Office Answering Service Improves Efficiencies and Patient Outcomes

How OSF OnCall helps physician offices improve efficiencies and productivity while enhancing the patient experience.

In the world of health care, time is of the essence. For busy physicians and their office staff, there never seems to be enough of it. The more time spent on routine questions and callbacks, the less time is available for patients. Delays in response time can lead to delays in treatment. Patients can grow frustrated, or worse, their condition may decline. They may have to visit the emergency department for concerns that otherwise could be addressed without escalation. 

The Physician Office Answering Service from OSF OnCall provides answering service support for physician practices during the evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Our team collaborates with your office to answer patient questions and determine their next steps. We’ll ensure they are heard right away — and your office can reap the benefits of increased patient satisfaction. 

Today’s patients expect and deserve more out of their health care experience, and so does their care team. With an after-hours answering service, your patients always have a way to connect with your team, bringing them comfort when they need it most, while maximizing the efficient use of limited office resources. 

After-hours challenges 
As Pulmonary Manager at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, Ben Buckeye oversees three pediatric offices in Peoria — the Pediatric Diabetes Resource Center, Pediatric Allergy Clinic and Pediatric Pulmonary Clinic. Within each office, providers rotate on-call duties so someone is always available after hours in case of emergency.  

“But when the clinic was closed, patients didn’t have the option to call [and talk to a provider],” Buckeye explains. “So, by default, they would call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency department.”  

Those visits to the emergency department are often unnecessary, as most patient concerns can be addressed without the need for hospitalization. But without someone to take their call, patients may have no other option. Not only is emergency care more costly, it utilizes limited hospital resources which otherwise could be directed to patients with more acute or life-threatening conditions. 

Introducing the answering service 
The OSF OnCall Physician Office Answering Service was created for situations just like this. By routing after-hours calls to the answering service, trained agents communicate directly with the patient and the on-call provider to determine their next appropriate step. That means patient concerns can be addressed more quickly, while staff is free to handle other priority issues during office hours. It all adds up to time and cost savings, greater efficiencies, and increased satisfaction for patients as well as their care teams. 

“The biggest impact for our three clinics is that it keeps patients out of the hospital,” Buckeye stresses. Insulin doses for diabetic patients can be adjusted as needed, for example, while action plans for asthma patients can be modified —without the need for escalated levels of care. It’s also convenient for remote patients who might have to travel. 

“We manage patients from the Quad Cities over to the Danville area, up to almost the Chicago area and down to the St. Louis area,” Buckeye explains. “It helps prevent them from driving two or three hours to come to the hospital for hospitalization.” 

Keeping your patients close 
The OSF OnCall Physician Office Answering Service can connect patients to your office after-hours — without the expense of a dedicated resource. We start with a comprehensive needs assessment and analysis to learn your unique policies and procedures, daily challenges and pain points. Pricing is based on monthly call volume, so you only pay for what you need, and you won’t be locked into a contract from which you may not earn the full benefit.  

Give us a call or contact us online to speak with a representative who can answer your questions and help you realize the benefits of after-hours answering service support. To learn more about the Physician Office Answering Service from OSF OnCall, click here.