Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Answering Service

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what you guys/gals are doing for an answering service. We had been using USA Mobility, but they are dropping their live operators.

We are a 1 1/2 provider practice, outpatient only. We do not get many calls through the after hours answering service. We have a message on the office voicemail, with the answering service #, with instructions to call for emergency only. This # currently is answered by a live operator, who sends a text message to my pager.

There is one remaining local answering service, with live operators, but they are fairly expensive.

I know options range from "Go to the ER" on voicemail, to leaving your cellphone # on voicemail, to totally automated systems, etc. What are you using?

Thanks. Gene

We use Call 24 which has an 800 number. Not fancy, not expensive. The number is on the answering machine and they call my cell phone and connect me to the patient. Don't know where they are based or if this helps?

Thanks Bill, I will look into this.

Anyone else?

Thanks. Gene

We are two physicians (GI and Rheumatology) practice (husband and wife). At the end of the day, we forward calls to my cell phone with greeting message advising patients to leave a message for return call or call 911 in case of emergency. Once message is left on my phone, I review it and then decide to either call back or have my office (two staff members) to return the call on the next business day. Fairly do-able system and does not cost anything (have plenty of minutes on my office cell phone).

Hi Qaiser,

That is a great idea! Do you have a separate personal and work phone?

Thanks. Gene

Hi Gene;
Yes, I have two separate lines. This system helps me not to miss a call as ALL calls are routed to my cell phone from my office land line.
Thanks
Qaiser

We use a message on the office voicemail that states the office hours, that you may leave a message to answered in the morning. The emergency pager number is listed and it is stated ONLY for problems LESS than 24 hours and that we do NOT refill routine medicines. If you cannot wait 30 minutes for a call back call 911 or go to the emergency room.

If they call the pager (which has an attached voicemail) they receive a message that states DO NOT leave a message (we will not check it). It reiterates that we do not make appointments or routine refills. It actually sends text message to both my and my NP's phones. From my iphone I only need to press the number to dial it back (I have my number blocked.)

Rarely do we get a call about an appointment or routine refill and I will chastise the parent and let them know to call the office.

This works well for us.

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!)

We have been using PerfectServe answering service. It is a computer based system and totally eliminates the human element. The cost is $99/month for each full time user. After going to a computerized system, you will never return to one that employs a live person answering your phone. Several friends also use PerfectServe and we are all thrilled. Their website is perfectserve.com. They also have a free smartphone app. (they do offer the referring physician a small one time discount on his monthly bill).

A long time colleague and friend, dual boarded in ER and internal medicine, started a service which we use. The callers are given local options (message, ER), then given the option of talking to an MD and paying via credit card. The cost to us is minimal. The service is excellent. We even made him a user on AC so he can use LogMeIn and access the chart if necessary. If anyone is interested, PM me and I will send his e-mail.

I am a single provider and use the comcast voicemail service. We have the after-hour message telling pts that the clinic is closed and if they need to speak to the on-call provider they can press 0#. The call is sent to my cell phone. The clinic phone number is displayed, so I know that the clinic is calling - avoiding the need for 2 cell phones. When I miss the call, the message is left on my cell phone. This meets the requirements from the insurance company and saves money.