Running a healthcare practice is not an easy feat, especially if you’re a medical practitioner yourself.
Along with examining patients, you’re most likely to be juggling the administrative and management side of the business as well.
Continue that way for a little too long and you risk facing burnout, blunders, bad reviews and overall patient dissatisfaction.
None of that helps your business.
But you know what does?
Hiring a virtual medical assistant (VMA) to help you out, as they have proven to be a game changer for the healthcare industry! Infact, the industry is so prosperous that its market size is expected to reach about 2.7 billion USD, according to Valuates Reports.
Why You Need a Virtual Assistant for Your Healthcare Practice
Virtual medical assistants can handle various administrative tasks, help in processing payments and insurance claims, keep track of inventory and patients’ medical records etc. Recently, more healthcare practices have opted to hire virtual assistants because it’s more budget-friendly, booms the efficiency of their work, greatly improves the patients’ experiences and most importantly, allows practitioners to focus solely on patient care.
The integration of VMAs into modern healthcare has truly revolutionized this industry for both the patients and medical professionals.
Treat Patients More Efficiently than Ever Before
Let’s be honest, to a practitioner, nothing sounds more daunting than getting buried under piles and piles of paperwork or sitting through long hours of boring administrative tasks.
Hiring a virtual assistant for your healthcare practice gets rid of this problem for you.
By chalking off the day to day duties of running the clinic, dealing with patients, scheduling appointments, sending reminders, insurance verification etc. to a remote employee, you’re guaranteed to see an immense boost in the productivity of your clinic.
Additionally, by optimizing your services, you’ll increase your customer retention rates as well. If your patients have to wait a long time for treatment, they are more likely to go to other clinics instead.
Save Costs and Watch Your Business Thrive
Albeit it’s not the traditional way of doing things, but recently, many businesses have opted to hire virtual assistants because it’s more cost-effective.
This is especially true for those of you trying to grow your own clinics.
Hiring an in house assistant does not only require additional funds but extra office space and equipment as well.
Fortunately, VMAs work remotely, allowing you to invest all that money towards growing your practice instead. Remote assistants also enjoy flexible working hours, allowing you to adjust their pay accordingly and further reduce costs.
Moreover, when you hire a virtual healthcare assistant through a company such as UrbanMed, the employees are hired on a contractual basis. This saves your practice from having to pay for holidays, medical insurance, pensions etc.
Hire the BEST Person for the Job!
Going online in search of an assistant for your company allows you to pick from a worldwide pool of skilled professionals for much lower prices.
This way, your choices aren’t limited to your physical location, and it gives you the chance to find the perfect match to fit YOUR needs. Each VA has their own special skill set; some more suited for receptionist duties, others for billing and insurance purposes.
In case the hired VMA isn’t the right fit for your company, or needs to take time off, you can easily hire a pre-screened, equally skilled replacement.
Let’s be real, the chances of making an error when you’re single handedly trying to manage multiple operations are very high. By recruiting external help, you can make sure that every task performed by professionals at your practice is error free.
Get Raving Reviews!
Bad reviews are terrible for business, and word of mouth travels FAST!
If someone hears about an unpleasant experience at a healthcare facility, they’re likely to avoid it and encourage everyone in their circle to do the same.
On the other hand, a practice that not only provides excellent healthcare services but also takes care of their patients every step of the way will be much more likely to get that 5 star review on Yelp!
With a remote assistant helping you out, you can be sure that your patients are going to receive the best customer service possible.
Most patients, particularly the anxious ones, often struggle to get the proper medical care they need as making appointments, calling up clinics and dealing with delayed responses can get extremely frustrating for them.
A virtual medical assistant, who will be available 24/7 resolves this issue; no calls will go unanswered and all patient inquiries will receive immediate answers.
It’ll be the VMAs responsibility to ensure smooth communication between you and your patients. As a result, your patients will feel cared for and valued.
Invest in Yourself
Although hiring a VMA is good for business, it’s not all about the patients and your practice. Infact, doing so can have a positive impact on your life as well.
With reduced administrative workload, you’re given a chance to focus on your professional and personal growth. Maybe pick up that research that’s been collecting dust for a while, explore new treatment options that you can integrate into your practice and overall enjoy a better work-life balance.
Grow Your Practice Today!
All in all, hiring a virtual medical assistant is a win-win situation!
You still maintain that much-needed human touch in your practice, as real people are engaging with the patients.
At the same time, the efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction of your practice are greatly improved- at a much more affordable rate!