5 Telltale Signs Your Practice Needs a Virtual Assistant
With remote work becoming more prevalent in recent years, providers and practice managers have begun incorporating virtual assistants into their workforce.
Chances are, you've heard about VAs and what they do, but it takes more than just knowing what they can bring to the table for one to understand how much of an asset they can be. This article will review some telltale signs in your practice that you could use a virtual assistant.
You and Your Staff are Overworking
By nature, medical practices are almost always busy. With a continuous flow of patients coming in and out of the clinic – all needing to be seen and then billed – there is much to be done. But you don't need to carry more than you can hold to keep your practice going!
If you find yourself and your staff working more than you should, you need a VA to help ease your workload. What's great about hiring a VA is that you will boost your practice's efficiency and don't have to dedicate valuable clinic space to get the extra hand you need.
You’re Not Achieving Much
When a person has their hands full, they hope that they get to reduce their to-do's slowly. Unfortunately, this rarely happens in medical practices. With new and existing patients booking appointments, doing more won't guarantee you'll make a significant dent.
Do your tasks limit what you and your staff can achieve? A VA can be a great addition to your existing team. But what sets VAs apart from hiring additional in-office staff is that you can take advantage of reduced overhead costs.
You’re Thinking About Work on Your Days Off
When you and your staff are overworked, its effects can bleed into your life outside work. Was this patient seen today? Were they billed correctly? Does Monday have a lot of scheduled appointments? Thinking about these might seem like a minor inconvenience. But the point of having time off work is that you won't have to worry about these things when you're off the clock.
If you happen to be worrying about work on your days off, a VA can help make sure you relax and get the much-needed peace of mind! VAs are skilled at many things, including keeping track of all your appointments and taking care of minor tasks so you can focus on bigger ones.
You’re Losing Time For Friends & Family
What's worse than just thinking about work during your days off is doing work when you should be spending time with your loved ones. When you're overwhelmed by the things you have yet to do, taking the weekend off can feel like a huge waste of time – but it's not. It would be best if you connected with friends and family so you'll be more motivated for the week ahead.
It can be challenging to finish all your tasks before the weekend starts when you're running a busy practice. But when you have a skilled VA on your team, you most likely won't have any work left to catch up on over the weekend because, in this case, extra staffing means an increase in productivity.
The Quality of Your Service is Compromised
The thing about wearing multiple hats is that it can get in the way of you delivering the quality of care you want to provide. Moreover, missing one appointment can send succeeding appointments falling like dominos. In the healthcare industry especially, patients deserve nothing but the best level of care possible.
Should your service get compromised by the amount of work you have to do, leverage the skills of a VA. When you delegate some of your tasks to a VA, you can dedicate more of your time and focus on tasks that require your expertise. Ultimately, your patients receive the best care possible.
All in all, you should hire a VA if you want to make sure you get to reach new heights by simply doing what you do best. On top of having proven experience and skills, they are also flexible enough to fill in the gaps in your practice. So if you notice the signs mentioned in this article, contact us today, and let's match you with the best VA for you!
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The True Cost of a Virtual Assistant
The True Cost of a Virtual Assistant
(and How to Hire a Good One!)
Six out of ten business owners plan to hire a virtual assistant in 2022, most of them for very similar reasons. They’re intent on addressing staffing issues and keeping their operations running smoothly; but at the same time, many of them are also concerned about the ultimate cost of a virtual assistant.
While these concerns are valid, the longer they put this step off, the more they might begin to count the cost of not hiring one.
If you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant but are stressed at the prospect and concerned about the bottom line, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to explain the whole process, demystify the costs, and put your worst fears to rest.
The Cost of Hiring a Virtual Assistant and Finding a Good One
In our experience, the question plaguing most small business owners right now is less if they should hire a virtual assistant (VA) but how they should go about doing it.
Most recognize that hiring a skilled VA would improve the quality and capacity of their services, but their main concerns are two-fold: 1) the cost of hiring a virtual assistant and 2) what approach they can take to find a good one.
The good news is that My Mountain Mover can help address both of those concerns.
Reasons for Considering a Virtual Assistant
Thinking about the reasons why you are considering virtual assistant services will help you narrow your focus in finding the right one.
Therefore, it’s in your best interests to take some time right now to think about what your business needs most at this point to move forward toward success. In other words, what’s prompting you to seek virtual assistance in the first place?
Consider which of the following factors feels most critical at this time:
- Reducing overhead costs. There is a reason why many small business owners had begun to outsource some of their more routine tasks (such as scheduling, billing, etc.), even before the pandemic led to a work-from-home revolution. Employers can save up to $22,000 per year per remote employee. That’s a big deal!
- Focusing on your core business. With a remote virtual assistant doing the heavy lifting on your administrative tasks, you and your team can better focus on your actual areas of expertise and the roles that can only be fulfilled in person. This is a win-win for everybody involved, staff and clients alike.
- Dealing with capacity/staffing issues. Capacity isn’t always about physical space. Often it’s about time. You may currently have a long waiting list or actually be turning away new patients because you’re already buried under paperwork and other tasks that could be accomplished offsite by a virtual assistant. Having an experienced virtual assistant frees you to see more patients and therefore brings in even more revenue for your practice.
