Virtual Reception

RWS provides Virtual Reception services for start-up and established practices.   

RWS provides a complete virtual office for your practice. We call this service Virtual Reception (VR). Our philosophy around Virtual Reception (VR) is simple, we see the service as a stepping-stone to get you started in private practice, allowing you to keep the costs down as your business builds. At RWS, we understand you will eventually want your own staff. At that point, RWS Virtual Reception will transition to become a support service, helping through periods of overflow, practice changes, or when a staff member is on leave. Because we know your practice, it is easy for our team to slot back in and help you. So, in keeping with this philosophy, we have no long term contracts in place because we believe you need flexibility. Not all practices will grow at the same rate so you need to be free to have your own team when you deem the time is right for you.

When the time is right for you, our recruitment team can work with you to hire the right staff and train your recruit. We teach them your processes and if there are any knowledge gaps, we provide training. For example, your new team member might know how to run a consulting session but may not understand surgical billing.  

This system provides protection and peace of mind for you, as if your staff leave, we know your business; there is always a back-up plan in place. 

In most cases, we appoint two of our staff members to look after you, so you get to know your Virtual Reception team. This enables the service to be bespoke and personalised.  

Start-up Practices

At RWS, the goal of our Virtual Reception (VR) team is to get your practice set-up and running efficiently at minimal cost. So, to assist you to get off to a good start, RWS subsidises the cost of answering your calls for most doctors starting out. Keeping your Virtual Reception costs low allows you to concentrate your efforts towards developing a solid referral base, which is what you need to start making money.

Furthermore, the role of Virtual Reception is to create a streamlined practice that runs efficiently, so when the time is right, and you are ready to transition to your own staff you are not reinventing the wheel. Great systems are already in place.   

Let us give you a typical example to illustrate this.   

A start-up surgeon comes to us for assistance. They have found rooms at the local hospital but don’t have a secretary. One of the hospital staff can be present to meet and greet their patients. The doctor has never seen a private patient before (or seen very few), so they need help learning and understanding what they need to do to get started. The doctor is also keen to learn what other doctors do – what works and what doesn’t. They are also unsure as to what Virtual Reception means and how the service works. 

The RWS crew meet with the doctor and go through a checklist of all the tasks needed to get started.  We teach the doctor any missing knowledge gaps. For example, most doctors want to understand surgical billing and the best process to use to ensure they retain control over the practice as it grows.  

RWS takes pride in providing great reception and back-office service that will grow and shape your future practice. 

How the service works:  

  1. We meet with you to discuss your set-up requirements 
  1. We arrange your phone number to divert to our switchboard 
  1. We answer your calls 
  1. We book in your appointments 
  1. We handle your enquiries 
  1. We upload your referrals. 

All is completed as if we are sitting in your office. Your calls are answered as you choose – for example, “Good Morning, Dr Smith’s rooms, how may I assist you?” We are your staff. 

We can also look after your billing requirements as you grow or we can train your own staff down the track as you transition away from full-time VR.

See the information below on how to get started. We have also answered some frequently asked questions to assist you. 

Established Practices 

If you are an established practice, we have a team of virtual reception staff that specialise in assisting experienced doctors. There is a full suite of office services available to you. We can answer your phone, book appointments and attend to consultation and theatre bookings and billings.

Temporary Telephone Diversion is also available for our regular clients. This service supports your practice during times your staff are on leave or if you are experiencing unexpected staff turnover.  

See the information below regarding how to get started. We have also answered some frequently asked questions for you. We want to ensure your practice can operate with the same systems and consistency that are already in place, so your practice does not miss a beat. 

Temporary Telephone Diversion (TTD)

TTD is a temporary phone diversion service designed to give you peace of mind when your usual reception staff aren’t available, whether planned or unexpected. First-time setup requires one week’s notice, but after that, you’re ready to go with one business day’s notice. No need to stress about “what-if” situations.

