Communication is key. It is a phrase you’ve most likely heard numerous times. It might sound somewhat cliché, but it is true in many cases — especially in healthcare.
We’re just a couple of weeks into 2024, and healthcare consumerism continues to shape how patients communicate with their healthcare providers. How can something as simple as communication affect a patient’s health?
We’ll let research answer that question because it has identified numerous ways communication can lead to better health outcomes. These include decreasing medication errors, reducing hospital readmissions and increasing patient satisfaction with provider visits. Even research indicates strong positive relationships between a healthcare team member’s communication skills and a patient’s capacity to follow through with medical recommendations, self-manage a chronic medical condition and adopt preventive health behaviors.
Digital health has certainly changed communication in healthcare, but it is crucial to have up-to-date technology. Hospitals that have updated outdated communications systems have managed to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety, increase productivity, reduce patient wait times, increase patient throughput and significantly cut costs. If your practice isn’t equipped with the right phone system for healthcare, you risk losing patients. And lost patients mean lost revenue.
If you manage a small or medium-sized medical group, you might read this blog thinking, “Sure, I’d like to have an updated phone system to streamline our communication, but we can’t afford that.” And that’s understandable.
Although the United States’ inflation rate has declined somewhat from the record highs in 2021 and 2022, the high cost of living continues to affect Americans negatively. Groceries have increased 25 percent since January 2020, used-car and auto insurance prices have climbed more than 30 percent, and rents have risen roughly 20 percent.
Fortunately, there is a way your practice can enjoy the perks of a HIPAA-compliant phone system AND save money on communications while doing so. I’m referring to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for healthcare, a game-changing technology that improves telephonic communications while reducing costs.
The Various Advantages of VoIP Phone Systems for Healthcare
Unlike traditional landlines that rely on outdated hardware and infrastructure, VoIP operates over the Internet, enabling healthcare providers to communicate from any device with an Internet connection, including computers, phones and tablets. The technology is well-suited for small and medium-sized medical practices because it lets physicians make calls conveniently and securely from their smartphones or laptops.
In addition to costing less than traditional phone service, all-in-one VoIP phone systems for healthcare offer medical groups a multitude of advanced calling and data storage features (including video calling), improved voice quality, elimination of long-distance calling fees and 24/7 access to contacts, files and features. That easier access to patient data often results in better evidence-based decision-making.
VoIP also differs from traditional phone systems because it is highly adaptable and designed to integrate seamlessly with other healthcare IT systems. That’s a big deal when your practice can claim interoperability.
VoIP phone systems for healthcare that are cloud-based provide even more benefits, including:
- Improved business continuity and streamlined efficiency
- On-demand access to services on a pay-as-you-go model
- Increased scalability and reliability
- Elimination of hardware expenditures and associated maintenance
- Capability for cross-site integration and collaboration
- Improved integration with other healthcare systems (i.e., EHRs, billing and practice management systems, fax servers)
- More modern features and capabilities, including e-faxing, after-hours call routing and spam-protection technology
Three Key Ways VoIP Provides Cost Savings
Now, back to those cost savings we mentioned earlier in this blog. How exactly can a VoIP phone system save your healthcare practice money? The answer is threefold: scalability, security and no more pesky maintenance fees.
1. Quick and Simple Scalability
In addition to a quick setup, cloud-based VoIP phone systems give you access to the scalability that lets you keep your communications framework streamlined, whether you have two, three or ten locations. These scalable communication systems empower your practice to allocate resources efficiently, adapt to fluctuating call volumes and reduce costs while maintaining the quality of care. As your practice grows, you can reduce the high monthly bills and expenses of adding new lines and equipment.
This scalability also future-proofs healthcare communication systems by easily accommodating technological advancements and organizational growth. It can grow as your practice does, allowing you to offer patients a seamless communication experience while improving staff satisfaction.
2. Improved Security
Healthcare providers have a monumental responsibility to keep patient data secure. Compared to server-based phone systems, VoIP phone systems that utilize the cloud offer better cybersecurity and a cost-effective method for achieving and maintaining compliance with HIPAA and the HITECH Act.
Data breaches are more likely to occur when the appropriate HIPAA guidelines are not followed. Those breaches cost healthcare practices more than money — they risk a lack of patient trust and a damaged reputation. Cloud-based VoIP phone systems use dozens of security frameworks and controls to give healthcare providers complete visibility of multiple locations from a secure and centralized access point. This way, data stays encrypted during uploads, downloads and storage.
3. Elimination of Hardware and Maintenance Fees
With a cloud-based VoIP phone system designed specifically for healthcare practices, you pay only for the services you need. The technology works with your existing mobile and desktop equipment, so you don’t have to invest in additional phone lines, software and hardware. Nor do you have to pay for someone to troubleshoot your phone system every time. A majority of VoIP issues that occur can be fixed quickly and remotely.
VoIP phone systems for healthcare enable you to utilize online faxing, saving you time and money on the maintenance, supplies and repairs a traditional fax machine requires. The cost of this option also includes features like call waiting, call forwarding and virtual receptionist, saving the expense of additional services essential to keeping your healthcare practice running smoothly.
RingRx is affordable, capable and built for healthcare. With our cloud-based, enterprise-class platform, you can expect to save 50 percent or more than a traditional landline and 30 percent or more than competing services from cable and other VoIP providers. It has strict security standards, meaning your practice’s patient data is never at risk. And it was created to be scalable without losing any functionality in the process.
Schedule a demo today to explore how RingRx’s cloud-based VoIP solutions can revolutionize your practice’s communication needs while offering significant cost savings and security.
