Top List of The Best Medical Answering Service Companies | For 2020
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In any business, good customer service is the base for success. Therefore a professional receptionist is essential, especially in the medical industry. A professional medical answering service can make a huge improvement in customer service at your medical practice. And it is just a fraction of the cost of hiring a dedicated receptionist.
Customer service builds relationships. People who feel valued by your company are more likely to become trusting, long-term customers. We all associate these little details—consistency, communication, and a human touch—with quality.
Building relationships is especially important in the healthcare industry. Having the best doctor-patient relationship provides better health and quality of life for the patient and family. The foundation of this relationship is communication.
Excellent communication boosts the patient’s satisfaction and the overall impression of your service. However, without consistently offering the highest level of customer service, you will fail to build trust and lasting relationships.
Unfortunately, maintaining a high level of customer service in-house isn’t cost-effective for many healthcare businesses.
Answering service. The solution for maintaining the best customer service.
An answering service is a company that specializes in handling customer service tasks. Whether aiding you locally or globally, they can offer a total service solution.
Answering services will answer calls, schedule appointments, take messages, and much more—24 hours a day. They even work on weekends and holidays.
There are many answering services available at different prices, plans, and features. While extremely low prices may be enticing, it’s important to understand an answering service’s features. Also, customer needs and pricing structure before buying. Read our guide Answering Service Price and Types.
Let’s explore the benefits of employing an answering service for your medical business. After that, we will break down our picks for the top 10 medical answering services.
Benefits of an Answering Service in the Medical Industry
The numerous benefits offered by medical answering services make for an incredible customer service solution for many businesses. Let’s explore the most desirable benefits of hiring an answering service for your medical business.
Patient-centric Approach
What patients want from medical professionals is attention. They want to feel important, prioritized, and like they are receiving the highest quality of service.
When your staff interrupts a one-on-one conversation with a patient for a phone call, you frustrate the patient.
Instead, an answering service can answer calls, take messages, and schedule appointments to offset the customer service workload. This way, you can focus more on your patients’ needs.
Cost-effective Solution
While you could hire your receptionist to handle your customer service needs, this would prove to be an expensive solution. You would need to provide a competitive salary, bonuses, equipment, and pay for training.
Utilizing an answering service can significantly reduce these expenses. Experienced agents with HIPAA compliant training are offered by answering services at a fraction of the price.
Increased Patient Satisfaction
Being available 24/7 to answer calls and attend to their needs increases satisfaction. Having a highly satisfied customer base will increase your long-term stability and profits. Satisfied customers may share their experience with other people, providing free marketing for your business, and improving brand identity.
Never Miss an Appointment
Let your answering service take care of appointment scheduling. Answering services can make appointments, manage them, and offer reminders to keep your business running smoothly.
Missing an appointment due to clerical errors can severely damage a customer’s trust. With expert 24/7 service from your answering service, the chances of this happening are greatly decreased.
Emergency-ready
You never know when a disaster might happen. Hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, and other unexpected disasters will cause operational problems. It’s essential for all businesses—especially those in the medical field—to be prepared for such moments.
Answering services backup your customer data in case of an emergency. Even when your clinic or center is closed, answering services will keep your phone line open. Moreover, it will keep your callers updated on your business’ situation.
HIPAA Compliance
Patient information is governed by HIPAA, a law requiring healthcare organizations to enact secure electronic access to health data. Answering services work hard to protect this sensitive data by utilizing secure messaging applications and web portals.
Reputable answering service providers will always offer HIPAA compliance. Also, clarify how they comply with the regulations and standards set by the government.
Extended Business Hours
With the 24/7 functionality offered by an answering service, your business will look more professional and potentially attract more customers. Every call is answered, day or night, even on weekends and holidays.
They will set appointments, meetings, and answer emails long after business hours have ended. Your service will be within your patients’ reach at all times, boosting reliability and quality of service.
Best Medical Answering Services
We have listed our picks for the top medical answering services based on their features. We thoroughly compare their service, price, customer support, and customer ratings.