- Providing better service for your customers. Good service is about high-quality interactions. If you have been distracted and overwhelmed, having a skilled and dedicated virtual assistant tending to administrative tasks on your behalf can free up your energy and attention to put it all where it matters most: on your patients.
While you may have reasons other than the ones listed here, the above list contains some of the most common reasons why health practices choose to hire virtual assistants and level up their services.
Types of Virtual Assistants and Associated Rates
There’s little doubt that virtual assistants can increase your capacity while simultaneously reducing overhead. But before you hire one, you will still want to have a general idea of exactly what type of virtual administrative assistant you’re looking for and how much you might be looking to pay per hour.
Types of Virtual Assistants
When it comes to the virtual assistant cost, hourly pay rates vary depending on location, experience, industry, specialty of work, and which platform you use.
Virtual Assistants can specialize in serving the following industries:
While there are some VA services out there that will provide general “assistant” services without training their VAs in any particular specializations, you will find in the end that you’re definitely getting exactly what you pay for.
Trained and skilled virtual assistants may cost a bit more, but when you consider the overall savings you’re already experiencing by hiring a virtual assistant, the expenses will be more than offset by the benefits.
- Not having to interview and hire an employee
- Not paying payroll taxes
- No need to supply benefits
- No physical space necessary for an off-site employee
For these reasons and more, it’s generally three times cheaper to hire a virtual assistant than a full-time employee. Best of all, a remote assistant grants you the freedom to get back to work and have someone else take care of your clerical tasks.
The Cost of a Virtual Assistant
When we start talking about the practical cost of a virtual assistant, that’s where things really get interesting. There’s quite a wide range. The hourly rate VAs charge can range anywhere from super low (as low as $5/hour) to relatively high (over $100/hour).
Obviously, a range this wide is not very helpful for budgeting purposes.
That’s why, to narrow down how much you’re likely to pay for your VA, you’ll need to hone in on the type of VA you need and the level of expertise they will need to demonstrate.
Determine what factors are most important to you:
- Quality
- Cost
- Reliability
- Certifications
- Location
Then work these factors through a few helpful framing questions:
- What range makes sense for the quality and type of work we need help with?
- Do we need a medical VA who is HIPAA compliant, a business VA with a specialized skill, or someone for data entry? How will these needs likely affect the pay scale?
- What makes sense for our business and budget?
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: when it comes to virtual assistants, you’ll get what you pay for.
If you hire someone based purely on a low hourly rate (rather than on whether they are skilled/certified/qualified for what you need), you may find that instead of increasing your capacity while lowering your overhead, you’re merely spinning your wheels.
And nobody wants that. Instead, you’ll want to choose the VA that’s best suited to your specific needs—not just the one who is the cheapest available.
At My Mountain Mover, we’re able to provide higher quality personnel at lower rates by hiring our professionals from the Philippines. Sourcing VAs from the United States often come with a greater cost due to the higher cost of living, whereas VAs from the Philippines are just as skilled but cost significantly less.
What to Look for in a VA Provider
No matter the specific type of virtual assistant you’re looking for, you will always want to check to determine whether they demonstrate a few specific skills, qualities, and character traits.
Starting your search for a qualified and reliable VA can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone.
A reputable virtual assistant service provider like My Mountain Mover can provide you with a quality VA that matches your needs and compliance levels.
VA service providers like My Mountain Mover will always
- Vet and train virtual assistants
- Make sure they are in compliance with industry-related safety and privacy laws
- Provide the remote worker with tools and resources to get the job done
In short, partnering with a virtual assistant company is the single best way to take the stress of selecting a qualified virtual assistant off you, the business owner.
But buyer, beware.
Not all VA service providers are created equally.
Here are a few details to keep in mind as you evaluate VA providers:
- Look for quality: If ratings are publicly available through Google, social media, or other consumer sites, take a look at what other customers are saying about the virtual assistant agency. But please note that most providers don’t even set up a Google review account—and that’s potentially a red flag. Do they not want a public review? And if so, why not? By contrast, My Mountain Mover is very open and honest about its services . We offer top-notch service, and we know it.
- Note client retention (or lack thereof): If customers are rotating in and out of the service like a revolving door, this could be a sign that it might not be the best place to start your VA journey—no matter how affordable the rates may seem.
- Determine whether customers are coming back for more: Companies that find great ROI on their first VA tend to invest in more VAs as their business expands. If a client invests in multiple VAs from the same service, they must be seeing excellent value.
- Evaluate what services and support are offered: Can the provider match you with a VA who meets all your qualifications? Do they check for HIPAA and/or privacy compliance? How do they treat their VAs?
Why Choose My Mountain Mover
While you have plenty of options available for hiring a VA, there are a few reasons why choosing My Mountain Mover as your provider just makes sense.
Reason 1: Consistency
Many services keep costs low by maintaining a rotating group of VAs, meaning you may have different people assisting you every day. In the end, this is less cost-effective because you have to constantly re-communicate with and/or re-train VAs.
Premium services like My Mountain Mover, however, offer you a single, dedicated VA to help build experience with your process and clients.
Reason 2: Customization
We customize job roles specific to your needs. Working with someone who is qualified to complete all necessary tasks for you and is highly skilled in your industry will ensure that you get the most out of your virtual assistant.
