient needs to have an option to repeat the message and to hear key information again. This is the type of message that is most likely to be understood and remembered.
Call when the patient is likely to be home. A patient appointment reminder may not be as useful if the patient is not at home when the system calls. The patient may not check his messages often or the message can be lost if there is a power outage, someone deletes it, etc. Phone reminder software can send out messages in the evenings or on weekends when the patient is more likely to be home to receive it.
Include an easy way to respond. You can further reduce no show rates by capturing appointment confirmations and cancellations. Some appointment reminder services allow for interactive messages. Make it easy for the patient to respond to the message and you'll have a better idea of who will show up on the day of the appointment.
Consider message timing. Sending reminders a day before the appointment may not be enough to ensure that the patient receives the message (e.g., it may take multiple attempts to deliver the message). We've generally found that 2 days before the appointment works best. Of course this can differ by practice, so you may want to try a few variations and track the results to see what works best for your practice.
Send the message according to patient preferences and characteristics. Your goal for sending appointment reminders is to reach the patient in a timely manner and maximize the chance that the message is understood. You stand a greater chance of accomplishing your goal if you are able to send the message using the preferred communication channel of the patient, whether that is by email, to a particular phone number, etc. Have a large Spanish speaking patient base? Look for a reminder service that offers a Spanish language option.
If you have other best practices for sending appointment reminders, we'd love to hear them.
Medical practices of any size can reduce operating costs by adopting money saving technologies. Why? Typically the cost of support staff accounts for 32% of medical practice expenses. Because staffing is such a high cost area, shifting time away from routine phone calls is cost effective. It could save a larger practice from hiring an extra employee.
A file clerk is better utilized maintaining the charts than making reminder calls to patients. These calls often require callbacks and playing phone tag before the patient is finally reached. A system that can leave an automated personalized message reminder saves a significant amount of staff labor. If your practice still mails appointment reminders, the savings of adopting an automated patient notification service are even greater.
Replacing your live answering service with an automated answering service is another way that technology can save money for your practice. Most patients are used to automated answering services. A good automated service can provide all the services of a live answering service (e.g., message taking, new message notification, on-call physician scheduling) with superior speed, accuracy, and consistency.
Look for technology solutions that do not involved an expensive equipment purchase or require you to install software programs on your office computers. Equipment quickly becomes outdated, takes up valuable space, and requires costly maintenance. Software programs also become outdated, take up memory space, may charge extra for support and can be costly you are charged for each installation. Third party application service providers (ASPs) deliver services on demand, over the Internet. Because the vendor owns and maintains the software, users can access the service from any computer that is connected to the Internet and issues like compatibility, maintenance and upgrades are minimized.
CDW Healthcare recently
surveyed physician practices to determine the cost of EHR adoption. Based on their survey, they estimate the cost of EHR to be $120,000 in the first year of use. The main cost was the workflow slowdown caused by the EHR adoption, which on average led to a 10% reduction in the number of patients appointments.
Patient reminder call solutions are easy to adopt and pay off quicklyIn contrast to EHR implementation, hosted patient reminder call solutions can be quickly implemented with minimal training and very little cost (in some cases, under $1,000). Rather than slowing down workflow, phone reminder software speeds up workflow by freeing up staff time, time that was once spent making manual reminder calls. By reducing no show rates and increasing staff productivity, a good appointment reminder service can pay for itself in a matter of a few weeks.
Send automated notifications without purchasing equipment or installing software
A hosted automated patient notification service does not require any equipment purchase and the software is not installed on your practice's local computers. Any practice with computers and Internet access has the equipment that it needs.
The reminder call service is delivered online. Because the software is maintained by the application service provider, subscribers are ensured of having the latest updates.
Fast implementation and customization to your needs
Switching your communications regimen to an automated service is simple. There is typically a short and simple implementation period, typically 6 weeks or less. During implementation, the notification service is customized to your practice's needs. It is during this period that the practice selects its scripts and other options. Testing and training also occur during this period.
Reminder call services are much simpler than EHRs. They have fewer features and require much less training. This also makes them easy and quick to adopt. For additional information, visit Webley.
Wondering why an increasing number of practices are relying on automated patient notification systems to make reminder calls? Here are the top four reasons for adopting an automated appointment reminder service:
1. Greater reliability and effectivenessAutomated reminders are superior to manual calls because they are consistently sent. Running out of time to make reminder calls will no longer be a valid excuse because it takes only a few minutes to extract a patient file and send it to the reminder service. In some cases, this data may be sent automatically to the service.
