The Highest Quality Telephone Answering Service in the United States

Centratel

Telephone Answering Service

medical call answering services

Maintaining Patient Confidentiality and Data Security with Centratel’s Medical Call Answering Services

December 1, 2023
Medical
By Centratel

The Imperative of HIPAA Compliance

As a leading provider in the medical answering service industry, we at Centratel understand the imperative of HIPAA compliance in our call answering services. We recognize that in the healthcare sector, every call holds the potential for a life-changing moment, and the protection of patient data is not just a legal requirement, but a moral obligation. Our commitment is unwavering, ensuring that every interaction is handled with the utmost confidentiality and respect. We employ advanced encryption technologies to safeguard sensitive information, ensuring that messages are only accessible to the intended recipient. 

This level of security not only meets but exceeds HIPAA standards, providing peace of mind for both our clients and their patients. Our dedication to HIPAA standards is just one of the ways we strive to provide the best possible service to our clients. To learn more about how we can support your healthcare organization with our secure and efficient communication solutions, we invite you to Get a Free Quote.

Upholding Patient Information Privacy with Centratel’s Medical Answering Service

At Centratel, we understand the paramount importance of patient information privacy in the realm of medical call answering services. Our commitment to upholding this crucial aspect is unwavering and is deeply ingrained in our service ethos. We have implemented rigorous protocols and cutting-edge technology to ensure that every piece of patient information we handle is treated with the utmost confidentiality. Our medical answering service is designed to cater to a broad spectrum of medical practices, from Primary Care to Orthopedics, and everything in between. We customize our communication approach for each medical office we serve, ensuring accuracy, prompt response, and genuine compassion. 

Building Patient Trust 

At Centratel, we understand that building patient trust is a cornerstone of any successful medical answering service. Our commitment to this principle is unwavering, as we believe that trust is the foundation of every patient-provider relationship. We recognize that every call we handle is not just a routine task, but a critical opportunity to reinforce this trust. Our professional staff is trained to handle each call with the utmost respect for the patient’s privacy and confidentiality. We use advanced technology and systems to ensure that every message is delivered accurately and securely. Our service is not just about answering calls, it’s about providing a seamless communication experience that enhances patient trust and confidence in their healthcare provider. We are available 24/7, ensuring that every emergency call is promptly responded to, and every appointment reminder or referral is handled with precision and care. Our commitment to patient trust is not just a promise, it’s a commitment that is embedded in every aspect of our medical call answering services.

The Importance of Secure Data Access

Secure data access is a cornerstone in the realm of medical call answering services. In an industry where every call could be a matter of life and death, the importance of secure data access cannot be overstated. At Centratel, we have woven this understanding into the very fabric of our services. Our medical answering service is designed to ensure that every piece of information, every patient record, every appointment reminder, and every emergency dispatch is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality. We leverage advanced technology and rigorous training to ensure that our staff can provide reliable, professional, and secure communication 24/7. Furthermore, our commitment to secure data access extends beyond the call. We provide a network of support that includes encrypted message delivery, ensuring that confidential information remains just that – confidential. This commitment to secure data access is not just about compliance; it’s about providing a service that our clients can trust, knowing that their data is in safe hands.

Get a Free Quote for Centratel’s Secure Medical Call Answering Services

Ready to experience the future of call answering services? Centratel invites you to Get a Free Quote for our secure Medical Call Answering Services. We are committed to providing a seamless, professional, and confidential communication channel for healthcare providers. Our services are designed to meet the unique needs of a wide range of medical practices, from primary care and pediatrics to urology and orthopedics. With our 24/7 support, you can ensure that your patients receive prompt and compassionate responses, even in emergency situations. Our commitment to data security and HIPAA compliance is unwavering, with our encrypted messaging system ensuring that patient information remains confidential. Experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing your calls are handled by a reliable, high-quality service provider. Let Centratel be your partner in delivering exceptional patient care.

Image by senivpetro on Freepik

A Telephone Answering Service Representative taking calls at Centratel

Centratel is an elite national telephone answering service located in Bend, Oregon. Its Medical Answering Service assists hundreds of practices both during and after business hours throughout the United States. By a variety of statistics, it is the highest quality answering service among the approximately 800 services nationwide.

Taking the Next Step

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or to just talk to us, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed below.)

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or to just talk to us, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed on the right.)

Terms of Service

Why Choose Centratel

BY SAM CARPENTER
September 1, 2024

1.CENTRATEL’S UNIQUE 30-DAY FREE TRIAL

Why is this important? Because it will provide you a truly accurate estimate of cost (we bill monthly), it will demonstrate our quality, and it gives both sides of this equation—you and Centratel—the necessary time to refine and perfect operational details.