1. Allendale Answering Service
Allendale Answering Service provides 24/7 answering solutions to doctors, dentists, hospitals, and other businesses in the medical fields. Their operators go through extensive training before becoming Allendale agents to ensure the quality service their clients expect.
Allendale Answering Service offers the following features:
- 24/7 live answering service, including holidays.
- HIPAA compliance
- Account customization
- A fully redundant computer system, duplicate phone lines with multiple providers, failover support, natural gas power generator for uninterrupted power supply
- Data archiving with no additional charge
- Toll-free numbers
- Free dispatching
At Allendale Answering Service, all calls are billed as individual calls regardless of call length. No setup fee and maintenance fee. Email, text message, and alphanumeric paging all included in each plan free.
Pricing Options
Allendale Answering Service offers per-minute packages at the following price points:
Monthly fee | Number of Calls | Cost per extra min. |
$49 | 0 | $1.09 |
$140 | 150 | $0.89 |
$245 | 300 | $0.89 |
$420 | 600 | $0.79 |
$620 | 1,000 | $0.79 |
$920 | 1700 | $0.79 |
2. On-Call Central
With a flat rate, On-Call Central provides a fully automated answering service. It eliminates operator error, protects provider contact information, and produces permanent audio documentation of all urgent patient phone calls.
On-Call Central offers the following features:
- 24/7 US-based support for urgent issues
- HIPAA compliance
- Flat rate pricing
- Multi-language support
- Simple call schedule management
- Permanent archiving and call recording
- iOS and Android applications
Pricing Options
On-Call central charges a simple per-provider rate every 28 days. The base price is $120 for one provider and an additional $60 per additional provider. No long-term contract necessary and a cancel-at-any-time policy.
3. Stericycle Communications Solutions
Stericycle Communications Solutions provides specialized answering service solutions to medical industries. With highly trained, healthcare-focused agents, and HIPAA compliant technology, this service will surely enhance customer’s satisfaction and promote loyalty.
Stericycle Communications offers the following features:
- Live appointment scheduling
- Physician referral
- Nurse triage
- Telephone answering services
- Telephone reminders
- Post-discharge services
- HIPAA compliance
Pricing Options
Healthcare needs to change constantly. Stericycle Communications offers flexible plans depending on what type of features and services your office requires.
4. Direct Line Tele Response
Direct Line Tele Response is a nationally recognized answering service and call center, provider. They specialize in the field of answering and call center services for PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly).
Direct Line Tele Response offers the following features:
- 24/7 service including holidays and weekends
- Secure Interactive Messaging
- Client web portal
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Business continuity plan in case of disaster
- HIPAA compliance
- Archived recording and message storage
Pricing Options
Direct Line Tele Response requires a minimum service period of 2 months and followed by month-to-month billing.
5. MedXCom
MedXCom is a hybrid medical answering service combining automated answering with live operator service. Being fully automated, it allows physicians to change schedules and control how and when to receive calls. All they need is a computer or through their smartphone app.
MedXCom automated features include:
- Access to a patient’s health profile
- Call recordings and archival (23 years)
- Access to voice messages and call recordings at any time
- Customizable and self-managed on-call calendar and call routing rules
- Call screening
- Caller ID protection
- Customizable call trees, greetings, and prompts
- Separate mailboxes for office staff and non-urgent calls
- No contract
Pricing Options
MedXCom’s automated answering service is billed on a per provider basis. It starts with a monthly rate of $59.95 and $44.95 for each additional provider. For live operator option, per-minute billing of $0.85 per minute is available.
There is also a pre-paid package for $34.95 per month, with 60 minutes allotted time. An EMR integration option is available for $19.95 per provider.
6. Anserve America Inc.
Anserve America Inc. is an award-winning company that offers providers unique customization options on how and when to receive calls. Their high-end technology can ensure efficient and professional service for your customers.
Anserve America Inc. offers the following features:
- Secure messaging
- Online account access
- Multilingual operators
- HIPAA certification
- 24/7 answering service
- Customized greeting, scripting, and message delivery
- Digital call recording storage for up to 2 and a half years with no retrieval fee
- Local call forwarding number
- Web portal email monitoring
- Overflow calls
Pricing Options
Anserve provides training to its live-agents on topics of HIPAA, customer service, and data breach security. A shift manager is always available to assist clients with their needs and inquiries. Also, they have a secure text messaging and Cyber Liability Insurance program. These allow to protect the transfer of sensitive information between patients, Anserve, and medical professionals.