Automated reminders have a better chance of reaching the patient, particularly when they come in the form that the patient prefers and are sent using more than one communication channel (e.g., phone, email, SMS). In addition, reminder calls can go out during the evening and on weekends, when patients are more likely to be home.
Greater reliability and effectiveness lead to lower no show rates and higher revenues.
2. Time once spent making phone calls can be spent with patients
For your staff, adopting an automated notifications service means that you recognize that they could use a helping hand. They'll have more time for other valued tasks, including assisting patients.
3. Frees up phone lines
Automated reminder calls are made without tying up your phone line and since your staff is no longer making reminder calls manually, your patients will find it easier to get through to a live person when they call. 4. Inexpensive, easy to adopt
Today's hosted, on demand, automated patient notification systems do not require installation and are extremely easy to adopt and use. They are also lower in cost than the older, more complex turnkey systems of the past.
A hosted automated patient notification service does not require any equipment and the software is not installed on your practice's local computers. The service is delivered online. Because the software is maintained by the application service provider, subscribers are ensured of having the latest updates. Integration issues, if there are any, are taken care of by the application service provider.
For additional information, please visit Webley.
I wanted to give a shout out to a blog that I found that seemed particularly helpful for medical practice managers. It's called
Manage My Practice and the author is Mary Pat Whaley, a practice administrator in North Carolina. If you're a practice administrator, you're sure to identify with her and if you're not, you can learn what the life of a practice administrator is like.
One
recent blog post contained many helpful pointers for practices that are struggling with answering patient phone calls. Mary Pat writes: "The only answer to understaffing is technology. Use a patient portal to allow patients to request refills, schedule appointments and chat with billing staff or nurses. Replace paper charts with EMR. Use efaxing to eliminate paper faxes. Use the cloud to store information and collaborate."
The key themes are (1) centralizing your information to make it easily accessible to others at your practice, (2) reducing paper - it's eco-friendly, saves money and makes it less likely that something will get overlooked/lost, (3) increasing the accessibility of your staff to your patients - maybe this means that it's time to let your patients email your staff, (4) offering self-service features for patients.
Automated patient messaging systems, aka
reminder call software, save time and money for your practice. They make it easier for the practice to communicate with patients, whether it's sending appointment reminders or telling patients that their lab test results are available. They make it easier for patients to confirm their appointments. And the system tracks patient responses, creating an electronic report that can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.
Automated voice answering services answer the phone for your practice and direct your callers - connecting them to the right person or organizing messages when no one can answer the phone. By connecting the caller to the right department or person, messages are organized, saving response time and the potential for lost or incorrectly relayed messages.
The
virtual office receptionist answers the phone during lunch, breaks and after hours. The automated answering service can be easily turned on or off whenever the practice feels it is necessary or when everyone is away from the office.
Did you know that your practice could be losing up to $180,000 per year? As shocking as that seems, it is very likely to be true. Most practices suffer from a steady percentage of “no-show” rates that take great chunks out of their annual income. If your practice sees 1,000 patients a month, has a no show rate of 20% and earns $75 per visit, no shows cost your practice $180,000 a year in lost income.
It is easier than you think to get most of that money back. There are three simple steps to regaining lost revenue by reducing your no show rate:
Step 1: Get AnswersAsk your patients how they would prefer to communicate with your practice. How can your practice most effectively remind him or her of an upcoming appointment? For many patients, the most effective appointment reminder is going to be something other a call to a home number during the day or an appointment reminder card. Plus knowing how your patient would like to be reached will also come in handy when you need to reach him or her for lab test results, account balances, etc.
Step 2: Be FlexibleBeing flexible in your communication is going to reap multiple benefits for your practice. Not only will your patients be pleased with your technological savvy, but it's going to keep them from forgetting appointments, thus keeping them healthier. Plus, you will be able to count on patients coming in. You will even attract new patients who want to be able to communicate efficiently with their doctor; studies have shown that 1/3 of patients are more likely to choose a practice with electronic communication systems over one that does not offer this convenience.
But how can you increase your flexibility when it's already a challenge to make telephone calls?
Step 3: Get TechnicalAutomated patient notification systems make it quick and easy for you to communicate with patients using multiple channels. For example, reminder call software can handle routine appointment reminder calls for your staff. This means that your staff will have more time for other tasks around the office including spending time with patients at the practice or who require assistance over the phone. When your staff has more time for patients, your patients will be happier.