Here are a few common scenarios TTD is requested:

When your staff is on leave
Many smaller practices rely on a sole staff member to answer calls. If they’re away on annual or personal leave, we can step in and keep things running smoothly while they take a well-earned break, and hand back over to them when they return.

For last-minute absences
We understand that life can happen and practices are not immune to sick calls or last-minute leave requests. Once your TTD setup is complete, all it takes is one business day’s notice for us to assist.

During new staff training
Training a new team member is important, but can be a challenge with phones constantly ringing. Some practices use TTD to cover calls for a day or two, allowing for focused, one-on-one training without interruptions.

Special Events or Busy Days
Whether your team is catching up on a backlog or attending an annual practice event like a brunch, TTD lets them stay focused and present while we take care of answering the phones.

Priority is given to VPM (Virtual Practice Management) clients.
TTD is subject to availability.

What’s Included

Our team will:

  • Answer incoming phone calls
  • Book appointments directly into your practice software
  • Manage general enquiries and pass on messages to your admin team and/or doctor

Optional Add-On Services (available on request):

  • Consultation billing
  • Theatre list management
  • Operation billing

Returning Users:

  • Requests must be submitted on the business day before service is needed
  • RWS may need to confirm software access prior to accepting the request
  • Set-up is free for returning or previous Virtual Reception (VR) clients, provided your software platform hasn’t changed

First-Time TTD Users:

  • Requires 1 week’s notice
  • You’ll complete a setup form & provide software access to our team
  • We’ll schedule a Zoom meeting to understand your workflow
  • Set-up fee required

Important Information

  • Availability: Weekdays only (excluding public holidays)
  • Coverage Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (VIC time)
  • Minimum Charge: One full day of service
  • Service Area: Available to practices in all Australian states

How does the Virtual Reception (VR) commence? 

To commence the service the RWS team meet with you to discuss your set-up requirements and how you would like your practice to operate, providing guidance every step of the way.  

The process is as follows: 

  1. You fill out our VR information request form
  1. Access to your medical software is arranged  
  1. We meet with you to discuss details in the VR form  
  1. You get to meet your VR staff (we aim to have two staff appointed to assist you so the service is bespoke)  
  1. A referral forwarding system is set-up  
  1. Out-of–office voicemails are set-up  
  1. A system for handling outbound calls and tasks is set-up as required (this will depend on the service package you have undertaken)  
  1. We mutually coordinate a commencement date  
  1. Phone diversion is organised (with caller ID activated for incoming calls) – you can divert your practice number to our system which will be programmed to identify your calls  
  1. The phone starts ringing – your practice is live! 

Medical Software Set-Up 

RWS are experts in setting up commonly used medical software programs. As part of our VR service, RWS will set-up your system for you. This process is very thorough and ensures your chosen medical software runs efficiently and improves patient management. 

For more details please see our dedicated page on Practice Software & Set-Up.

FAQs Virtual Reception 

General FAQs 

Is VR cost effective? 

Yes, Virtual Reception (VR) is an affordable solution, especially for specialists transitioning into private practice or in the early growth phase. RWS offers subsidies for eligible specialists, making VR services even more cost-effective during these stages. 

Whether you are new to private practice, or well-established, we are committed to providing tailored solutions that meet your practice’s unique needs. Our range of VR packages is designed to align with your specific requirements, and we offer flexible add-ons billed on a time-based model. Surgical billing is the only add-on that is charged on a percentage-based model. 

You can request a meeting with our team to discuss this in more detail. 

Can I use VR ad hoc?

Yes.  We offer a service known as TTD (Temporary Telephone Diversion) for our current RWS clients to cater for emergency situations or leave. TTD is subject to availability. 

 What if my practice grows?

A growing practice is the aim of every specialist. If your practice grows, we can increase the Virtual Reception services or recruit and train for you. Our service is designed to be flexible to accommodate your changing needs. 

How long is my VR contract with RWS?  

