Virtual Reception
Start-up practices
We offer a full suite of VR services for start-up practices. RWS subsidises your reception costs to allow your referral base to build. We help build your referral base with you and further support this referral base growth by taking time with your patients and your referrers on each call. Our virtual reception is a boutique, personalised service for you – we are your brand ambassadors. We do not time each call and no overflow/penalty fees apply. At RWS, Virtual Reception has a 3-month commitment only, we believe the service needs to be flexible so that as your practice changes you are free to recruit your own staff at a time that suits you.
Our philosophy around Virtual Reception 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 the practice, it is easy for our team to slot back in and help.
When the time is right for you, our recruitment team will work with you to hire the right staff and can train them regarding your processes. 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.
RWS Virtual Reception is not about timing and measuring your call lengths. We start you off at a subsidised rate, so you can invest time and funds to develop a solid referral base. We want to see your business grow. We have priced our Virtual Reception service at a cost to reflect this goal. We want to build a relationship with you as your practice develops.
Having great reception is an important part of any practice but is particularly important for new practices. RWS takes pride in providing great reception service that will grow and shape your future practice.
Established Practices
If you are an established practice, we have a team of virtual reception staff that specialise in established practices. There is a full suite of services available to you. Please enquire for further information.
How the service works
Initial meeting – we meet with you to discuss your set up requirements.
Arranging your phone number – we arrange your phone number to divert to our switchboard, you own the phone number.
Taking your calls – your calls are answered as you choose – for example, “Good Morning, Dr Smith’s rooms, how may I assist you?” We are your staff. Our virtual reception is open 9-5pm, 5 days a week.
Handling your enquiries – all queries from patients are answered in a timely and efficient manner, with messages forwarded to you via email. When a referrer calls, we attend to them as your personal staff.
Booking in your patients – appointments are booked directly into your software, we are proficient in most platforms. Appointments are strategically booked to maximise time efficiency for the doctor (e.g. we avoid scheduling gaps and will aim to fill gaps).
Confirm your appointments – all appointments are confirmed 2 days prior via SMS – essential for compliance and cash flow!
Organise consulting lists – final consulting lists are faxed or emailed to you – you simply walk in and start seeing patients.
No shows are followed up – any patients who don’t arrive for their appointment are followed up twice (as per below). The care of patients is handed back to the referring doctor to satisfy legal requirements.
- Letter is sent – same day
- If no reply, follow up letter sent – 2 weeks later
- Letter goes to referring doctor
Updating referrals – we update and upload your referrals. All is completed as if we are sitting in your office.
Administration & Billing
If you require, we can also provide a billing service for you.
Consultation Billing
- We invoice and collect payments from patients
- We process all receipts into your nominated system
- We submit the Medicare on-line rebate for the patient, issue them with the benefit statement or invoice receipt for their consultation
Operation Bookings
- We co-ordinate all aspects of operation bookings – hospital theatre bookings, anaesthetist and assistant allocations, elective admission forms, public admission forms and any other associated paperwork
- We liaise with patients on your behalf regarding pre-operative preparation and complete health fund checking
Operation Billing
- We use ECLIPSE online billing for health funds, ensuring that all fee schedules (including Medicare) are up to date
- We can bill patients any Out of Pocket expenses for the procedure and issue an informed financial consent
- We can assist all specialists with registration with all private health funds
- We lodge all operation billings online via ECLIPSE and report all ECLIPSE payments received into the bank account of your choice
- We go through any ECLIPSE rejections correcting and resubmitting claims as requested by Medicare within 5 days of notification of the rejection
Transcription
- We can set up document templates for your transcriptions (eg: initial consultation correspondence, review consultation correspondence, operation report correspondence)
- We transcribe all consulting/operating notes received via batching or by logging in remotely to your preferred medical software within 24 – 48 hours of receipt of voice file
- We advise/submit the batch/correspond for your review and correction and distribute the correspondence the same day that the transcription has been approved
Frequently Asked Questions
RWS service & getting started
- Do you offer any other Virtual Reception services?
We certainly do. Ask us for our services list.
- Can I use only some VR services?
Yes, you can. Many of our clients have a ‘hybrid’ model where some administrative tasks are performed by the onsite staff and others performed by RWS Virtual Reception. - Can I use VR in a purely ad hoc manner?
Ad hoc VR is referred to as temporary telephone diversion (TTD) and is only available to existing VPM clients in emergency cases (e.g. a staff member calls in sick). It is not available as a stand-alone package.
- What if my practice grows?
A growing practice is the aim of every specialist. If your practice grows, we can increase your services. If you outgrow us, you can cease the service at any time (post the three-month commitment) with a month’s notice. Our Virtual Practice Management services can assist with the transition to hiring your own staff and setting up your onsite practice.
- How do I get started with VR?
Getting started is easy. Once you have accepted the formal scope, we will allocate a phone number for you to redirect your incoming calls. Once you have done that and granted us access to your software, we are good to start! From date of scope acceptance, generally we can activate the service within 24 hours (depending on how quickly we can get access to your software and phones are diverted).
- Is there a long-term commitment required?
There is a three-month sign on commitment but after that, it is month to month. There is a 30-day notice period to cease your VR service.
- Can we meet to discuss any further needs?
Of course. RWS VR have lovely offices where we can meet to discuss anything else your practice requires to be successful. Alternatively, we can also meet over Zoom.
- What hours are the phones answered?
The VR service is provided 9am – 5pm AEST. Outside these hours doctors and patients can leave a message on the personalised answering machine. Messages are responded to the following morning.
Calls, enquiries & bookings
- Can I have my own dedicated phone line that is answered in my company name, or do I simply fall under your company umbrella?
You can absolutely have your own phone number and line that is answered as per your instructions. For example: “Good morning, Dr. Smith’s rooms, Jane speaking….” Or “Good morning, Smith ENT and Audiology, Jane speaking…”. If you choose not to have this feature, the phones will simply be answered as “Specialist Suites, Jane speaking….”.
- What is the meet & greet process if I am using Virtual Reception?
This will vary depending on your practice’s 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.
- How many people will answer my calls?
RWS VR offer a boutique service, where we allocate two staff members to your account, so your patients will almost always be speaking with the same receptionist, who are very familiar with your account.
- What about after-hours calls?
Our phone system allows patients and doctors to leave a detailed message that will be returned within business hours. All messages are replied to first thing the next business day.
- Will I be required to have another provider number?
No – the provider number you use at your own location can be used by your billing company.
- 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 does the VR team handle referrals?
Referrals sent through to your normal fax or email are forwarded to the VR team and uploaded into your medical software.
- 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.
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 (such as registering for gap payments with health funds etc)?
Absolutely, we can assist in this area, lodge the paperwork, and liaise on your behalf. Speak to us about our VPM – Virtual Practice Management.
- 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. We charge on a receipt basis – so we don’t get paid until you do.
- What if I bulk bill?
We can lodge your bulk billing batches online for you.
- How will I get paid the patient funds?
You can have your onsite staff collect the funds on your behalf, using your EFT terminal, and send us the information for processing in your software. Otherwise, we can collect the funds for you. All payments collected on your behalf will be fully reconciled to your consulting list and one sum transferred via EFT into your nominated account on the following business day.
- What about ECLIPSE payments?
All funds paid via Eclipse will be deposited directly into your nominated account. The payment advice will come through to us (if you choose this method) and we will process the payment into your medical software.
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