As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect everyone across the country, medical facilities have seen a dramatic spike in incoming calls from concerned individuals. Whether citizens have questions regarding quarantine measures or want information on how to find a testing center, they are reaching out by phone for answers. Some healthcare facilities are having a difficult time balancing the influx of calls while trying to care for their patients. Fortunately, a medical answering service can help ensure that calls are answered, leaving healthcare facilities time to focus on providing patients with treatment.
What is a COVID-19 Hotline?
A COVID-19 hotline is supported by a 24/7 medical answering service, established to field all incoming calls regarding any pandemic-related inquiries. When an individual calls a facility with questions or concerns related to COVID-19, the COVID-19 hotline will triage the call and, if qualified, connect them to a trained team of professionals who are able to quickly and accurately provide answers. Hotlines are flexible and can be set up to provide advice to individuals or answer questions relating in any way to the pandemic. It can also provide other FAQ’s such as advice on how to avoid getting sick, how to take care of yourself at home, and how to self-assess symptoms. Furthermore, a hotline can help direct the community to you. In short, a COVID-19 hotline can provide individuals with trustworthy guidance at all hours.
What Types of Businesses can Benefit from a COVID-19 Hotline?
A Medical answering service can assist a wide variety of healthcare facilities. Here are some examples of how a COVID-19 hotline can help your business:
Hospital or Healthcare Networks
Hospitals are truly on the front lines combatting this pandemic. Doctors and staff are not only working tirelessly to aid those who are battling COVID-19 infections, but they are also working with the public to help keep them safe and healthy, evaluate their symptoms and administer testing. This is often accomplished by enacting an “all hands on deck” strategy, leaving other functions unattended or outsourced. A medical answering service can help relieve the burden of these incoming calls by helping individuals assess their current symptoms, determine if additional medical attention is necessary, and direct them to appropriate departments.
State Agencies
From the federal government to local towns and communities, governments are taking an active role in monitoring the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing emergency measures to help protect the public. Furthermore, public health agencies have been working around the clock to provide real-time updates about public health. With so many changes occurring in our day to day lives, it’s no surprise that state agencies have also received a remarkable increase in incoming calls regarding the COVID-19 virus. However, a medical answering service can handle these incoming calls and provide the public with all the information necessary to ease their concerns as best as possible.
Home Care Networks
We are discovering that the elderly and those with prior respiratory conditions are more at risk if they are infected with COVID-19, and therefore, must be extra careful to not risk exposure. However, this changes many of the procedures and protocols on how to provide home care services. Consequently, both patients and their families who rely on home care networks have many questions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 situation. Whether they are seeking advice about the current symptoms they are exhibiting or if they’re wondering if it is safe for them to engage in a particular activity, a medical answering service can respond to these phone calls for patients of home care networks and allow its employees to keep their focus on treatment and care.
How Medical Answering Services Provide Answers to Covid-19 Questions
At Anserve, we believe a medical answering service should work closely with healthcare facilities to understand their challenges, dynamics, and solutions to issues. Then, we create a protocol that addresses the facilities’ needs and services and develops a system that will answer a patient’s questions with precision and accuracy. We work with you to understand what information is important to callers and make sure that we have complete and comprehensive responses to their calls. Our medical answering services guarantee that every call will be handled at any time of day, which allows you to focus on treating your patients who need you the most during these difficult times. With a medical answering service, you can feel confident your organization is not missing a call and that communication between the healthcare community and the public remains open. For more information on either setting up a COVID-19 Hotline or enlisting Anserve’s medical answering services, please give us a call at 800.980.9770 or email us at info@anserve.com.