Reason 3: High Support
Not only does My Mountain Mover provide a dedicated account manager to guide you through the onboarding process, but we’ll also be there with you every step of the way. Throughout the life cycle of your relationship with your VA, we serve as a permanent resource for you, your business, and the VA we provide.
In addition, we always offer IT support to get you up and running.
Reason 4: Compliance
Both My Mountain Mover itself and all our VAs are HIPAA compliant.
Not only that, but our VAs sign BAA (privacy assurance), undergo rigorous security standards, and have regular system checks.
Reason 5: Retention
Here at My Mountain Mover, we value our VAs, and we demonstrate that by paying them very well. What this means for you is that while they are not the cheapest available, they offer the highest quality service.
Due to our sizable compensation and excellent support, we enjoy some of the highest retention rates in the industry. This makes us reliable, consistent, and easy to work with.
Because we’re able to retain virtual assistants over the long haul, you can rest assured that you will always have the same dedicated assistant managing your account.
Reason 6: Experience
While all businesses work differently, meaning there’s always a small learning curve for your new virtual assistant when they come alongside you, all our VAs are pre-trained and have years of experience.
You won’t be working with rookies. You’ll always enjoy the support and expertise of highly skilled professionals with industry knowledge and experience.
Learn More about My Mountain Mover Virtual Assistants
The bottom line is this: if you’re looking to reduce your overhead, relieve staffing shortages, and enjoy greater capacity in your practice, hiring a virtual assistant is the best first step in that direction.
However, that’s only true if you’re working with trained, certified, and skilled VAs.
Successful providers such as My Mountain Mover can remove the guesswork and take the stress out of hiring your first virtual assistant.
Now that you have a better idea of the cost of a virtual assistant, click here to learn more about how you can get started with My Mountain mover. We look forward to hearing from you.
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What Is a Virtual Receptionist?
What Is a Virtual Receptionist and What Value Can They Add to Your Team?
In this digital age of websites, chatbots, and contact forms, most people still value personal, human connections. Speaking to a real live personal representative is infinitely preferable to navigating endless phone loops or bantering with nonsensical chatbots.
And yet, as accommodating as we may try to be to current and potential clients, we still can only do so much. We can’t answer the phones ourselves and keep all our plates spinning. And even if we can afford to hire a live receptionist to answer the phones, we can’t keep our employees at their desks 24 hours a day, can we?
Fortunately, there’s hope. A professional virtual receptionist can bring an increased human connection to your customers and clients, with the added benefit of picking up some of the slack for you and your team.
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What Is a Virtual Receptionist?
Answering the question “What is a virtual receptionist?” is simple. As the title indicates, virtual receptionists work off site—whether from home or from a call center.
The primary tasks of a virtual receptionist include:
- Answering phones
- Taking messages
- Scheduling appointments
- Responding to questions
- Handling other procedural or administrative tasks
What is a virtual receptionist? They could very well be the answer to your staffing issues.
3 Benefits of Choosing a Virtual Receptionist
Because a virtual receptionist’s work is done remotely, you’re freed to focus on daily tasks that can only be addressed onsite.
And that’s not all. Virtual receptionists come with added benefits.
Benefit 1: Easy Position to Fill
For many business owners, a virtual receptionist is actually one of their first hires. Bringing a virtual receptionist onboard gives business owners the freedom to focus on the parts of their job that require their attention and unique expertise.
Whether you have never had a traditional receptionist before or are simply between receptionists, choosing a virtual receptionist as your next hire allows you to open the position to any experienced candidate. You are no longer tied to a limited pool of local options.
This approach expands your search and gives you more options to choose from.
Benefit 2: A More Cost-effective Option
In most cases, virtual assistants cost less to employ than full-time receptionists. Many are also based overseas in a virtual office, further bringing down the cost to you, since the value of the American dollar is currently at a 20-year high against other global currencies.
Without the need for extra office space or longer business hours, you can now make sure each incoming call from a potential client is answered. You'll never miss an important call again or lose out on an opportunity to grow your small business.
Some people may be wary of hiring an overseas virtual receptionist, fearing difficulties with communication and expertise. However, many international virtual assistants are not only fluent in English but are also experienced in specific industries such as healthcare or marketing and exhibit high levels of professionalism.
Benefit 3: Extended Office Hours
If people learn about your services through an online search, it’s highly likely that one of their next steps will be to call you. In fact, 70% of mobile searchers use the “click to call” button to contact a business. Many consumers would rather talk to a real person and get their questions answered quickly than toggle through a website searching for specific details that may or may not even be offered online.
This is a huge benefit virtual receptionists can offer. They can answer calls outside your own working hours, providing greater coverage and service for current and potential customers.
And this matters more than you might think.
People who work full-time jobs themselves are more likely to call your business when they’re off work—which means weekends and evenings when your staff is out of the office.
Even today’s tech-savvy consumers are more likely to want to make a phone call and talk to a real, human person rather than read online or fill out an online contact form.
The reason? Most people are now working from smartphones with tiny screens.
