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The healthcare industry has undergone significant changes in patient care and technology in recent years. The introduction of medical or healthcare virtual assistants (VAs) has also impacted the industry.
Healthcare companies in Arizona can turn to virtual assistants in Phoenix for remote medical administrative support. They can employ these trained and skilled professionals to answer patient inquiries, schedule appointments, handle billing, and maintain medical records.
This article discusses what medical virtual assistants can do for Phoenix-based healthcare companies, the advantages of hiring one, and ways to maximize the benefits.
What Is a Healthcare Virtual Assistant?
A healthcare VA is an administrative assistant who works remotely to support your back-office functions. The specific responsibilities of a virtual assistant vary depending on the client’s or healthcare organization’s needs. However, they typically handle appointment scheduling, correspondence, and record management.
Healthcare VAs possess strong knowledge of the industry. They can effectively communicate with medical experts and patients because they undergo extensive training from healthcare process outsourcing firms. Some third-party VAs also have experience working in health centers, insurance firms, or other customer service roles.
With the right qualifications and skills, a healthcare virtual assistant is a cost-effective way to supplement your internal team. They can free you and your internal staff from menial admin duties, letting you concentrate on providing first-rate medical services to patients.
A virtual assistant can significantly improve Phoenix-based healthcare companies’ operations and patient experience despite working from home. For example, VAs specializing in telehealth support engage patients by responding to their inquiries and proactively offering help. They eliminate the burden on in-house staff and shorten patient wait times.
Here are some common functions that virtual assistants can perform for Phoenix-based healthcare companies:
- Schedule appointments. This is one of the most important duties of a medical VA. It involves coordinating with patients, doctors, and office staff to ensure all parties can meet at a specific time and date. It requires coordinating multiple schedules and communicating all necessary information via phone calls and emails.
- Follow up on appointments. After a consultation, the medical VA prepares follow-up visits, if necessary. This task can include booking future meetings with the primary care provider, setting up referrals to specialists, arranging imaging studies or lab tests, and organizing prescription refills. VAs make it easier for patients to follow their care plan.
- Respond to patient questions. Patients often have questions about their medication, treatment plan, or conditions. A healthcare VA can answer common questions or direct patients to credible resources to find more information. For example, they can explain the potential side effects of certain medications or how to take them.
- Manage electronic medical records. Maintaining updated and accurate medical records is vital for providing excellent patient care. Healthcare VAs help maintain and manage medical transcriptions using electronic medical records (EMRs). An EMR is the electronic form of a patient chart containing treatment plans and diagnostic test results.
- Enter medical data. Medical VAs help with data entry. This healthcare process relies on BPO assistants to update appointments, patient information, and insurance data. Accuracy and timeliness are crucial to avoiding complications. ERM is another critical factor in data entry, ensuring patient information is up-to-date and available.
- Perform admin activities. The medical field has a never-ending list of daily admin tasks. Healthcare organizations must accomplish various back-office processes, such as gathering and entering patient data. A virtual assistant takes care of all these functions for your Phoenix healthcare firm, freeing up your time so you can concentrate on other tasks.
- Handle billing and correspondence. This function includes engaging patients to discuss payments or appointments and handling billing inquiries. Being courteous and professional when interacting with patients is a must for VAs.
- Process insurance claims. Healthcare VAs help process insurance claims. They contact insurance companies to verify claim status, check coverage levels, track payments, prepare and submit claims, and appeal denied claims. VAs also inform patients about their options when filing insurance claims.
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Healthcare Companies in Phoenix
Doctors and clinics do not have time to wait around. They serve numerous clients and patients daily, making it difficult to field all questions and concerns from each patient. Hence, they turn to healthcare BPO services.
Hiring a virtual assistant for your Phoenix healthcare company brings many benefits. Here are some of the most important advantages.
More Focus on Patients
Medical professionals need assistance when handling administrative work. A virtual assistant helps doctors and practitioners meet responsibilities and treat patients without stressing about verifying insurance, scheduling appointments, and completing back-office tasks.
Their contributions enhance productivity and improve the patient experience. They help patients and healthcare professionals, reducing doctors’ stress levels and enabling them to improve treatment services.
Better Patient Satisfaction
A virtual assistant for a Phoenix-based healthcare practice can offer personalized patient services, allowing individuals to access help or resolve their issues in seconds. They can send reminders for upcoming visits and lab schedules via text or email to help patients stay on top of their health and follow the treatment plans.
The overall goal of the VA is to assist your practice in keeping its current patients and attracting new ones.
Improved Doctor-patient Relationship
A healthcare virtual assistant helps doctors quickly and easily set follow-up appointments and personal calls for additional medical advice. The virtual assistant performs the background work so doctors can focus on each patient without worry.
Patients also tend to dread and feel uncomfortable in overcrowded waiting rooms. A virtual assistant can help Phoenix-based healthcare professionals set up one-on-one telehealth appointments, allowing patients to receive personal consultations without visiting the clinic. This capability leads to an improved doctor-patient relationship.
