Our Clinic Works Better with Physician Call Service!
"I would definitely recommend Physician Call Service."
Denise Combs, Clinic Manager and Nurse
Wathena Medical Center
The Need
This one-doctor family practice serving a wide suburban/rural area in Eastern Kansas was challenged daily with an average of 30 or more patients per day and as many as 12 to 15 pharmaceutical representatives who would "just drop by."
The Solution
Physician Call Service met the challenge by setting up a schedule that spread rep calls through the day: three in the morning, at lunchtime, and three in the afternoon. Reps didn't wait as long and waiting room backlogs disappeared.
According to Denise, "More than anything, I like how Physician Call Service helps me manage the clinic more efficiently; it's freed our doctor to spend more quality time focusing on patient care."
Physician Call Service helped Denise devise a schedule and notify pharmaceutical reps how the service would work. "Reps even have our Physician Call Service contact's cell number if they have any problems with the system." Reps have come to use and rely on the system. Said Denise, "It has given us more control, helped us (better) schedule reps, (improved how we) change appointments, and I know just how many people are coming through our doors each day."
Physician Call Service Improves Rep Relationships
"I love this service. Now my days belong to me and our patients."
Brandy Boutwell, Service Coordinator
Keene Family Medicine
The Need
University Physicians Keene Family Medicine is a four-doctor practice serving approximately 120 patients and (sometimes) up to 20 or more pharmaceutical reps each day. Each month, Brandy Boutwell spent up to three full days scheduling and talking to reps to plan visits. "Drop In" visits made planning the day even more complicated.
The Solution
"Physician Call Service has really balanced our scheduling to give me more time to do my work," said Brandy. "The reps make their appointments online. At the beginning of each week, I let everyone in the clinic know exactly who is coming in and when. Now, doctors and nurses spend more time with patients and meeting with the reps they most need to talk with at the times that are most convenient."
It has also made ordering samples a lot easier. Our clinic used to keep a book of rep business cards that Brandy had to shuffle through. Then, she'd often make 2-3 calls in order to find specific reps from which to order samples, get information from, etc. With Physician Call Service, reps update their contact information, types of meds they handle, and so forth in an online database – an easier and faster way for nurses and doctors to order samples or make special rep requests.
Physician Call Service has helped pharmaceutical reps as well. Their calls are made more productive; they don't sit in a waiting room for a meeting that might not occur. Said Brandy, "I think in a lot of ways, Physician Call Service has improved the relationships between the people in our office and the reps."
Physician Call Service Improves Productivity 50 to 60%
"It makes the day to day operations of our clinic more convenient and a lot easier for everyone."
Nancy McClintockThe Need, Pre-Registration
Northwest Health Services
The Need
Northwest Health Services, a large family practice used to see pharmaceutical reps arriving in the morning, taking a number, and waiting to see one of four clinic doctors or a nurse practitioner. "Pharmaceutical reps took a lot of my time as well as space in the waiting room." says Nancy. "We needed them to get in and out to make room for our patients and they were here a long time."
The Solution
Physician Call Service helped give the clinic and Nancy more control. The clinic set aside 3 appointments daily )morning, lunchtime, and mid-afternoon) and gave reps the opportunity to schedule their appointments up-to-three-months in advance online. Rather than keep a big book of rep appointments, Nancy goes online and finds out which reps are coming in and when. It is easy to print out the schedule and send it to everyone in the building having a need to know.
Did it make it harder for reps to see doctors? Said Nancy, "We still see about the same number of reps each week. The process is just more controlled and orderly. It helps the doctors have more time that they can use to see patients. I think it works better for the reps, too. And I save about 2 or 3 hours a day. I really like that."
There is no doubt there was a learning curve for the clinic and the reps. Nancy and her supervisor met with Physician Call Service to set up the scheduling software for the clinic. Physician Call Service helped train Nancy and others who needed to know how to use the service in the clinic. Physician Call Service was also available to help reps that had questions about how to access and use the software online. Bottom line: It all went very smoothly.