Calls to businesses have significantly increased in response to the mass adoption of mobile phones. Filling out a form on a five-inch screen is a much clunkier experience than calling a business directly from a search result or a Facebook ad. (Harvard Business Review)
For the most part, people calling businesses directly are looking to accomplish the following tasks:
- Confirm hours of operation
- Schedule appointments or make a reservation
- Inquire about the availability of specific items or services
- Ask about pricing options
- Check for deals
- Confirm location or get directions
Having someone available to answer these questions increases your chances of accommodating new customers or clients exponentially. With an improved customer experience, you increase customer loyalty and ensure they'll turn to you again and again.
Different Types of Virtual Receptionists
When it comes to virtual receptionists, you have options. Depending on your needs, one or the other may be a better fit.
AI Virtual Receptionists
AI virtual receptionists provide digital answering services. They’re widely available and generally less expensive than both in-person receptionists and offsite, embodied virtual receptionists.
On the plus side, because AI virtual receptionists are not human beings, they are not bound by the same limitations people are. They can answer the phones 24/7 without taking breaks, and they can provide a wide array of automated services with acceptable accuracy.
An obvious downside to AI virtual receptionists, however, is that they can only help in narrow, specific ways. While they can answer basic questions, they’re not able to handle complex questions or—importantly—provide the human touch so many people value.
Live Virtual Receptionists
An offsite live, virtual receptionist can provide the same services that an AI virtual receptionist can—and then some. More than just an answering service they are a virtual assistant who can take each customer call, answer questions, make appointments, and fulfill requests. They can answer more complicated questions and provide real, human connections and better customer service.
While the services of a live virtual receptionist generally cost a bit more, many consider them well worth the investment.
My Mountain Mover Virtual Receptionists: Experience the Difference
Here at My Mountain Mover, we can provide you with well-trained and experienced remote receptionists.
All our receptionists—from our medical receptionists to virtual receptionists who specialize in sales, business, or e-commerce—are ready to come alongside and support you in your endeavors.To hear more about how My Mountain Mover’s virtual receptionist service can provide your clientele with the much-needed human touch, please feel free to contact us today. We look forward to connecting with you.
Fortunately, that’s where a social media virtual assistant from My Mountain Mover can come in.
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Social Media Virtual Assistant Services
Social Media Virtual Assistant Services
Social media has become a huge driver of sales for businesses. However, managing all your social media channels can be overwhelming. Reclaim your time with our professional social media virtual assistant services.
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Your business is your life. Whether you built it from the ground up or are simply tasked with keeping it running from day to day, you’ve gone all in on ensuring its continuing success. You’re well aware that social media is a viable marketing channel, but the harder you try to come up with content that will engage your audience, the less time you have to run your business.
Social media management can easily feel like a full-time job—and that’s because it is. Hiring a social media manager can give you the space to run your business and still produce fresh and relevant content that will pique people’s interest and prompt them to click through to your website or show up onsite.
All things considered, it’s often more effective to outsource this work to a social media virtual assistant as opposed to hiring in-house.
How Social Media Virtual Assistants Can Help
Just like the rest of our My Mountain Mover Virtual Assistants, your new social media assistant can help you build your social media strategy from scratch.
Their responsibilities will include:
- Keeping current on the latest trends in digital marketing. Want to ride the wave of the next big viral sensation? Your Social Media Virtual Assistant can take care of that.
- Creating, developing, and improving social media platforms. There’s more involved than just starting an account.
- Identifying your ideal audience. They’ll figure out who you’re trying to talk to and how to talk to them.
- Researching, creating, and optimizing content for your target audience. They’ll craft content that will appeal to the people most likely to become active clients or customers.
- Supplying reports and metrics on content. Growth won’t just be a nebulous concept. They’ll be able to show you how their efforts are resulting in measurable ROI.
- Taking direction to formulate and analyze campaigns. Rather than simply making random, sporadic posts, they’ll learn what you want and engage your audience in specific campaigns intended to bring about desired results.
- Updating strategies as the need arises. As your business continues to grow and change, so should your social media approach. A social media assistant will stay flexible and trim the sails so that you can enjoy ever-increasing sales.
Benefits of a Social Media Virtual Assistant
A social media assistant can take your social media management off your hands, leaving you to focus your time and energies on running your business.
But the good news doesn’t stop there.
Lower Cost Than a Full-Time Employee
Especially if you are a small to midsize business, you may have been put off hiring a social media manager due to concerns around your bottom line. But with a remote social media VA from My Mountain Mover, you don’t have to hire another full-time employee.
Instead, you can rely on the expertise of a fully trained offsite social media manager, reaping the rewards of a bustling social media following while still saving time and money in the process.
As Good at Their Job as You Are at Yours
When you first got into this line of work, you didn’t set out to be a social networking genius. And you don’t have to be one. You can leave all that to your new social media expert.
A social media marketing assistant not only understands social media best practices from the bottom up, but they also have the expertise and ingenuity needed to generate ideas and execute them quickly and efficiently.
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Social Media: Too Big to Ignore
There was a time when social media activity was just about staying in touch with family and friends. That time has come and gone. Social media is becoming a huge player in the marketing game, and it’s in your best interests to leverage this power to your advantage.
Social Media Boosts Sales
With over 4.4 billion people using social media worldwide, and 72% of all Americans active on at least one platform, a successful social media account can give you access to a huge sales pool.
In fact, 39% of senior marketers surveyed claimed that their highest ROI came through social media posts. And we’re not talking about paid social media ads. We’re talking about marketers seeing their highest ROI through organic social media content.