Stronger Data Security
The medical industry is constantly experiencing data security threats, from website breaches to ransomware attacks. Arizona alone has exposed nearly 600,000 records in the last two years.
Partnering with a reputable staffing agency helps healthcare organizations enhance data security by providing technology, training, and expertise. Established providers bring knowledge and experience, helping identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities.
VAs from experienced staffing firms undergo training on security best practices. These lessons include recognizing and preventing phishing attacks, using secure passwords, and avoiding data breaches.
Maximizing the Benefits of Healthcare VAs While Reducing Risks
Virtual assistants offering BPO services for healthcare come with various benefits, but they also bring challenges. The good thing is that you can prepare for and mitigate such risks. Make more informed decisions when employing a VA by learning the common issues you may encounter and how to combat them.
Here is a closer look.
Prepare a Business Case
Hiring a VA just because a colleague advised you to or a competitor did it first may result in trouble. Although a virtual assistant is cost-effective, you might not necessarily need one. Identify the problems you are experiencing and see whether a medical VA can help, then create your business case.
Here are some signs that you need a virtual assistant for your Phoenix-based healthcare organization:
- You waste too much time and resources on administrative activities.
- Your back-end team is overwhelmed with daily tasks and works beyond their shift.
- Your hospital requires specific expertise you lack in-house or cannot afford to hire full-time.
Employ the Right Personnel
Medical VAs are well-rounded and can take on various tasks, but this arrangement will not work if they are not a good fit for your practice. What you need to do is draft a well-defined job description. Doing so ensures that you only attract qualified candidates.
Here are a few elements you should consider adding to your job posting:
- Background of your medical practice
- Specific responsibilities of the VA
- Software, apps, and integration tools they will use to do the work
- Level of experience, skills, education, and training relevant to the role
- Language spoken
- Schedule of work
Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Although Arizona ranks second in workforce quality, you can never be too sure when your VA works remotely. The work-from-home setup has little to no in-person interaction. So, an established process is a must to yield satisfactory results.
A well-defined SOP removes tedious back-and-forth on particular details of the job. It makes communication between your internal team and the medical VA more efficient. An SOP also streamlines workflow and ensures productivity.
How to Choose a Provider for Healthcare Virtual Assistants
Finding the right virtual staffing firm for your medical practice in Phoenix is essential to guaranteeing success. This section discusses the qualities to consider when choosing the best VA staffing or healthcare BPO company for you.
Guarantees HIPAA Compliance
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliance is vital in every aspect of your healthcare practice. Sharing confidential patient data verbally or online may lead to lawsuits and costly blunders. So, you must choose a VA agency that takes HIPAA compliance and training seriously.
HIPAA and the Arizona law generally harmonize with each other. Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 36-509 echoes a few provisions in HIPAA.
HIPAA compliance guarantees that related parties understand and undertake measures to avoid compromising patient data. It safeguards private information and incentivizes organizations to maintain and enhance security measures or face hefty fines.
Has an Excellent Online Reputation
A staffing agency’s online reputation says a lot about its work quality. Partner with a firm that has an excellent online reputation.
A great reputation goes hand in hand with data security. A firm with many positive client reviews is more likely to be reliable and have robust data security measures.
Browse the testimonials and reviews from the agency’s current and previous clients. You can also assess its ability by its success rate and its accomplishments and achievements.
Offers Extensive Hands-on and Classroom Training
Look for a BPO firm or staffing agency that allocates enough time to train virtual assistants. Hands-on and classroom learning prepare the virtual assistant to handle tasks proficiently for your Phoenix-based healthcare practice.
Here are examples of training programs:
- Billing services and revenue cycle management (RCM) training
- Technical training for customer relationship management (CRM) and patient portals
- Medical transcription training to boost referrals and reputation
- Soft-skills training for patient support and engagement
A well-trained VA helps minimize incorrect patient data or errors in appointment settings. They help increase your practice’s overall efficiency.
Provides Affordable and Flexible Pricing
Phoenix staffing agencies that offer flexible pricing structures, such as subscription-based and pay-per-use, allow for more cost savings. Generally, outsourcing will enable companies to save up to 70% in labor costs.
When finding the right VA agency for your practice, hourly rates are also worth considering. The current rate for virtual assistants ranges from $10.75 to $27.46, but a more seasoned medical VA may charge higher, depending on their area of expertise.
The Bottom Line
Healthcare virtual assistants offer many advantages for medical practices, and their demand is rising. The advantages involve cost savings, better patient-doctor relationships, improved patient experience, more robust data security, and streamlined workflows. You open your practice to various benefits when working with a medical VA.
Finding the best virtual assistant for your Phoenix-based healthcare firm requires taking the right steps and considering multiple qualities. Unity Communications offers affordable solutions to independent practices and established healthcare providers alike. Let’s connect today to find out more!
