Here’s everything you need to know about virtual medical receptionists.

The measure of a trusted medical practice lies in the quality of its patient experience. What most practitioners fail to realise is that patient experience isn’t limited to patient care alone, in fact, it starts with: answering a phone call. While this seems easy enough to handle, research suggests otherwise, with several practices across the country not being able to keep up with their phones ringing round the clock.

Here’s where virtual medical receptionists come in: providing live, compassionate support for busy front-desks while giving healthcare providers the freedom to focus on what matters most: patient care.

In this article, we’ll explore what a virtual medical receptionist service is, what it can do, why it’s valuable for medical practices, and how you can  choose the right service for your practice’s needs

What exactly is a virtual medical receptionist service?

A virtual medical receptionist service consists of remote medical receptionists who can work round the clock to help practices with administrative tasks such as call handling, appointment scheduling and new patient intake. 

Think of it as a flexible virtual front-desk as opposed to your in-house team, to support handling patient calls during busy periods. Most virtual receptionist services are HIPAA compliant along with being able to provide 24/7 support for practices. Here at WellReceived, every call is answered by a real receptionist who understands the intricacies of patient communications. We’re always human and never bots so rest assured your patients are well looked after from the very first phone call.  

What does a medical virtual receptionist service do?

Virtual medical receptionists can take on several administrative responsibilities traditionally handled in-house, including:

• Handling phone lines 24/7 with professional care and empathy
• Scheduling patient appointments
• Taking critical messages and forwarding urgent calls 
• Routing calls to the appropriate on-call provider or department
• Managing new patient intake and patient inquiries 24/7
• Providing after-hours call support to ensure no call goes unanswered

Some services, like WellReceived, come with a suite of features such as bilingual call-handling, business phone numbers (to protect your privacy and keep your personal and professional numbers separate), optional call recording and even a handy 24/7 mobile app for instant message access. 

How can a virtual receptionist service support medical practices?

It’s no doubt that managing a medical practice is demanding. Between treating patients, managing staff, and handling administrative tasks, it can feel overwhelming and in the worst cases lead to burnout and increased staff churn. 

A virtual receptionist service acts as an extension of your team, offering critical support that allows practitioners to:

• Prioritise patient care without being burdened by administrative tasks
• Attract new patients by extending practice hours 24/7 
• Connect with bilingual patients in their preferred language 
• Elevate patient experience and satisfaction by ensuring every caller speaks to a friendly, knowledgeable person
• Manage costs effectively by eliminating in-house hiring and training costs
• Alleviate staff burnout by providing front-desk support during busy periods

With nearly 53% of practice managers citing administrative burnout as a big stressor for them, it’s important to consider a virtual receptionist service not only to scale your practice but more urgently, to support your staff from burning out. 

Why should you consider hiring virtual medical receptionists?

Here’s one simple reason to start with: 74% of patients hang up after being put on hold. What does this mean? You might be missing out on a lot of new patients and ultimately practice revenue due to something as minor as unattended phone lines. 

Here are some key reasons healthcare providers choose to hire such a service:

• To maintain seamless and consistent patient interaction 24/7
• Coverage that practices can rely on during peak hours, after hours, and even on holidays
• Cost-effectiveness for a growing practice  by avoiding additional payroll expenses
• Access to trained receptionists who understand the nature of patient queries 
• Scalable support that grows with a practice’s needs

It’s a no-brainer then, resolving unattended phone calls might just be the easiest way for providers to experience well-rounded practice growth. 

What to look for when hiring a virtual receptionist service?

When it comes to choosing the right virtual medical receptionist service for your practice, there are several factors for you to keep in mind. Some of these include: 

• HIPAA compliance to ensure patient information remains protected
• 24/7 live answering to capture every call, even outside regular business hours
• Medical-specific training so receptionists are familiar with patient queries
• Flexible plan options that can be customized to your practice’s unique needs
• Tech capabilities such as a robust mobile app to stay connected to your practice 24/7
• Integration capabilities with your existing EMRs, scheduling and practice management systems
• Commitment to compassionate, always human service, not transactional or AI call handling
  

At WellReceived, you can be sure that all of the above are accounted for and that our team of receptionists will always be humans answering your patient calls with care and compassion 24/7. 

Is it safe to use a virtual medical receptionist service?

Yes, when choosing a reputable provider, a virtual receptionist service is completely safe for medical practices. In fact, many services, including WellReceived, are HIPAA compliant, which means they follow strict protocols to protect patient health information (PHI).

Before hiring, it’s important to verify:

• HIPAA compliance
• Secure technology infrastructure
• Confidentiality agreements with all receptionists
• Clear protocols for handling sensitive patient information

Prioritizing patient privacy isn’t just a legal requirement,  it’s a foundation of trust between your practice and your patients.

To conclude

Whether you’re a small solo practitioner starting out or a practice manager handling a group practice; there’s one solvable problem that you can address today – unanswered patient calls. 

Not only does a virtual medical receptionist service ensure a practice doesn’t lose out on any patient enquiries, it provides a roadmap to multi-faceted benefits such as alleviate staff burnout, easing out hiring challenges, attracting new patients 24/7 and above all improving patient experience and loyalty. 

This might just be the best investment you make for your practice. If you’re ready to explore how such a service can elevate your patient experience, WellReceived is here to help — 24/7, every day of the year.