Rheumatology is a rewarding career, but it’s also a healthcare sector with intense demands and, accordingly, burnout among rheumatologists is common. The impact of this burnout isn’t purely centered on the clinicians either, it also affects the patients who are waiting to be seen. Therefore, there’s a need to improve the day-to-day dynamics of a rheumatology team. But how do start improving this? Well, we’ve got the answer and we’re happy to share it with you: embrace the power of a rheumatology virtual assistant.
Your One-Stop Guide to Virtual Assistants
Walk into any healthcare clinic and, within seconds, you will come face-to-face with administrative assistants. These are the backroom staff who take care of administrative duties and, while the clinicians tend to patients, keep the cogs of the clinic turning. They are an invaluable asset, and, without them, clinicians would constantly be trying to escape mountains of paperwork. However, the industry is becoming more competitive, and it’s crucial that your clinic knows how to remain lean, yet more productive than ever.
It's a tough ask for any business, but in healthcare, the competition is very strong indeed. Thankfully, because of advances in technology and internet speeds, there is a solution: virtual assistants. Buoyed by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual assistants have never been more popular. But what are they? The truth is, they are the same as any in-house assistant. However, there is one significant difference that marks them out: they work remotely. Yes, due to high-speed internet connections and VPNs, virtual assistants can connect securely to any IT infrastructure in the world.
Best of all, virtual assistants come full to the brim with a range of benefits that an in-house assistant is simply unable to deliver. Not only do the provide a flexible working solution, but they also offer incredible cost savings and allow you to give your patients the service they deserve. So, as you can see, virtual assistants have the potential to push your business to new and exciting heights.
What Can a Rheumatology Virtual Assistant Do For you?
A rheumatology virtual assistant can do everything that your in-house assistant can do but to a higher standard and more effectively. It’s a tempting proposition but, before you sign off on hiring a rheumatology virtual assistant, you need to fully understand what they can do for you. Luckily, we’re here to provide you with a comprehensive list:
Schedule appointments:
A rheumatology virtual assistant is a perfect solution to tackling your clinic’s appointment ledger. For a patient, getting an appointment is crucial to both their mental and physical well-being. Unfortunately, clinicians are far too busy treating patients to manage this themselves. But a virtual assistant is ready to organize your appointment ledger appointment efficiently and with the patient’s best interests at heart.
Manage your inbox:
Clinicians receive huge amounts of emails over the course of a year, and it’s critical that these emails are carefully managed. After all, while many of these emails may be handled easily, there will always be more complex emails that require intense focus e.g. analyzing diagnostic reports and recommending medication. This is why email management is so important. And this is where a rheumatology virtual assistant can help. They can flag emails by urgency, remove spam emails, and categorize emails into folders that are easily navigated. This removes the hard work for your clinicians and makes them more productive.
Dealing with patient queries:
The way in which a virtual assistant accesses your IT systems ensures that their connection is secure and confidential. And this means they are perfectly places to deal with patient queries. A rheumatology virtual assistant can professionally handle a variety of concerns, ranging from medication inquiries to appointment scheduling and even insurance details. Thanks to their highly tuned active listening skills, these virtual assistants can gather all the essential details and provide accurate guidance.
Managing virtual appointments:
The importance of telehealth has risen sharply since the pandemic, but it remains a relatively new ground for both clinicians and patients. As a result, many patients struggle to connect with their clinicians for their appointment. This is mostly down to a lack of tech knowledge, but it can be easily remedied with a virtual assistant. With full access to your communications system, a rheumatology virtual assistant can act as a contact point for patients struggling with the system. Thanks to their IT expertise, your virtual assistant can successfully talk patients through the log-on procedure.
Medical billing:
One of the strongest skills that a virtual rheumatology assistant can offer is understanding how to document and process insurance claims. For patients, dealing with medical insurance can be stressful, and they need peace of mind that their medical billing will be handled professionally. Medical insurance may be complex, but the expertise and experience of a virtual rheumatology assistant ensure that the management of insurance-related matters is completed with the minimum of fuss.
Updating EMR:
Patient care relies on a comprehensive and readily accessible record of a patient's medical history. And this is why electronic medical records (EMR) are so important. However, maintaining these records can be a challenging task for clinicians due to time constraints and administrative responsibilities. Fortunately, working with a rheumatology virtual assistant offers an effective solution for EMR updates. Equipped with extensive training in the best practices of EMR management, the presence of a virtual assistant guarantees an accurate and up-to-date EMR.
Transcribing consultations:
One of the biggest drains on a clinician’s time is transcribing recordings of their consultations. Extensive listening and repeated playbacks are essential for grasping the finer points of consultations, but it’s a frustrating task. The best solution here is to collaborate with a rheumatology virtual assistant. As well as transcribing your audio files with precision, they will also seamlessly input them into the EMR system.
Teaming Up with a Rheumatology Virtual Assistant
There’s a lot that a rheumatology virtual assistant can do for you and your clinic. Ultimately, they are there to alleviate the workload from your clinician’s shoulders and deliver in this in an innovative manner. And, thanks to the cost savings, flexibility and productivity on offer, virtual assistants are the very definition of innovation.
You may feel ready to hire a rheumatology virtual assistant, but this is a new frontier for many businesses. Accordingly, you need to turn to those who are an authority in the subject. And that’s us. At Hello Rache, we have years of experience when it comes to connecting healthcare firms with world-class virtual assistants. So, if you’re ready for that next step to take your business into the 21st century, get in touch with us here.
