Business Phone Systems for Medical Practices
Patient comfort and well-being. Trust and confidentiality. Clear communication and transparency. All of these elements are critical to your medical practice. What's more, they are linked to the phone system you are using. You need to be there for your patients to make them feel taken care of and at ease, to foster trust, and to become the medical service provider they can truly rely on.
This is why solutions such as VoIP are so important for medical practices. These forward-thinking solutions represent the next step in the evolution of medical telephone systems and communication infrastructure. Join us as we examine medical business phone systems in more detail, looking at how VoIP and other developments are changing the way we approach medical telephone networks.
Using a VoIP for a Medical Practice
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Basically, this refers to a telephone service based on an internet connection rather than on a more traditional analog phone line. Switching to VoIP provides medical professionals with a number of different advantages, as well as features that can improve the services they deliver to patients. It's no surprise that VoIP usage is on the increase here in the USA, jumping from less than 7 million business users in 2010 to almost 42 million in 2018.
VoIP Advantages
Let's take a look at some of the advantages of a VoIP system for your medical practice.
Reduced costs for your practice
Minimizing costs is important to your organization. After all, you are providing critical services to your patients, but you also need to be aware of your bottom line. Managing costs and expenses while maintaining the quality of patient services is always the aim for businesses in the medical field.
As VoIP calls are placed across an internet connection, much of the cost of placing a phone call is eliminated. You can also use IP or hosted private branch exchanges — or PBXs — to make it easier to manage high volumes of calls from, to, and within your practice. This is far more cost-effective than installing or managing physical or digital PBX systems.
Easy scalability
Your medical practice is geared toward growth. You want to be able to expand the scope of your organization, meeting the needs of increasing numbers of patients across a broader area. This means scaling up your phone systems — something that is difficult to achieve with a traditional analog phone line. This is not the case with a VoIP system. You'll be able to add extra devices and connections to your network with ease, growing your capacity whenever required. Hospitals often use VoIP systems for this very reason — providing them with the vast capacity they need without pushing costs too high.
Better reliability and accessibility
Features such as automatic call distribution — ACD — can ensure that patients are always able to reach an operator. What's more, practices don't need to rely upon physical phone lines to communicate with patients and other callers. VoIP can also integrate with online platforms or messaging tools, making calls more accessible for any patient who may struggle to use a standard telephone device.
Improved call clarity
VoIP calls are placed across an internet connection, translating the analog signals of the human voice into digital packets of data ready for transmission. Digital calls typically provide clearer audio than analog phones, and the internet connection should support clearer communication with no lag or disruption. This is critical when you are discussing medical issues that are of great importance to patients, and for maintaining the proper healthcare telephone etiquette.
HIPAA compliance
All medical service providers operating in the United States need to comply with HIPAA guidelines, ensuring that treatments and other services are safe and effective. Many VoIP providers are HIPAA approved, thanks to the reliability, stability, and security of the communication channel. As well as ensuring compliance, this provides peace of mind to patients.
Integration with existing patient databases
Each patient appointment generates more data, which you will use to provide an even better service to these patients moving forward. You need solutions that can tap into this data so you don't need to ask the same questions over and over again. VoIP services work on digital platforms that can integrate with your existing patient data stores.
Plenty of features for you and your patients to benefit from
Your medical practice will need to do more than simply place and receive calls. You will also need features and tools that enhance the services you offer and that make for a better patient experience. VoIP systems include numerous additional features you can use to your advantage. We'll discuss these in more detail below.
VoIP Features for Medical Practices
We've briefly mentioned that VoIP features make this kind of phone system ideal for use in healthcare, but what exactly are these features? There are rather a lot of different features available to you, so let's look at some of the most important for your medical practice.
Automated Call Reception:
Make sure your patients are always able to reach the assistance they need with an automated call reception. This feature delivers calls to the relevant extensions in your practice.
Call Holding and Parking:
You may need to put patients on hold while you find the right doctor or medical professional for their needs. You may also need to park calls so that they can be picked up by another operator.
Simultaneous and Sequential Ringing
Do you want all of your practice telephone devices to ring at the same time, or would you prefer your VoIP devices to ring sequentially in your medical office? Many service providers will allow you to choose the best model for you.
Voicemail to Email
Translating a voicemail into an email is a useful feature, as it helps you to ensure all patient needs are met.
Emergency Call Settings
Doctors on call need to be able to connect with your centralized phone system so they remain in close communication at all times. Meanwhile, professionals may need to filter certain calls after hours so only emergency calls go through to their personal VoIP handsets.
Are VoIP Calls Secure?
Call security is very important for patients. They need to know that their data and personal information are protected, especially when they are contacting your practice from an external location.
VoIP systems support this security. Working with a HIPAA-approved telehealth platform and VoIP provider means that communication channels are protected with encryption. In other words, no one can listen in or intercept patient calls.
Are VoIP Calls HIPAA Compliant?
HIPAA guidelines and regulations are designed to ensure that Americans receive the safest, most secure, and most effective healthcare treatment possible. Communication channels certainly fall under HIPAA's jurisdiction.
In general, VoIP calls are HIPAA compliant. However, this is only the case for HIPAA-approved providers. Providers who have received approval will need to guarantee the security and safety of calls as well as a high level of availability and reliability across the network.
Best VoIP Service for Healthcare
We've looked at how VoIP services are used in healthcare, but how do you decide on the best VoIP phone service for your medical practice? Here are a few things to consider:
The scale of your medical practice — Are you looking for the best VoIP service for a small medical practice, or do you need solutions for something on a grander scale, like a hospital? You need to ensure that the service provider can support the needs of your practice.
Your future plans for growth — What is your timeline for expansion? You may need to find a scalable service that you can build upon, adding extra capacity whenever you need it.
Your existing infrastructure — What patient database solutions are you using? Your VoIP system will need to integrate with these solutions. Also, are your current devices compatible with VoIP? This may have an impact on the set-up cost.
The features your team needs — What VoIP phone features does your team need to enhance the patient experience? We've touched on a few of these above, but your specific practice may have other requirements, too.
VoIP Is Changing Communications for Medical Practices
You work in healthcare, so your patients come first every time. With this in mind, your communication channels need to be geared toward reliability, security, accessibility, and clarity so that patients are getting the very best experience possible. VoIP makes this happen, with crisp, digital communication channels that support patients and professionals alike. Communications have always been important for medical practices, but VoIP systems are pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Want to learn more about the potential of VoIP for your medical practice? Take a look at our resource pages and find what you need. Check out our product pages, too, and browse forward-thinking communication solutions that will change the way you provide your services.