The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about some positive changes in healthcare. Specifically, it has promoted the use of remote monitoring and telehealth management systems. As well as high-level automation, personalized services and the use of Virtual Medical Assistants (VMA) for its acronym in English.
Who are virtual medical assistants?
VMAs perform administrative tasks that help keep the health care practice active and save physicians valuable time that is best spent with patients. They can take the form of real-life receptionists or assistants who work remotely and help compose a virtual medical staff.
Female medical office worker on phone with clipboard
Virtual medical assistants can help save valuable time for busy practices, but it is wise to know the pros and cons before hiring their services.
One aspect of telehealth that is gaining traction is the use of virtual medical assistants (VMAs) to facilitate workflow in medical offices. Let’s take a closer look based on a variety of healthcare sources.
Who are virtual medical assistants?
VMAs perform administrative tasks that help keep the health care practice active and save physicians valuable time that is best spent with patients. They can take the form of real-life receptionists or assistants who work remotely and help compose a virtual medical staff.
Here are some common functions that VMAs fulfill:
- Patient appointment scheduling
- Entering and collecting patient data
- Handling of payments, documentation, references and transcripts.
- Respond to patient questions to clarify understanding via email, social media, or phone calls.
- Secure and organize medical records
- Planning of patient visits based on medical records and severity of illness.
- Itemize and document insurance coverage
- Verification of insurance coverage before medical examination
- Complete the paperwork associated with the insurance coverage.
- Patient follow-up
BENEFITS OF VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
Using VMA can help distribute labor efficiently and ease the burden on current staff. According SmartClinix, a project of American Telephysicians, the benefits of VMAs are manifold.
They free physicians from the hassle of collecting, organizing, updating, and managing patient data. By doing so, the physician gains precious time to handle urgent matters and fulfill other responsibilities.
VMAs improve the quality of interactions that patients have with their patients. They allow the doctor to spend more quality time building the doctor-patient relationship.
Virtual assistants expand the scope of practice by performing various responsibilities.
They free up office space by being remote and allow for expansion of office space to add clinical equipment and instrumentation as needed.
Cons of virtual assistants
Although the potential benefits of VMAs are great, there can be some drawbacks, according to Bottleneck Medical Distance Services.
On the one hand, communication can be compromised by phone calls, chat, and video conferences with VMA. For example, power or internet outages can cut off access.
In these cases, it is important to incorporate a contingency plan and ensure that your current staff, in real life, can shoulder the load in times of urgency.
Another problem that can arise with VMAs is lack of supervision, which can lead to errors. Because these helpers work remotely, there are few opportunities to help them while they work.
Are Virtual Medical Assistants Worth It?
In general, VMAs can be a good idea if you have a very busy practice and your bandwidth is affected by various responsibilities. While there are concerns about remote worker supervision or data security, the benefits of efficiency and increased personal time with patients can easily outweigh any drawbacks.
The use of virtual medical assistants, however, requires some preparation and protocols, as well as contingency plans in case access is cut off due to Internet outages or to cover other unforeseen circumstances.
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