It’s just a fact: good social media marketing strengthens sales—but only when you have the time and capabilities to post regularly and strategically.
That’s where many small business owners stumble, because there’s always so much else to do. Learn how a virtual assistant can drastically increase productivity without the investment of a full-time employee.
Social Media Drives Growth
A smart social media strategy can also allow you to accomplish the following:
- Raise brand recognition. You’re just one popular post away from hundreds, thousands, and even millions of new eyes on you and your brand.
- Manage your reputation. Having a friendly and engaging social media presence invites people to feel comfortable entering your space, first virtually and then perhaps even physically. You can also address questions and concerns publicly, showing consumers that you are transparent.
- Expand your network. When people online share your content, you’re introduced to their friends and friends-of-friends as well.
- Reach new audiences. Remember how there are billions of people using social media worldwide? Here’s a quick and easy way to reach them in the midst of their daily lives.
All this with a relatively small investment of time and money. Just getting started in the first place may feel overwhelming.
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Getting Started on Social Media
Perhaps you already took the leap and got your business started on a social media platform. You opened various accounts in your company’s name online, inserted your logo or a picture of your store as the profile pic, and added a few local businesses as friends just to let people know you were there.
Maybe you even made a social media post or two. Then things got busy, daily operations consumed all your time, and your social media accounts stagnated.
Maybe you even tried delegating social media work to one of your managers or employees—with mixed results.
If you’re going to move from where you are to where you want to go, enjoying a lively and engaged audience, here are a few steps you’ll have to take:
- Decide who will be in charge of social media for your business (you or someone else)
- Determine which social media channels to focus on (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
- Decide what to post about
- Find the time to post regularly
- Remember to cross-post your content across various platforms (but not always in the same formats, because different social media sites require different styles of content)
- Interact with your followers’ comments and answer their questions
- Analyze the results to see which posts are catching your audience’s interest
Lather, rinse, repeat. Who has the time and bandwidth for all this?
Fortunately, that’s where a social media virtual assistant from My Mountain Mover can come in.
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My Mountain Mover: Ready and Willing
If you know you need social media help but have been putting off making a move due to fear of how much it might cost, rest assured that a good social media VA doesn’t have to break the bank.
And there’s never been a better day to get started. My Mountain Mover is here to help you take your first steps.
Our expert-level remote Social Media Virtual Assistants can help you reach peak social media presence—enjoying a larger audience and increased sales along the way. With an affordable social media content specialist working offsite, you can take advantage of their expertise—while being free to focus on what you do best: running your day-to-day operations.
To hear more about how a Social Media Virtual Assistant can maximize your online presence, please feel free to contact us today. We look forward to working with you!
Outsource Medical Billing
How to Outsource Medical Billing—And How to Know If It’s the Right Call
“If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” This may be a popular saying, but that doesn’t make it true in every case. Especially when it comes to whether you should outsource medical billing.
In fact, the decision to outsource your medical billing could be one of the best ones you ever make.
The benefits of outsourcing your medical billing are numerous. Not only can it reduce your administrative workload and streamline your office operations in one fell swoop, but it can also help you stay compliant with the latest regulations, all without increased efforts on your part.
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Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Billing
Over the last few years, industries have progressively shifted more of their work offsite. Outsourced medical billing falls into that trend, but with an added incentive. Increased regulations within the medical billing industry, including those related to technology, data privacy, and coding, call for more and more specialized work.
It’s no wonder that the U.S. medical billing outsourcing industry is not only accelerating but is also projected to keep growing.
The U.S. medical billing outsourcing market size was valued at USD 4.7 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.34% from 2022 to 2030. (Grand View Research Report)
Outsourced medical billing helps healthcare practices keep compliant without constant training and retraining. With dedicated professionals taking care of the billing offsite, this frees your in-house staff to focus on what really matters: directly assisting patients.
Outsourcing your medical billing can lead to:
- Reduced medical coding and billing errors. Higher accuracy leads to greater customer satisfaction—and more consistent revenue for you.
- More quick and efficient billing. Your staff no longer needs to juggle billing with all their other daily tasks. No matter what emergencies crop up, your billing still gets done.
- Greater business growth. With billing taken care of and your cash flow steady, everyone in your practice is freed to concentrate more fully on their own tasks and grow at a more rapid pace.
- Increased compliance. When you outsource your medical billing, you’ll work with individuals who keep current on all the latest regulations—so you don’t have to.
Outsourced Medical Billing: Service Options
These are some tasks an outsourced billing service can accomplish for your medical practice.
Insurance Verification
An offsite medical billing team can check eligibility, co-pays, and any pre-authorization requirements for each medical claim quickly and efficiently, affording you easy access to the information you need to best serve your patients.
Coding and Billing
Outsourcing your medical billing means working with individuals who dedicate their time to coding and billing. Because they’re extremely familiar with medical codes, they can accomplish these tasks with high levels of proficiency.
Full-Service Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)
An outsourced medical billing service can help you track care in a streamlined system, from first patient interaction to final billing.
Pros of Outsourcing Medical Billing
Reduced Coding and Billing Errors
A medical billing company ensures that all its employees keep up-to-date with the latest processes and hold a certain level of expertise. You can rest assured that your billing is in good hands and governed by preset quality control policies.
