Specialized Call Service Eases Lives of Doctors
By Urvaksh Karkaria, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
May 8–When that fever wakes junior in the middle of the night, getting a doctor to call back can take hours. But a Jacksonville-based physician calling service promises faster relief.
Physician Call Service takes patient calls for Northeast Florida doctors on evenings and weekends. The company is staffed by about 10 medical workers including Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs).
Unlike registered nurses, who typically man the phones at such companies, ARNPs and PAs are licensed to provide diagnoses on medical conditions and write prescriptions, said PCS marketing director Lynn Harp. That means the company can handle more medical problems without disturbing the off-duty physician, she said.
Doctors forward their calls to their answering service when they leave the practice for the day. The answering service calls one of PCS’s medical staff who respond within about five minutes, Harp said.
To keep physician clients updated, PCS faxes details of the previous night’s calls to the doctor’s office by 8:30 a.m. the next morning.
For patients, having more qualified nursing staff means being attended to faster.
PCS staff are waiting for patient calls, whereas a doctor might be having dinner at a restaurant, attending a play or golfing, Harp said.
For the doctor, the service provides freedom to make plans with friends and families on weekends and after-hours.
Only about 1 percent of calls can’t be handled by PCS staff and must be forwarded to the doctor, Harp said.
It gives doctors a chance to “get a good night’s sleep which means they are much more efficient . . . the next morning,” she said. “They haven’t been up half the night trying to figure out calls. ” In return for the convenience, doctors pay between $250 and $750 a month, depending on how many calls they get.
PCS’ service has improved family physician Fara Nadal’s “quality of life,” she says.
Having the service and knowing her patients will be well taken care of allows Nadal “to go to the movies, to go shopping, to even go to sleep without any interruptions.” Nadal, who has used the service for six years, ends up having to take patient calls no more than twice a week. Without the service, Nadal said, she would have had to answer about five calls each night.
“Patients often get the medical advice they need right away from PCS medical staff,” Nadal said, adding it typically takes her about 30 minutes to an hour to call a patient back after-hours.
PCS carries medical malpractice insurance so the doctor is not on the hook for any lawsuits arising from medical advice given by the calling service’s staff.
PCS, which had annual sales of $123,000 last year, serves 13 Northeast Florida medical practices including family physicians, and pediatricians.
To keep operating costs down and employee morale high, PCS has its employees work from home.
The company estimates this arrangement saves it about $50,000 in annual overhead costs Ñ savings it passes on to customers through more competitive rates. PCS expects to double revenues in the next five years through aggressive marketing campaigns and by expanding into new services, Harp said.
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