We don’t believe in long-term contracts. You may cancel at any time with 30 days notice. Please note, if you are continuing on to utilise our recruitment services, the notice period will not apply. We don’t have long-term contracts for two reasons:

1. We want you to stay because you want to 

2. Private practice changes rapidly so you need to have flexibility 

 

Booking / Consulting Process 

When is the VR service open to take my calls?

Your calls are answered Monday to Friday 9-5pm – VIC Time Zone (GMT+11). 

What about after-hours calls?

A voice message greeting informs callers of the business hours during which they can speak with a receptionist at the practice and advises them to contact their closest emergency department for urgent situations.

Do you use my preferred software on my IT system or am I required to use yours?

We are proficient in many medical software packages and have the capabilities of remotely logging into your system and keeping it up-to-date. This allows you to view your schedule ‘live’ at any time.

How will my calls be answered?

RWS VR offer a boutique service, where we do our best to allocate two staff members to your account, so your patients will almost always be speaking with the same receptionists, who are very familiar with your account.

How are patients booked in?

Appointments are booked directly into your software as we are proficient in most platforms. Appointments are strategically booked to maximise time efficiency for you (e.g. we avoid scheduling gaps).

How are appointments confirmed?

We recommend setting up automatic SMS reminders to be sent out a week before appointments and again two days before, advising patients to reply to the SMS or call the rooms to confirm their appointment. 

Are referrals triaged?

If you choose to triage referrals, a task will be created in your software. The task will be linked to the corresponding patient.

How are patient and referrer enquiries handled?

All queries from patients and referrers are answered in a timely and efficient manner, with messages forwarded to you via text/email /your software, dependent on the urgency and type of enquiry. When a referrer calls, we attend to them as your personal staff.

How are time critical matters handled?

RWS has a policy to attend to your critical matters and this will be discussed with you for your approval at your Virtual Reception induction.

How are my consulting lists sent to the rooms where I am seeing patients?

Final consulting lists are faxed or emailed to your on-site ‘meet and greet’ person – you simply walk in and start seeing patients.

Will I be required to have another provider number to use VR?

No – the provider number you use at your own location can be used by your billing company.

What is the meet and greet process if I am using Virtual Reception?

You will need to organise a ‘meet and greet’ person for the rooms from which you consult. Most rooms provide this. Our team can liaise with your nominated ‘meet and greet’ person to train them in what is required. Their tasks will vary depending on your practice processes, but generally the onsite staff will greet patients and ask them to fill in a patient registration form or any other paperwork. This paperwork can then be sent through to the VR team to process into your software. The onsite staff can also collect payments throughout the day from the patients and then at the end of the day send through all details for the VR team to process into the software.  

Billing & Theatre Lists  

What is ECLIPSE billing?

Eclipse billing is an electronic version of lodging your in-patient accounts to corresponding health funds. It is linked with both Medicare and the health funds to be assessed and paid straight into your account.

Can you help with the Medicare and ECLIPSE paperwork?

e.g. such as registering for gap payments with health funds etc.

Medicare have moved their paper forms to an online system which are accessible within the provider’s PRODA account. We can provide guidance as to which forms you may need to complete. In relation to ECLIPSE your software provider can assist, however, we can provide guidance here too.

What about ECLIPSE payments?

All funds paid via Eclipse will be deposited directly into your nominated account.

What happens if an ECLIPSE invoice gets rejected?

We will liaise with Medicare and / or the private health fund to sort out the issue and resubmit the claim.

What if I bulk bill?

Bulk bill claims will either be sent through automatically or we can transmit them on your behalf.

How will I get paid the patient funds?

The majority of rooms will offer a “meet and greet’ service which will include processing patient payments on your behalf using an EFTPOS/TYRO terminal provided. Doctors can also provide RWS with a mobile EFTPOS terminal to enable payments to be taken for gap fees or for patients who did not pay on the day. 

For further information regarding our Virtual Reception services contact RWS on 1300 073 239 or email admin@roomswithstyle.com.au and we will set up a complimentary meeting with you to discuss your individual needs.