Doctors have a pretty hectic work schedule. Their core job keeps them so busy that they find it difficult to handle all the various administrative tasks of their clinic on their own. If you have a small private practice that is just getting off the ground, you may not be able to afford an assistant or two to handle these various tasks. But maybe you can. Maybe there is a way for you to hire an assistant for your clinic at a fraction of a cost your peers pay. That way is by hiring a virtual assistant for doctors.

Virtual assistants are remote employees that do not sit in your clinic but at a remote location. They do not even have to be in the same country as you. Their chief tasks are such that can be carried out sitting anywhere. Below are some of the services that virtual assistants can perform for you –

1. Answering phone calls

It is one of the most basic yet most important tasks of a clinic. Patients call doctor’s clinics to book appointments or reschedule appointments, get news about test results or for general consultation from a doctor or a nurse. A virtual assistant can greet your callers in a polite manner and take down any notes that may be needed and book appointments as per your calendar. In the event of any emergency medical consultation, they can also direct the call to your cell phone.

2. Maintaining patient database

Virtual assistants can maintain a database of both previous and current patients. They can follow up with them regarding their progress and remind them of any upcoming appointment. When a proper database is maintained, it would make your job as a doctor that much easier whenever you want a file on any patient.

3. Coordinating calendar and schedules

It is more common than you think that doctors with private practices can sometimes double book patients.  As a doctor, you cannot always be expected to organize your schedule or be up to date on changes in certain appointments. This is where the service of a virtual assistant is invaluable.

4. Replying to emails

One of the most mundane yet important administrative tasks in a doctor’s clinics is replying to emails. These emails can be from patients, drug company representatives or various medical bodies that may want to get in touch with you. Your virtual assistant will handle your daily emails and send appropriate responses as and when needed. They will also ensure that high priority emails reach you directly.

How to choose a Virtual Assistant?

There are a few considerations to make while employing a virtual assistant, some of these are –

• Prior experience and expertise

Your virtual assistant should have relevant experience in the medical field. There are certain skills like medical transcription and medical billing that they should be familiar with. You also need to determine what type of sensitive patient information they should be given access to.

• Working hours

If you are hiring a virtual assistant to interact with patients over the call or email, they would have to work according to the business hours of your clinic. However, for backend work like medical billing, a virtual assistant can work in a flexible manner according to their convenience.

• Responsibilities

In most cases, your virtual assistant will be the one answering patients various queries when you are not able to. Queries related to their treatment and medication. There can also be inquiries about their appointments and the reasons for them.  Make sure that the virtual assistant you hire is capable of handling it.

By employing a virtual assistant for your private practice, you ensure that you have more time on your hands for doing the important tasks only you can do. When you hire a VA from Octopus Tech, you get the best quality of service at just a fraction of the cost of an in-house assistant. To know more about our Virtual Assistant services for doctors, contact us today.