For this reason, many healthcare organizations choose to work with dedicated medical call centers that rely on HIPAA-compliant healthcare phone service . This post will discuss best practices for healthcare centers looking to improve agent performance and patient satisfaction.
What Is a Healthcare Call Center?
A healthcare call center is a specialized communication hub that manages outbound and inbound calls for medical organizations such as doctor’s offices and insurance providers. It serves as a point of contact for patients, offering services that include handling appointments, inquiries, billing, insurance verification, and even emergency support.
Healthcare call centers are often responsible for facilitating communication between patients and healthcare professionals. As such, they play a critical role in patient care management, information dissemination, and administrative support.
In many cases, these contact center solutions use advanced technology, including AI , to manage calls, data, and patient interactions efficiently — and securely.
Because call centers can handle a significant call volume in a systematic way, patients can speak to someone quickly, whether they need to make an appointment or request a referral. Hyro’s State of Healthcare Call Centers report highlights that 49% of patients are dissatisfied with the service they receive from their healthcare provider’s call center. Respondents voiced their frustration: 38% “Unsatisfied,” 7% “Somewhat Unsatisfied,” and 4% “Very Unsatisfied.”
The problem is as clear as day: Patients are not receiving the support and care they expect. Upgrading your phone system and exercising healthcare call center best practices can increase patient satisfaction rates significantly, boosting healthcare providers’ patient retention rates.
Differences Between Small and Large Healthcare Call Centers
Healthcare call centers are classified as either small or large, and while both are likely to use cloud-based technology , there are a few key differences between them.
Small healthcare call centers
Small call centers typically have between five and 25 call center agents. This is what you need to know about them:
Limited Resources: Due to a leaner staff and budget, they often have fewer specialized roles and might not be open 24/7.
Personalized Interaction: These centers are more likely to offer personalized, direct communication with patients.
Simpler Tech Requirements: They may not need all the bells and whistles that an enterprise contact center would require; this can keep costs low.
Flexibility: There is often greater flexibility in adapting to patients’ needs or changes in operations thanks to more personalized interactions, because these interactions enable a deeper understanding of individual patient histories and preferences.
Generalist Staff: Staff may need to perform multiple functions, from appointment scheduling to handling billing inquiries.
Small call centers may work best for small practices looking for additional phone call management, especially if they want to offer personalized care for their patients.
Large healthcare call centers
Large call centers may have well over a hundred agents and are likely to be available 24/7. Here’s what you need to know:
Extensive Resources: A larger staff and higher budget allow for more specialized roles and departments, which may result in greater efficiency in solving patient concerns.
Advanced Tech Requirements: Large centers are more likely to use sophisticated call center software features, including AI and data analytics.
Structured Protocols: More formalized and standardized processes and protocols are often incorporated for handling incoming calls.
High Volumes: The increased headcount results in being better equipped to manage a higher volume of calls and diverse inquiries.
Specialized Teams: Teams may be specialized in specific areas, such as billing, appointments, or insurance verification, which can improve the patient experience.
Best Practices for Handling Healthcare-Related Calls
Medical call center agents have important jobs, and knowing how to best handle different healthcare-related calls can improve agent performance and patient satisfaction.
1. Appointments
Appointment scheduling is one of the most common use cases for healthcare call centers. Follow these best practices to improve customer interactions when onboarding new patients or managing appointments:
Use an organized scheduling system to manage appointments efficiently.
Confirm appointment details with the patient, including time, date, location, and anything they may need to bring to the appointment.
Implement a painless rescheduling and cancellation process.
Send automated reminders via calls, texts, or emails based on provider or patient preferences.
2. Insurance updates
Agents will almost always need to enter and verify insurance policies when working with new patients, and they may need to help existing patients update their insurance information. This technical information has a direct impact on patient care and expenses, so make sure you get it right by doing the following:
Be patient and empathetic, as insurance topics can be confusing for patients.
Train staff to understand various insurance plans and policies.
Keep a database of insurance providers and policy details for reference.
Offer clear, concise information about insurance coverage and patient responsibilities.
Both medical call centers and insurance companies should follow these best practices. They should also make sure they’re using a reliable, adaptable, and secure phone system.
