The phone system for a medical office is anything, but simple. To ensure effective communication with the employees of the clinic and its patients, the phone system needs to do more than ring and go to voicemail. Whether you're an established healthcare facility with plans to update your phone system or a new practice looking to start your communication efforts off right, learn about some of the must-have features for your phone system.

1. Call Routing 

The work of a physician is never really done. While the physician might operate within the clinic at certain times, there are also instances when the physician is out of the office, but still on call. During these on-call periods, you need a phone system that will allow you to quickly route a call to the on-call provider without having to complete a bunch of technical and time-consuming steps. 

2. Line Features

HIPPA and patient privacy is very important in the healthcare industry. Even more important, not every person that works in the medical office must be privy to all of the same information. For this reason, you need a phone system that allows you to set up private lines so that there is no risk of someone picking up the phone in one area of the office and hearing someone else's conversation.

3. Automated Prompts

A phone system that works for you is best. For example, in a multi-provider office, a phone system that allows the patient to put in their birth date or other ID could be used to route the calls based on the provider they see in the office. So, when the individual answers the phone, they know exactly who they're speaking with and where to find their information. Some phones, like the NEC 2100 phone system, offer you this level of customization. 

4. User Codes

You also want to maintain a high level of accountability in a medical office, so look for phone systems that promote this quality. For example, consider an incident where a patient left a voicemail about a prescription refill, but the information was not passed on. With the right phone system, each person would be required to enter in a user code each to retrieve voicemails. With this feature, if the message wasn't passed on, it would be easy to tell who exactly dropped the ball. 

Good communication isn't just important for a healthcare business; it's essential. Make sure you upgrade to a system that will help you facilitate the best level of communication possible. 

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