Virtual Administration vs Call Overflow: Which admin service is right for your practice?

At Avant Practice Solutions, we offer two virtual administration services to help doctors, practice owners and managers improve the operational efficiency of their medical business. We have Virtual Administration and Reception Services (VARS) and Call Overflow Virtual Reception (COVR). 

Both VARS and COVR help practices streamline time-consuming administration tasks to improve efficiency and create a better patient experience. The services are backed by Australian-based medical receptionists and administrators who work remotely but act as an extension of your in-house team to maintain a seamless experience. 

However, there are key differences between VARS and COVR which we will explore in this article. Once you know the differences, you’ll be able to determine which is better suited to your practice. 

What is Virtual Administration and Reception Service (VARS)? 

Summary: VARS provides secretarial support and administration infrastructure to specialist doctors. Our Australian-based medical secretaries will work for your practice full-time and take care of the daily administration processes that you require. 

Suitable for: Specialist doctors. 

What it covers: 

• inbound and outbound telephone calls 
• care for patients from a secretary who has detailed knowledge of the practice  
• inbound and outbound clinical software task management 
• appointment bookings, cancellations, rescheduling and confirmations 
• diary management 
• referral management 
• after-hours message recording and follow-up 
• outpatient billings, via Tyro Health 
• theatre list management. 

What is Call Overflow Virtual Reception (COVR)? 

Summary: COVR provides inbound telephone support to help relieve the pressure on your front desk team. Our medical receptionists can take care of your phone calls (e.g. appointment requests). 

Suitable for: GPs and large specialty practices. 

What it covers: 

• inbound telephone answering 
• inbound message taking, via tasking in clinical software 
• appointment bookings, cancelling and rescheduling  
• general enquiries handled with care from a secretary with knowledge of the practice. 

Which admin service is right for my practice? 

Below are two scenarios that demonstrate where VARS and COVR may be beneficial. 

Scenario 1 

A large, well-established specialist practice has seven admin staff plus one senior medical secretary. The number of specialists has increased over recent years, and as a result, the admin staff have found it increasingly difficult to manage key administrative tasks and reception duties efficiently. 

The senior medical secretary has noticed that the phones are ringing off the hook and many calls go to voicemail, compromising the patient experience. More worryingly, they have observed that some team members are greeting patients hurriedly and rudely, both over the phone and at the reception desk. 

The secretary understands that their team is understaffed and overwhelmed, and therefore does not have the time to complete tasks efficiently, accurately and professionally. The team needs extra telephone answering support to take the pressure off, but the practice is not in a position to hire additional team members permanently. 

They are looking for a solution to increase the number of calls answered while keeping costs down. 

In this scenario, COVR would be the best fit. Our medical receptionists can take the pressure off the front desk team by answering the phone and completing inbound tasks such as booking, rescheduling and cancelling appointments. 

Scenario 2 

A specialist doctor has a practice manager but no reception staff. The practice manager looks after theatre lists and billings but doesn’t have the capacity to handle administrative tasks such as managing telephone and inbound tasks. 

To help improve the operational efficiency of the practice and promote business growth, the doctor is looking for support from experienced medical secretaries. In an ideal world, these secretaries would be able to handle the day-to-day sessional operation of the practice. 

While the doctor needs more support, they don’t have plans to hire more permanent staff as they don’t have space for them at the practice. 

In this scenario, VARS would be the best fit. Our team of skilled, Australian-based medical secretaries can plug the administration gap by handling essential day-to-day tasks while the practice manager takes care of the rest. 

In summary, VARS offers the full scope of administration support for a practice, and COVR is telephone support. 

The benefits of virtual admin services 

Despite the differences between VARS and COVR, they both offer the following benefits: 

• a process of careful onboarding so that the secretaries have an in-depth knowledge of the practice, the patients and the specialty 
• secretarial support from experienced medical receptionists (between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday (AEST and AWST, excluding public holidays) 
• seamless experience for patients, doctors and staff (our team will answer your practice’s phone number and represent the values and personality of your practice, and work within your practice management software) 
• enhanced productivity and professionalism 
• supported and less stressed onsite team  
• happier patients and better word-of-mouth 
• more work completed on time 
• reduced need to hire and train more staff 
• increased cost savings. 

If you’d like to find out more about VARS and COVR and how these services could fit into your practice, book a consultation with one of our Practice Success Consultants. You can read more about VARS and COVR on our website.