Strengthened Cash Flow
The faster your claims are processed, the stronger your cash flow. And with dedicated medical billing specialists taking care of the business side of things, keeping billing current, and even following up on past-due claims, those working in the office have the bandwidth to give their patients their full attention.
This leads to:
- Reduced salary expenses, since you will not need as many full-time staff members in the office
- Billing that never slows, even amid vacations, PTO, sick time, and other disruptions
- Greater patient care with even less overhead
Increased Customer Service and In-House Productivity
With the medical billing process running smoothly offsite, you and your staff are freed from the time-consuming and tedious tasks of inputting patients, coding, billing, and follow-up on past-due payments.
Instead, you can assist with other tasks and give your patients the care and attention they deserve.
Variable Costs
If you’re worried about finding room in the budget to outsource medical billing services during the lean months, the good news is that most medical billing companies do not charge fixed rates. Instead, they charge a percentage of billing, which means you won’t pay as much during times when business is slow.
Cons of Outsourcing Medical Billing
Less Control
If you’re the hands-on type of healthcare provider who likes to be involved in each step of the patient journey, the decision to outsource medical billing might be difficult, even if you don’t really enjoy that work yourself or your staff is struggling under the workload.
Variable Costs
While variable costs can sometimes work as a benefit, there are definitely times when they can also work against you.
During busy months, variable costs will naturally increase, and it may be harder to establish a budget for outsourcing medical billing when there are no fixed rates.
Is Outsourcing Medical Billing Right for Your Practice?
Given all you have learned—particularly about the pros and cons—you may be wondering if outsourcing medical billing is right for your medical practice.
While we can’t answer that question definitively, we can help you think through the ins and outs.
A few questions that will help guide your decision-making:
- Are you experiencing staffing issues? The decision to outsource medical billing could help solve them.
- What are your goals for your practice? Outsourcing medical billing could help you focus on meeting them.
- How will this decision affect patients? Since patients are your number one priority, anything that allows you to serve them better must be soberly considered.
- What services could most benefit you right now? If a medical billing company offers them, this will bring you one step closer to a decision.
- What tasks do you prefer to keep in-house? Certain aspects of your work absolutely cannot be outsourced; therefore, it might make sense to outsource medical billing, one of the aspects that can.
- How much support do you need? If that support will help you improve the patient experience, the choice is clear.
The decision to outsource medical billing could decrease the strain of staffing issues, allow you to focus more specifically on your goals for your practice, and offer your patients a more satisfying experience.
At My Mountain Mover, our Virtual Medical Assistants receive more training and support than other virtual assistants. They keep up-to-date on coding and compliance and have what it takes to come alongside your practice and give you the space you need to thrive.
To learn more about My Mountain Mover Virtual Medical Billers and hire quality offsite billing support, contact us today!
SEARCH FOR THE BEST VIRTUAL MEDICAL TALENT NOW!
How to Find a Virtual Assistant for Your Practice
Finding the right virtual assistant for your practice could be a game-changer. They not only save you time by doing tiresome, repetitive tasks, but they also assist you in establishing a better work-life balance. When you discover how important a VA is to your practice, it's only reasonable to want to hire one as quickly as possible.
However, before you rush to hire the first VA you can find, we can’t possibly stress enough the importance of taking the time to hire the right virtual assistant. The person you hire is going to be working closely with you and your patients. They will be handling your practice and patients' information that are private and sensitive. Even minor mistakes can have serious consequences – so how can you ensure you choose the right VA for your business and for yourself?
To help you, we've compiled a list of steps on how to find a virtual assistant that is the best possible fit for you and your team.
- 1. Decide which tasks you will need to outsource
- 2. Create a job description and requirements for your VA
- 3. Choose between a freelancer or a virtual assistant agency
- 4. Choose a Virtual Assistant that you can get along with
1. Decide which tasks you will need to outsource
Before you even begin looking for a virtual assistant, you should have a good understanding of why you need a virtual assistant in the first place. Take a seat and consider which aspects of your practice might benefit the most from their assistance.
Do you need someone to take patient notes and add these documents to their charts? Or maybe you need someone to answer live calls, return inquiries, or call for appointment reminders. Having a list of tasks that you need help with is a good place to start.
2. Create a job description and requirements for your VA
Once you've established why you need a virtual assistant, the next step is to determine what qualifications you'll need in your VA.
A virtual assistant in the healthcare industry should be certified in HIPAA compliance because the healthcare industry deals with sensitive patient information (such as laboratory reports, diagnosis, treatment information, and so on). You must have confidence in your VA's ability to keep your patient information private and manage data responsibly.
A background in healthcare is also typical among healthcare virtual assistants. VAs include registered nurses, medical assistants, and medical billing and coding specialists. Other medical virtual assistants have gained healthcare experience and now specialize in assisting doctors.
When it comes to skills, attention to detail is one of the most important qualities of any virtual assistant, especially one who works in healthcare. It is critical that there are no mistakes in your patients' charts, medical coding, and insurance information. Even a slight mistake can have severe consequences for you and your patients.
This is why it’s important to have an assistant with qualities such as:
Efficiency
Work ethic
Proactiveness
Trainability
Having a clear job description and requirements for your VA is necessary to ensure that you get the best possible addition to your team.
