It’s not easy to run a medical practice. The workload immediately increases due to administration, patient care, and regulation. To adjust to these responsibilities, most medical professionals must decide to Hire in-house staff or outsource services to a virtual medical practice assistant.
Both choices have advantages, but the choice is yours based on your medical practice’s unique requirements, finances, and future plans. In this blog, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of virtual assistants versus in-house employees to assist you in choosing the most suitable option for your medical practice.
What is a Virtual Assistant for Medical Practice?
A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote employee who completes administrative, technical, or creative tasks for businesses. For a healthcare practice, a VA may perform a range of tasks such as:
- Scheduling and reminding patients of appointments
- Patient communication (phone, email, and chat support)
- Medical billing and coding
- Managing electronic health records (EHRs)
- Verifying insurance and processing claims
- Data entry and report generation
Virtual assistants are usually engaged through outsourcing firms or freelance websites, providing flexibility and saving on costs relative to traditional in-house personnel.
The Case for Virtual Assistants
- Cost Effectiveness
The greatest benefit of a virtual assistant is cost savings. In-house employees have overheads in terms of salary, benefits, office space, and hardware expenses. Virtual assistants are compensated per hour or on a for-task basis, which excludes most overheads.
This can unlock resources for small or medium-sized practices for small or medium-sized practices to invest elsewhere, such as in start-up practice growth or patient care.
- Flexibility and Scalability
Virtual assistants offer unmatched flexibility. You can adjust their services to meet your practice’s needs, whether you need help for a few hours a week or full-time help. This is particularly useful for practices with fluctuating workloads or seasonal demands.
Also, virtual assistants are in different time zones, so work is accomplished outside regular office hours.
- Access to Specialized Skills
Virtual assistants are highly skilled in healthcare administration, including knowledge of medical billing, coding, and EHR management. These skills may be complex for in-house personnel, particularly in smaller practices.
The presence of a virtual assistant who has a healthcare background will simplify the accurate completion of tasks, minimizing the potential for errors.
- Enhanced Focus on Patient Care
With administrative tasks left to a virtual assistant, your in-office staff can now be utilized to do what they excel at—quality patient care. This improves patient satisfaction and employee morale as the workload is lesser.
Points of Consideration when Making the Virtual Assistant vs. In-House Staff Decision
- Budget
If finances are an issue, virtual assistants will be cheaper. However, if your company can afford to employ in-house personnel, the benefits of being present and boosting employee morale might be worth the cost.
- Workload and Task Complexity
Virtual assistants are the best solution for repetitive, mundane tasks such as appointment scheduling or data entry. However, in-house staff might be better for more intricate or sensitive tasks requiring direct supervision.
- Practice Size and Growth Goals
Smaller businesses or those that need to grow quickly can utilize virtual assistants’ scalability and flexibility. Large companies with continuous workloads might find the security and control of in-house employees more desirable.
- Technology and Infrastructure
Virtual assistants use technology to accomplish tasks. Therefore, your practice must have the appropriate hardware, including security communications software and EHR programs. If these resources are lacking, in-house personnel may be a more attainable option.
How to Successful Implement a Virtual Assistant in Your Practice
Assuming you want to outsource and hire the services of a virtual assistant, use the below guidelines for effective handover:
- Establish Clear Roles and Expectations: Clearly define your virtual assistant’s work and set clear expectations for performance.
- Select a Reliable Provider: Use a reputable agency or platform with experience providing healthcare virtual assistants.
- Guard Data: Use secure communication devices and ensure your virtual assistant is HIPAA compliant.
- Offer Training: Train on your practice’s unique workflows, software, and processes.
- 5. Keep Open Channels of Communication: Open communication channels for complaints or suggestions.
Whether or not to employ virtual assistants or in-house staff for your medical practice depends on a range of considerations, including your budget, workload, and long-term goals. Virtual assistants are economical, versatile, and have specialist knowledge, which makes them appealing to most practices. On the other hand, in-house staff can provide an on-site presence, greater control, and team-building, which can be valuable to some practices.
Finally, the optimal model can be a hybrid model utilizing the advantages of in-house staff and virtual assistants. After carefully considering your practice’s priority and requirements, you can develop a staffing plan thatusess the most efficiency, enables improved patient care, and is appropriate for your practice’s growth.