Here’s a testimonial from a new medical client that had just finished their 30-day trial: “Of course, I love the cost as it is close to the amount I was allowed by the president of the company. I told him that if we did not continue with Centratel, I would resign as the Director of Customer Service, and I meant it. It’s a great fit. We have had NOT ONE complaint from a patient or in-house which, as you know, we received daily with our former answering service. I love you, Centratel, and the price. I’m ready to sign whatever documents you require. Thanks for the great service, and the free month! To a great partnership! -KB, Phoenix“

2.STATISTICALLY, THE BEST IN THE U.S.?

Answering service quality is 100% dependent on human action and reaction, and in the course of a single day a multitude of human decisions are made by the people who process the calls: Telephone Service Representatives, or TSRs. (Some answering services refer to them as “agents.” Others, “operators.”)

Like any other answering service, at Centratel we’re dealing with real live human beings and so human errors occur. But within this labor intensive service industry that is historically known for marginal quality, Centratel’s error rate is light years ahead of established standards. Our most recent Customer Reported Error Rate (April through June, 2024) was 1 customer-reported error for every 6,491 message transactions processed. That statistic is unmatched.

There’s no artificial intelligence manipulation, we do not offshore calls, and we were founded and have always operated within the United States. (Note that since early 2020, the COVID six-foot social distancing mandate drove thousands of small-to-medium sized answering services out of business. Large, foreign-owned multi-nationals, often disguised by the name of the local answering services they acquired, now thoroughly dominate the industry. Hence, an even further decline in general service quality. See this analysis.)

3.CUSTOMER SERVICE EXTRAORDINAIRE

Your concerns and requests will be instantly acted upon. It’s a work ethic that stands out in stark contrast from the general quality decline in human-to-human business-customer communications. You’ve seen it yourself, all around. At Centratel you will know the customer service people you’re working with by name, appreciating their special listening abilities as well as their take-action-now comportments i.e. see the testimonial in point #1 above. ‘Nuff said!

4.GETTING STARTED: IT’S SIMPLE AND FAST

Getting your new Centratel answering service 30-day free trial started is accomplished within 24-48 hours. From the start, your “onboarding” customer service representative will be with you every step of the way, listening carefully to your concerns, answering questions, and offering suggestions.

5.NEW TO USING AN ANSWERING SERVICE?

A majority of our current answering service accounts switched to us from another service because of quality problems. However, if you have not used a service before, you are not familiar with the options, benefits, and pitfalls. As noted, our 30-day free trial provides you—and us—plenty of time to precisely refine your desired message-taking and delivery protocols; to get things exactly the way you want them to be without any financial risk, undue pressure, or obligation. 

6.PRICING

Starting at $89 per month, our rates rank in the mid-range of the industry. We’ll bill you based on the number of calls we handle per month, not on total minutes/seconds expended. (Be careful here as you shop for an answering service: the time-billing formula naturally induces caller/agent conversations to drag out, thus increasing client cost.)

7.ACCURATELY COMPARING ANSWERING SERVICE PRICING IS COMPLICATED

It’s apples and oranges. There isn’t an industry standard for billing, and each answering service has its own formula. Also, as noted above, some services charge by “time” while others charge by “work units.” Others combine the two. At Centratel, we charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend. The raw truth is that the only reliable way to determine monthly cost for a new service is to use that service for a solid month. Most answering services offer a 7-day free trial or no trial at all.

8.BEWARE: MONTHLY OR 28-DAY BILLING?

Important! At Centratel, we use a “monthly” billing cycle in which invoices are compiled from the first day of a month to the last day of that month. When soliciting quotes from other services, be sure to ask if the base-rate charges are billed monthly or on a “28-day billing cycle.” There is no good reason for a 28-day billing cycle! It’s bait-and-switch: customers billed on a 28-day cycle actually receive thirteen billings per year and therefore the overall cost is higher.

9.NO CONTRACT AND SIMPLE TERMS OF SERVICE

We do not require a yearly contract for service because we believe you should have the opportunity to evaluate us real-time, without restraint. Our terms of service are simple and straight-forward.

10.VALUABLE FREE GIFT FOR CONTACTING US

If you take the time to discuss answering service with us, on the same day we will ship you a hardcover copy of Sam Carpenter’s bestselling book, Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less, now in its 4th edition…but soon to be released in a 5th edition (August 2024). We’ll send you a copy of this 5th edition, too, when it’s released. (Sam is the founder and President of Centratel. December 1st 2024 marks his fortieth year of ownership.)