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Re: After hours phone calls revisited (briefly)From: Robert Brenner (robbrenner@earthlink.net)Thu Nov 6 13:00:51 1997
>So, we simply have a nice, brief recording now that tells callers that this is >the after-hours number, to call during these hours if you need a prescription >refill, appointment, or to go over lab tests, but to call the following number >if this is an emergency and you need to talk to a doctor right away. The >response to this simple system has been dramatic. I have been keeping track, >and we have decreased our non-emergent calls by 90% but have, to my knowledge, >kept all of the emergent calls. There have been no patient complaints and, to >my knowledge, no bad outcomes. It seems that if the answering service is >contacted patients will simply "page the doctor" whereas if they think about >it and need to call a second number, they only call for a true emergency. >It's dropped after-hours pages from the office from about 50 a night to about >6. Now, I'm not looking for any comments, and especially do not want to >discuss the ethics of being a 24-hour a day answering machine for patients. >This is simply a follow-up of a topic we discussed last year. > >Have a nice weekend. > Now get rid of the answering service and save yourself $1500. That's what we did. I leave a message for the patients on my answering machine to "leave a message and I'll get back to you". I check in every 2 hrs for messages. I also give the patients my beeper number with instructions on how to use it if they need to contact me right away.
-- Robert Brenner MD FACOG Baltimore MD Robbrenner@earthlink.net
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