Virtual Assistants for Doctors: What to Consider

Spending quality time with your patients should be the top priority in your practice. Not only does it boost your patient's trust, but it can also be rewarding for you as a doctor. However, there are days when you're too preoccupied to do so. If you need help balancing quality care and patient convenience, you may need physician virtual assistants for your practice. 

A virtual assistant for doctors can help you focus on your patient's health status. They can take care of the additional tasks, giving you more time to monitor your patient's condition efficiently. 

You're on the right page if you want to know more about the essentials of hiring a virtual assistant for your practice. So, without further ado, let's dive into our discussion.

Virtual Assistant for Healthcare

To better understand the things to consider when hiring a virtual medical assistant, you should first learn its definition. A virtual medical assistant or VMA is an individual who can help you with the overall workload in your practice while working remotely. VMAs can handle administrative tasks, prior authorization, insurance verification, data entry, patient follow-ups, and many more. 

What to Consider Before Hiring Virtual Medical Assistants

A virtual medical assistant should possess the right skill set for your practice. Before hiring a VMA, you should learn to identify the skills that fit your practice's needs. 

Below are the essential things to consider in hiring virtual medical assistants in healthcare:

Availability and Flexibility

Medical practice is very demanding. Having a VMA that is always available is vital for your practice. Look for a virtual medical assistant on par with your practice's demands. 

Whether you require a complete 8-hour shift or only a half-day, the VMA should be able to meet your needs. Moreover, they should also be amenable to overtime when needed. 

Language and Communication Skills

Effective communication is vital in any situation, especially in medical practice. Look for VMA that can communicate with your patients smoothly. If most of your patients speak Spanish, hire a Spanish-speaking VMA. The same goes for any other language. 

In addition, their soft skills should be excellent. A VMA that knows the dos and don'ts of effective communication can boost your patient's overall experience. Customer handling skills are a must. 

Knowledge in Technology

A virtual assistant in healthcare should be proficient in technology. After all, most tools require the internet and computers. Hire someone that has knowledge of using different Customer Relationship Management tools. Or, at least, someone who can be trained minimally. 

All medical facilities nowadays use computers and mobile devices. You must hire a VMA that can adapt to technology.

HIPAA Training and Compliance

Consider hiring a VMA that completed the HIPAA training and compliance. Modules. Your practice can be fined up to $250,000 for violating the rules. Moreover, you could also face imprisonment for up to 10 years. HIPAA compliance increases patient trust and efficiency. Your practice can only benefit if you hire HIPAA-compliant VMAs. 

Why You Should Hire Virtual Assistants for Your Practice

One of the greatest struggles of doctors is time management. There are days when too many appointments become cumbersome. That is when VMAs come into play. Hiring virtual assistants allows you to spend quality time with your patients. You can assign admin tasks to your VMAs and focus on treating and managing your patient's conditions.

In addition, VMAs increase your practice's overall productivity. Now that you know the importance of hiring virtual medical assistants, finding the right team to help you is your next step. 

Partner with DrCatalyst

DrCatalyst is the number one provider of highly-trained virtual medical assistants. We specialize in virtual staffing to help your practice reach its highest potential. Here's what our VMAs can do for your practice:

Our virtual medical assistant services:

• Handle inbound and outbound calls
• Manage remote patient monitoring
• Assure HIPAA Compliance
• Minimize claim delays and denials
• Manage prior authorizations
• Reduce errors in eligibility checking and benefits verification
• Save time, money, and effort
• Increase revenue

Schedule a free demo here.