A medical answering service answers calls when staff members are too busy, unavailable, or is an outside normal working hour. However, practices first need to decipher exactly what they are paying for, before making a provider selection.
While the cost of a medical answering service pricing can span a large range, providers utilize various billing models, and often, provide different levels of service. The least expensive plan, for example, is not by definition the best one to handle patient calls.
Start with the Billing Model
Your practice charges by the service, so check the following:
Common pricing models may include:
- Per minute
- Per call
- Per message
- Monthly plans
- Tiered packages
A practice with high call volume varies from the small office where fewer calls are made.
Once you know how a provider bills, comparisons will be much more accurate.
Call Volume Changes the Cost
One of the main influencing factors to medical answering service pricing is the volume of calls experienced by your practice.
A provider may for example offer a tariff that allows you to make a certain number of calls or minutes in each month. You’ll be charged if your practice goes over that limit.
Check your call records from the past few days before you register. Pay attention not just to the raw number of calls but also to how long each call tends to take.
This helps inform your optimal monthly consumption figure that is more realistic.
What Happens During the Call?
A lot of answering services provide very different services.
Some services simply take messages. Others are for appointment requests, scheduling patient questions, cancellations, and escalating urgent calls.
More complex services might be at a higher cost based on the need to have trained staff and extensive procedures.
Before comparing medical answering service pricing, find out what is included in the base standard package.
The Price of After-Hours Coverage
A practice that requires coverage only during lunch, for example, may have very different needs from one seeking 24/7 support.
If the availability level means dedicated live agents rather than automated responses, 24/7 service may be associated with higher costs.
Think about when your patients will be most inclined to call. If your current staff is only fielding calls during business hours, you may not need around-the-clock coverage.
Security and Compliance Matter
Reason Medical calls could require private patient information.
A provider must have suitable processes in place to safeguard private data and respond to calls in accordance with relevant healthcare privacy regulations.
Price speaks only about the services and not their quality. Low-cost service does not offer the necessary safeguards and/or staff training your practice needs.
Select by Your Actual Necessity
To understand medical answering service pricing, you need to know your call volume, expected level of service, desired coverage hours, and compliance needs − which will help you gain a better understanding of what is essential.
A small practice might need basic message-taking but a busy medical office will typically require live scheduling around the clock support.
You can compare together its total cost (including features, quality of service, and contracts). That process can guide practices in selecting an answering service that aligns with their financial circumstances and patients’ requirements.