You've considered upgrading your practice's communications system, but you're wary of the extra time that installation and training could take. It might take a few weeks, you think, and that is time you just don't have to dedicate to a new project. Maybe you're concerned that none of your staff has IT expertise and that you'll be stuck paying expensive annual maintenance fees.
With some automated patient notification systems, your fears would be well-founded. These systems are complex and involve installing equipment and software. However, hosted, on demand, automated patient notification systems do not require installation and are extremely easy to adopt and use. They are also lower in cost than the older, more complex turnkey systems of the past.
Send automated notifications without purchasing equipment or installing softwareA hosted automated patient notification service does not require any equipment and the software is not installed on your practice's local computers. The service is delivered online. Because the software is maintained by the application service provider, subscribers are ensured of having the latest updates. Integration issues, if there are any, are taken care of by the application service provider.
Fast implementation and customization to your needsSwitching your communications regimen to an automated service is simple. There is typically a short and simple implementation period. During implementation, the notification service is customized to your practice's needs. It is during this period that the practice selects its scripts and other options. Testing and training also occur during this period.
After implementation, a
good patient notifications system can save hours of manual phone calls a day, including appointment reminder calls, account balance notifications, lab results reporting and more.
The typical medical practice is extremely inefficient when it comes to reminding patients of upcoming appointments. Using the front office staff to make reminder calls is expensive and not the most effective way to make reminder calls. Calls are limited to office hours and many times the staff member reaches an answering machine. There will be days when the reminder calls are overlooked or the staff simply doesn't have time to make the calls.
Using an automated appointment reminders system is a powerful way to improve the performance and efficiency of appointment reminders. While a list of appointment reminder calls would take your receptionist hours to complete, telephone dialer software calls the list in minutes.
It's difficult for a practice to understand the impact of automated reminders without signing up for an appointment reminders service. It's also difficult for practices to judge which automated appointment reminder services are easy to learn and use.
We'll use
Webley MD's automated appointment reminders service as an example of how easy an automated appointment reminder system can be to use.
Step 1: ConfigurationSome phone dialer vendors require you to install software on your office computers and possibly buy equipment. Webley MD Reminders is a software on demand service and it's accessible by any computer that is connected to the Internet. There is no software installation step. However, the service is customizable to the practice's needs, so step 1 involves determining the needs of the practice and configuring the service to meet those needs. Some options include capturing appointment confirmations, sending email and voice reminders, and offering reminders in other languages. The only technical know-how needed is the know-how every practice already possesses.
Step 2: Send Appointment InformationPractices don't have to adjust a wide range of settings in order for appointment reminders to go out. All that's needed is the patient appointment information. Once the appointment information is received, the service automatically generates personalized appointment reminders.
Step 3: Make callsIt will take just a few minutes for the automated appointment reminder service to make all the appointment reminder calls and send out email reminders. The system is able to track the outcome of each attempt to reach a patient and it records the outcome. Practices can easily monitor the results of each day's campaigns by viewing detailed reports.
Steps 2 and 3 are repeated every day. It's as easy as that.
In light of recent outbreaks of whooping cough (also known as pertussis), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults receive the whooping cough vaccine. Adult vaccinations protect the adults who receive them but they also reduce the chances of passing whooping cough to those most at risk, infants. Whooping cough can be life-threatening to infants.
The CDC says the best protection is to get the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. Tdap was first introduced in 2005. It's estimated that in 2008, only 5.9% of U.S. adults received the Tdap vaccine.
Unfortunately, many practices are unable to contact their patients quickly and economically. And many adults are likely unaware of the importance of getting the Tdap vaccine. Calling each adult patient to explain the need for the vaccine is unrealistic. Postcards are expensive and not all that effective.
Broadcast voice messaging technology allows practices to quickly and effectively reach any number of patients, for just a few cents per call. Because the telephone dialer program does most of the work, using this technology helps the front desk accomplish more in less time.
Phone reminder software can be used for a variety of patient messages, including appointment reminders, account balance notifications, lab test results, and more.
At larger practices, making manual appointment reminder calls can take hours a day and so many of them have found it economical and practical to use automated telephone dialer software. What many smaller practices don't realize is that using employees to manually make your appointment reminder phone calls is still a losing proposition. Appointment reminder software does much more than just place appointment reminder calls; it will single-handedly make your practice more productive and efficient.
Appointment reminder system will save your practice time and money, not only by freeing employees to focus on other less routine matters, but also by improving customer relations and communications.
