I use and love Google voice- it's free!
We have the similar warnings on the office voice mail about using the emergency number only for actual urgent needs. Then we list our assigned google number. You go through the google voice setup process to see what numbers are available in your area code. I chose a number that was easy to enunciate.
When the patient calls the number, it rings through to my cell and/or home line. This is customizable by time of day. For my own sanity, I don't like having my cell in my bedroom at night so it rings ny home line then.
When it rings I can see the number of the patient or the ER or whoever is calling. If I answer it, the caller has to announce their name and then I can decide to accept or send to voice mail. Calls sent to google voice mail are then transcribed and emailed to me. I can read it (usually totally garbled transcription-can be very entertaining), then click on it to listen to it.
This even works well if I travel overseas.
I learned about this from a new friend I met at ACUC 2011. (Thanks, LW!)
