Benefits of a Call Center for Medical Clients

Benefits of a Call Center for Medical Clients

Blog/ Medical Answering Service

Customer service is important in all industries, but it is especially crucial in the healthcare industry. This is because the healthcare industry deals with the most critical concern of all – a person’s life. For this reason, patients demand superior care and communication with healthcare providers, and sometimes this demand goes beyond the clinic and regular operating hours.

Why Should Your Medical Company Use a Call Center?

  • Make Healthcare Practitioners More Efficient
    It would be impossible for healthcare practitioners to do their job well, while also taking daily phone calls from patients. Call centers can be a big help in the medical arena because they are able to provide needed assistance while doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners can focus on saving lives and improving the health of their patients.
  • Improve Patient Satisfaction
    The constant demands of the profession make it challenging for healthcare practitioners to answer calls from the patients promptly. This can yield negative feedback about the practitioner or the medical facility itself. Outsourcing calls to a reliable call center can improve patient satisfaction, because representatives can provide quick, accurate, and personal attention to the needs of the patients.
  • Deliver Quality Service in a Cost-Effective Way
    Hiring and training new employees to do what a call center can do costs more time, money, and resources. A reliable call center trained in medical answering has established systems and processes to get the needed work done. Utilizing the services of a call center is a more cost-effective way to delivering top quality customer service to patients.
  • Ensure Proper Compliance with Regulations and Standards
    The healthcare industry has a set of regulations and standards. Call centers trained in medical answering services know these regulations and standards. They operate following a strict protocol in order to comply with these.

Contact One call center is based in Tucson, Arizona. We take calls from different industries, including the healthcare industry. Give us a call at 1-800-278-3347 to see how we can help meet your patient’s needs today.

Myths About HIPAA: Why You Need a Qualified Medical Answering Service

Myths About HIPAA: Why You Need a Qualified Medical Answering Service

Blog/ Medical Answering Service

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, was passed so that patients could rest assured that their medical records remained confidential. If you work in a medical office or hospital, HIPAA regulations require that you provide your patients with secure messaging and phone services. If you are unclear on how HIPAA affects your relationship with your patients, read on to separate the myths from the facts about this act.

Myth: HIPAA blocks family members from receiving information.

A common myth about HIPAA is that this act prevents immediate family members from receiving information about their loved ones. The truth is that HIPAA provides patients with privacy and rights, without restricting information amongst families. If a patient consents to having his or her information shared, the doctor is free to speak with relatives.

Myth: HIPAA is more restrictive regarding mental health.

People of all ages and walks of life can suffer from mental health issues. Some patients worry that HIPAA provides additional restrictions regarding the sharing of mental health information. The fact is that HIPAA regulations apply nearly uniformly to both mental and physical health issues. Mental and physical health information are both protected under the law.

Myth: HIPAA places unfair restrictions on doctors.

Doctors are required by law to follow HIPAA guidelines. Some medical professionals worry, however, that HIPAA regulations are too restrictive. While HIPAA does protect patient privacy, doctors do have some leeway in reporting threats or immediate dangers. Overall, HIPAA ensures that health care is safe and confidential for all patients.

If you need help negotiating the ins and outs of HIPAA, get in touch with the team at Contact One. Our medical answering service near Tucson will help you to make sure that all of your patient communications follow federal laws and guidelines. Give us a call at (800) 278-3347 to learn more about how our secure messaging services can benefit your medical offices.

A Quick Look at HIPAA Compliant Technologies and Practices

A Quick Look at HIPAA Compliant Technologies and Practices

Blog/ Medical Answering Service

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and for the last two decades it has improving security in the field of healthcare. In order to uphold HIPAA principles, medical answering services must handle certain technologies and administrative principles with special care. Here is a quick look at HIPAA compliant technologies and practices.

Technology

Although you don’t necessarily need to use a specific type of technology in order to be HIPAA compliant, the tech that you use does need to be up to par. Security has always been inherently important, but now cyber security has been playing an increasingly essential role. Your files should be protected from hackers in order to protect the rights of your patients and their privacy; allowing criminals to access information like medical records and personal details can be detrimental in a variety of ways. Those who access the files should also have their own logins for accountability purposes.

Administration

Implementing the right kind of technology is a start, but it takes human influence to enforce HIPAA compliance. This is why your company should perform risk analysis and management as well as conduct training in security management as well as information access management. Following the right practices will keep everyone on the same page and make it easy to remain HIPAA compliant.

Importance

Any medical facility should strive to be HIPAA compliant, as it represents a commitment to security, responsibility, and accountability. Failing to comply with these technologies and practices can make your company less legitimate in the eyes of the public, and it can leave you susceptible to real security issues.

Being HIPAA compliant is important, and the Contact One team can help. We are a Dallas answering service and call center that offers after hours preparedness and secure messaging. Please feel free to visit our website or call us at (800) 278-3347 to learn more about us.