Automated caller software reliably delivers routine messages and makes it easy to track confirmations and cancellations
When you rely on an employee to make routine reminder calls, there will be days that there just isn't time to make all the calls or the task is forgotten. An automated service is a more reliable way to deliver appointment reminders. Most reminder appointment calls are routine and automated notifications service can easily convey the appointment details to your patients.
An automated reminder system allows for flexibility and choices in the type of messages that are sent to your patients. This includes offering an automated way to respond to the reminder message. The patient can press a button on his touch-tone telephone to confirm that he has received his reminder and that he will be attending his appointment. Or he can press another button to cancel the appointment. Responses are automatically tracked and can be easily viewed online by your office staff.
Time once spent making phone calls can be spent with patients
For your staff, adopting an automated notifications service means that you recognize that they could use a helping hand. They'll have more time for other valued tasks, including assisting patients.
Frees up phone lines
Automated reminder calls can be made without tying up your phone line and since your staff is no longer making reminder calls manually, your patients will find it easier to get through to a live person when they call.
Provides valued service to your patients
Today's patients prefer to communicate by cell phone and e-mail. Today's medical practices can respond to changes in patient communication preferences by using a
multi-channel automated appointment reminders service. A good automated reminders service sends interactive messages that allow patients to easily confirm (or cancel) the upcoming appointment, whether that message is sent by e-mail or by phone.
Reminder postcards and reminder calls from your front desk are no longer as effective as they used to be. Automated notification services are more effective at reducing your no show rates. And lower no show rates mean that you'll have more money to invest in your practice and your employees.
There are many things to consider when choosing a new outbound notifications system for your medical practice. So many, in fact, that it can easily be overwhelming. Before you get overwhelmed, remember that
not all considerations are equally important. There is a short list of qualities that are absolutely necessary when choosing an automated notifications service.
1. Desired by patientsMost of your patients are used to pre-recorded voice messages and it's unlikely that many of them will object to automated reminders. When receptionists call during the day to make appointment reminders, they usually reach voicemail or an answering machine, so using a quality automated service isn't that different. However an automated service makes it much easier for your practice to send out and track appointment reminders, by phone and by email.
You can help make this transition easier for patients by informing them of your new notifications service. Tell them what to expect. And ask them for feedback on the new service.
2. Efficient and easy to useLearning something new can disrupt well-established routines at your practice. However, if the automated service is easy to use, a small investment of time upfront will be worthwhile because of the time savings and cost savings of using automated messaging.
A good service saves the time spent making reminder phone calls and the time that was once spent recording the results of those calls. It allows the patients to respond to the message by confirming or cancelling the appointment.
3. InexpensiveMost practices are dealing with rising operating costs and must be careful with budgeting. A good notifications service can be extremely affordable. Some vendors provide these services on demand and without the purchase of equipment or any software installation. A good notifications service used for appointment reminders generally is accompanied by an increase in revenues because the system is effective at lowering the no show rate. This means that the service can save money and pay for itself.
4. Reliable with good supportAs with any investment in your business, you want to select a vendor with a track record who demonstrates a willingness to stand behind the service. Look for a company that's been around and agrees to provide customer support. While the system may be easy to use, it's also natural for you (the customer) to have questions and possibly require assistance.
For additional information, visit
Webley.
In the world of "i-Everything" (iPod, iPad, iPhone, iTunes and so on) society has become used to having everything personalized. Everything is customizable to best fit our preferences. Everything around us can be changed to make us stand out of the crowd and feel like an individual. People are also accustomed to businesses and software applications that take into account their preferences and treat each person as an individual.
What does this mean for medical practices?How the practice prefers to send out appointment reminders may differ from what patients prefer. Receiving a phone call during the day about an upcoming appointment may be well-received by some patients but some patients may prefer other forms of communication. It may seem too much of a hassle to accommodate patient preferences for how they'd like to receive the appointment reminder but it doesn't have to be as effortful as you think.
The next time you see your patient at the office, ask her if she would like to receive emails from your practice. If she says yes, collect her email address. If you use a practice management system that supports email addresses, be sure to add her email address to her patient record. If your practice has its own website, you can use that website to gather email addresses from patients who'd like to receive emails from your practice.
Technology can help you personalize each appointment reminder. New
automated appointment reminder services do much more than send generic reminder messages. These services can send out personalized messages that include the practice name, the patient's name, the date and time of the appointment and more. Foreign language messages may also be available.
When it comes to healthcare, remember that patients have a choice and in many cases, they will prefer a practice that takes into account their personal preferences and treats them as an individual.