3. Choose between a freelancer or a virtual assistant agency
There are two ways you can opt to hire a virtual assistant for your practice: through a virtual assistant agency or through freelancers that offer virtual assistant services.
It's not a one-size-fits-all situation when it comes to finding the ideal virtual assistant for your company. There is no clear method for deciding between the services of an agency and a freelancer. Make sure you've thought about your needs and if it fits within your budget before making a decision.
4. Choose a Virtual Assistant that you can get along with
Hopefully, you and your Virtual Assistant will have a long-lasting relationship. Both of you will be working closely. As a result, it'd be ideal if you got along. You'll want a virtual assistant who is as invested in your company as you are, and who is enthusiastic about their work. You'll also want to choose someone who complements your personality.
In Conclusion,
The person you hire is going to be with you every step of the way, so you need to make sure you hire a Virtual Assistant who is right for the position. Don’t settle for less than you deserve for your practice. By following these steps, you'll know you've focused your search and selected the right Virtual Assistant for your company - and someone who’s right for you too!
How To Use Time Blocking To Maximize Productivity
From the moment you wake up to the moment your head hits the pillow at night, entrepreneurs spend their days jumping from task to task with no end in sight. With a to-do list that feels like it’s never ending, it can be hard for business professionals to achieve balance within their work week while still feeling like they are on top of their game. Although grinding 60 hours a week may help you feel accomplished for a little while, the fact of the matter is, you WILL experience burnout, fatigue and exhaustion. As a business owner, you have to take control of your day and have working systems in place in order to protect not only your mental health, but your business as a whole.
One of the best ways to achieve a better work-life balance is by learning how to use time blocking. Time blocking is perfect for those who:
- Juggle many different projects/responsibilities
- Spend too much time in “reactive mode”, aka responding to emails and messages
- Find their day chopped up by meetings
- Battle constant interruptions throughout the day
- Struggle to find the time and mental space for big-picture thinking
Time blocking is a simple strategy that focuses on segmenting your day into defined chunks of time. For example, instead of checking your email throughout the day and interrupting your tasks as soon as a new one comes in, you would block off 8:00-8:30 am for managing your inbox. This will prevent multitasking and interruptions from disrupting your workflow throughout the day. As a result, you’ll fly through your to-do list and increase your productivity.
Although multi-tasking may seem like a great way to accomplish a lot during a smaller window of time, it actually decreases your overall productivity. There have been numerous scientific studies that warn against the negative effects of multitasking. A few of these facts include:
- Studies show that the human brain can’t handle more than one task at a time. Even though we think we’re multitasking, our brains are actually switching rapidly between tasks. (The Myth of Multitasking. Scientific America. 2009, July.)
- Only 2.5% of the population actually process tasks simultaneously. (James Watson of the University of Utah)
- In a study of Microsoft employees, workers took on average, 15 minutes to get back to intense mental tasks, like writing reports or computer code, after responding to emails or instant messages. (New York Times)
- It actually takes more time to get things done when you try to multitask. People who are interrupted – and therefore have to switch their attention back and forth – take 50% longer to accomplish a task. (John Medina, Brain Rules)
- Multitaskers make up to 50% more errors. (John Medina, Brain Rules)
Time blocking guards against multitasking by ensuring that you are placing 100% of your focus and energy into one task at a time, therefore resulting in a much higher quality of work. Time blocking also helps you:
- Fight against procrastination
- Balance urgent tasks
- Become more realistic when scheduling your day
- Achieve more tasks in less time
Most importantly, this will encourage self care, mental health and work-life balance. When time blocking your schedule, it’s essential to schedule in work breaks. While it may be tempting to block off every single hour of the work day, that actually ends up being counterproductive. Add some flexibility into your schedule by leaving some empt times throughout the day. Use these blocks to take a walk, meditate, chat with a loved one or take a coffee break. These short breaks are essential to your mental well being and will help you accomplish more in the long run.
If you are needing a new way to organize your workday, we strongly recommend time blocking. My Mountain Mover virtual assistants are the perfect solution for the business owner looking to delegate more tasks and free up some time in their schedule. For more information, visit our website, My Mountain Mover and schedule a free consultation today!
Why Choose My Mountain Mover Virtual Assistants?
Why Choose My Mountain Mover Virtual Assistants?
You want to save money, easily increase your productivity levels, reduce employment costs and free up valuable time in your day. Of course you do - who doesn't?
Running a business requires taking on many tasks and responsibilities. It can be overwhelming, stressful and might demand you hire extra support. As a business grows, more manpower is often needed to achieve sustainable growth. This may entail the addition of new resources in order to avoid overloading yourself and to keep your business on track.
My Mountain Mover's Virtual Assistants help you streamline your workflow by taking on the most time-consuming business-related tasks, allowing you to focus on what you do best — running your business.
Let's take a closer look at the top four reasons you should choose a My Mountain Mover virtual assistant right now.
Let's take a look at six simple ways to work smarter, not harder.
- 1. Up to 70% Decrease Employment Costs
- 2. Valuable Time Gained in Your Day
- 3. Boosted Productivity
- 4. Top 2% Of Industry Vetted Professionals
1. Up to 70% Decrease Employment Costs
You will be paying for a qualified employee at the fraction of the cost of full-time employment with no hassle. Working with our virtual assistants reduces your payroll significantly by saving you money spent on benefits, equipment, worker’s compensation, office space, and more — you pay only for the actual work done.