7. Specialty Answering Service
Specialty Answering Service is a 24/7, HIPAA compliant live answering service providing customer service in the medical industry. They offer essential features for the operation and delivery of professional and accurate medical practices.
Specialty Answering Service offers the following features:
- 24/7 Live telephone answering service
- Advanced intake procedures
- Appointment scheduling
- HIPAA compliance
- Multi-lingual operators
- Local or toll phone numbers included
Pricing Options
Specialty Answering Service pricing starts from $31. No contract required and you can cancel any time. The month to month billing cycle gives clients options to change plans depending on the call volume they receive.
Specialty Answering Service offers per-minute packages at the following price points:
Monthly fee | Number of minutes | Cost per extra min. |
$31 | 0 | $1.19 |
$49 | 500 | $0.90 |
$117 | 100 | $1.09 |
$199 | 220 | $1.09 |
$925 | 1,000 | $0.95 |
$2,200 | 2,500 | $0.89 |
$4,199 | 5,000 | $0.85 |
$7,749 | 10,000 | $0.79 |
8. LASER Answering Service
LASER Answering Service provides 24/7 service 365 days a year to help businesses meet customer expectations. Understanding how vital customer service is, LASER promises that each call is treated with professionalism, respect, and courtesy.
LASER Answering Service offers the following features:
- 24/7 Live answering service
- Voicemail with Operator Revert
- Virtual receptionists
- Emergency response
- Call patching
- Customized scripts and greetings
- Appointment scheduling and reminders
- Secure messaging
- HIPAA compliance
9. MAP Communications
Based in the United States, MAP Communications features live medical answering agents. MAP offers its clients highly trained virtual medical receptionists customized to your business. Also, advanced privacy practices to ensure the safety of patient data.
MAP Communications offers the following features:
- 24/7 live answering services including holidays
- Full customization
- Secure client portal access
- No long-term contracts
- Nationwide toll-free and local numbers
- HIPAA compliance
Pricing Options
Budget-friendly pricing plans are available for lower costs than hiring an in-house receptionist. No long-term contract is required. Clients are billed monthly and can cancel at any time.
MAP Communications offers per-minute packages at the following price points:
Monthly fee | Number of minutes | Cost per extra min. |
$39 | 0 | $1.15 |
$149 | 125 | $1.09 |
$249 | 225 | $1.07 |
For medical centers with a high volume of calls, MAP Communications offers a customized, cost-effective answering plan to suit your needs.
10. The Doctor’s Answer
The Doctor’s Answer focuses on the medical community to provide an exceptional medical answering service. All of their agents have extensive experience in the call center industry.
They have In-house training that covers: etiquette, time management, first impressions, challenging calls, delivering messages. Also, proactive customer service, health care terminology, adherence to protocols, and certification in HIPAA/HITECH Compliance Assistance.
The Doctor’s Answer offers the following features:
- Encrypted web portal
- Two backup call centers for redundancy
- Call overflow service
- Free unlimited routine office calls to integrated voicemail
- Call recording
- Voice and text log storage for one year
- Account scripting
- Personalized greetings
- HIPAA compliance
- Supervisor available 24/7
- Customized on-call escalation lists
- No setup fees or contracts
- One dedicated account manager
Pricing Options
The Doctor’s Answer provides a straightforward, low-cost answering service to meet medical practitioners’ needs. Plans start at $75 per month, with numerous features and services included at no additional charge.
Final Thoughts
Patients should be able to connect with your business at any time. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for healthcare companies to keep up with the high volume of calls and emails they receive.
One solution for reducing the customer service workload is to hire a professional answering service. This type of service can handle all of your incoming calls and ensure that HIPAA standards are met in your workplace.
Medical answering services are a proven customer service solution in the medical industry. Their agents specialize in providing professional, timely, and courteous service to every caller, and efficiently relay information to your business.