For your medical office to run smoothly, it takes a lot of hard work, organization, and multi-tasking from some very talented people. Yet no matter how your office staff excels at their jobs, they could probably still use some extra help.
The solution is to "hire" a
virtual office receptionist, a on-demand software application that simplifies your office routines and saves you money every day. She's not Rosie from The Jetsons, so she can't serve coffee, but she can help with the tasks that need the most labor and require unusual working hours: appointment reminder calls and the after hours call coverage.
Here are three ways that a virtual office receptionist can benefit your practice:
1. She takes over time-consuming appointment remindersYour receptionist probably spends countless hours on the phone making routine phone calls. The virtual office receptionist is not just an automatic phone dialer, she leaves messages and tracks responses too. Plus, she can email patients. Snazzy, eh?
2. She takes care of patients after hoursProviding after hours care for your patients can be stressful. You don't have the money to hire a second receptionist, your on-call physicians can't take all the calls, and the call center that you hired just isn't cutting it. Your virtual office receptionist will answer phones after hours with a cordial greeting, then direct your patients to the service that they need. If they need to reach the on-call physician, she'll notify the doctor on call right away.
3. She is the ultimate office receptionistShe never stops working and can make those reminder calls when your office is closed and your patients are more likely to be home. She is always available to make your staff's jobs easier, and for a fraction of the cost that you would pay people to do the same work. Use or don't use her as you wish, she can be there for you whenever you want.
To “hire” your own virtual receptionist, please visit Webley online today.
It's time to reconsider how your practice communicates with its patients. Many medical practices still rely mainly on phone calls to communicate with patients and take messages by writing on slips of paper. By staying so firmly rooted in the past, the practice is failing to take advantage of the benefits of automated communications.
Today's automated notifications services can send out large volumes of phone messages and e-mails for just a few cents per message. The most common use for automated notifications is to send automated appointment reminders because it is widely accepted that reminders reduce no show rates. There are many other types of messages that can be sent to patients to generate additional revenue, including flu shot reminders, balance due notifications, etc. Notifications such as lab results availability that are sent through a notifications service reduce incoming call volume and provide added convenience to your patients.
In addition to the cost savings these types of automated messages provide, they also save staff time and are more reliable than relying on your staff to make calls. Often the same company can send phone and e-mail reminders for you.
Subscription based services delivered over the Internet allow your practice to use the service for as long as you'd like, without investing in expensive hardware or dealing with buggy installed software programs.
If you manage a small- to medium-sized medical clinic, new office technology you're probably making do with the equipment your office has had forever. Maybe you only add new technology when a pressing need arises. You're busy enough trying to see enough patients a week to pay for rent, never mind researching various prices and features of new software. You may not even have time to learn how to use any new software program.
As Warren Buffett says,
"Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."In the back of your mind, you know have a nagging feeling that things could be better. An easy to use
automated appointment reminders service is just the place to start improving efficiency around the office.
Don't have time for research? Let's start with the basics. Yes, there are many options out there. It's important to choose a vendor that you think you can trust, one with a track record and perhaps some industry accolades. Consider how they treat you. Do they listen carefully to your needs? At the end of the day, a high quality, reliability service that is easy to use and provides you with good customer support at an affordable price is the best choice.
The best part about an appointment reminder service is that when it is properly implemented, it will not only pay for itself but increase your practice's profits by thousands of dollars a year. A service such as Webley MD's is extremely easy to use. Your staff only needs to send the patient appointment information to
Webley MD and the service takes care of everything else, including sending personalized phone and/or e-mail reminders and tracking responses.
Now that your research is done, isn't it time to get started with a new automated reminder system?
As health plan deductibles and co-payments rise, medical practices will find themselves collecting an increasing proportion of their revenues directly from patients. It will become increasingly important for practices to improve their billing and collections process.
Medical billing software and billing services can produce itemized patient statements. However, the collections process at a typical practice remains inefficient and expensive. Most practices mail paper patient statements and account balance reminders. Paper statements are easily misplaced, overlooked, lost or forgotten.
To reach patients with account balance reminders, practices can use an
automated notifications service to easily and efficiently reach patients by phone.
Automated phone calls can reach patients for 80% less than a mailed account balance reminder. Automated phone calls are more effective at getting the patient's attention and may offer interactive features that make it convenient for the patient to respond.
While phone reminders won't work with a patient who is determined to ignore reminders, they will make it easier for practices to send reminders. To further improve collections, practices should consider making it easier for patients to make payments. Practices are experiencing success by offering online payments and increasing the types of payments they accept (e.g., credit cards, personal checks).
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