2. Valuable Time Gained in Your Day
Another benefit of hiring a virtual assistant is that you can hand off routine tasks so your team's time and expertise are directed on high-value work. Companies and entrepreneurs deal with tons of non-core activities like:
Sending emails
Handling customer queries
Research
Scheduling meetings
Data entry
While these are necessary tasks, they’re not core tasks that need to be done by an in-house team. Forcing your in-house employees to do these tasks takes away time they could be spending on things that need to be done in person.
By outsourcing your non-core activities to a virtual assistant with the right skill set, you don’t have to worry about managing these activities in-house. This lets you invest your time and resources into tasks that need to be done by your in-office team.
3. Boosted Productivity
When it comes to outsourcing, increased productivity is a no-brainer, but it's also one of the most compelling reasons. You can boost your business' output without hiring in-house staff or expanding office space.
You can reap all of the benefits of adding additional staff, such as getting more work done, without the burden of wasted resources, employment costs & HR regulations, and unqualified applicants. Plus, if you have any issues or questions our dedicated support staff will be there to guide you along the way.
4. Top 2% Of Industry Vetted Professionals
We believe in helping businesses grow through expert level virtual assistants. When you hire a virtual assistant from My Mountain Mover, you know you're getting the best.
Our rigorous vetting process puts all applicants through multiple screenings and interviews prior to approval and final training. In fact, from the thousands of applications we receive, only 2% are endorsed to our clients.
The Bottom Line
Running a business is hard work and the to-do list seems to never end. You may have tried doing everything yourself, but it's likely taking a toll on your productivity and even your health. Wouldn't it be nice to get some of those tasks off of your plate?
Outsourcing your work won’t only help you save time and money, but will also increase your business revenues.
We are living in a time of great opportunity. There has never been a better time to embrace technology by outsourcing daily monotonous tasks and letting My Mountain Mover do what we do best: getting the job done on time, efficiently, and effectively.
6 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder
6 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder
Regardless of your job or industry, it can sometimes feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. As a result, you constantly feel like you’re always behind. And that’s just not good for your productivity or your health.
So, what’s the answer? Work more hours?
When presented with a hundred tasks at once, you might feel like you have to work longer hours and push yourself to the point of exhaustion to clear out your to-do list. However, that might not be the best approach. Instead, take a second look at how you work, and start to learn how to work smarter, not harder, and discover more productive ways to get things done.
Let’s take a look at six simple ways to work smarter, not harder.
- 1. Take more breaks
- 2. Focus on one task at a time
- 3. Have a clear vision
- 4. Learn from mistakes and successes
- 5. Celebrate your wins
- 6. Outsource the nitty-gritty
1. Take more breaks.
One of the best ways to work smarter, not harder, is to give yourself a real break. That means putting up a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door and no exceptions. Set a timer for five or ten minutes every few hours. Take a power nap, go outside for a short walk, or read a few chapters of a book, and you’ll be amazed at how well you can focus afterwards.
Pro tip: while playing with your phone may seem relaxing, avoiding technology altogether is the best way to use these breaks. Calling your mom or texting a friend is fine, but personal emails, social media, and online browsing are best saved for your lunch break.
2. Focus on one task at a time.
While it sounds counter-productive, doing only one thing at a time is an incredibly effective way to get things done more efficiently.
Taking on multiple tasks at once is a great way to become busy, and it’s usually a more exciting way of working. However, while multitasking might be stimulating, it invariably makes you less productive.
According to studies, when you think you’re multitasking, you’re actually not. Our brains can’t focus on two tasks at the same time— it’s just switching between them. Working on one thing at a time allows you to go deeper into each task and perform better. You won’t have to divide your time, attention, and energy—the three elements of productivity—across multiple things at the same time.
3. Have a clear vision.
Would you be able to share your vision if someone asked you to?
It is so important to have a clear vision. Many people consider taking the time to brainstorm and create a vision as something optional or something that would be nice to do one day. We’re here to tell you that is not the case. It is fundamental to have a vision. It isn’t a want. It’s a way to reduce the background noise, stay on track, and sharpen your attention.
4. Learn from mistakes and successes.
When you’re working quickly, you open yourself up to making mistakes, but you can tackle that risk by learning and improving at all times — so that generating high-quality work becomes second nature to you.
Learning from successes is just as important but far less common. You can boost your success by figuring out how to replicate it. What went well, and why? What should you remember, and what can you utilize from this experience?
Asking these questions helps you go from one success to multiple successes. It also helps in a more intuitive understanding of your achievements, saving you time when you sit down to start on a new project.
5. Celebrate your wins.
The key to success is realizing that our major goals aren’t going to happen overnight, or in the next week, or even in the next year, but that is totally okay. We tend to focus on the end goals rather than the small but equally important steps that lead us there.
It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate small wins. When we forget to celebrate our successes, we lose motivation, and motivation is what keeps us on track and gives us the strength to keep going until we reach the top of the mountain.
Find a way to honor each achievement, whether it’s by putting a star next to the date on your calendar, treating yourself to a special dinner, or going out with a friend. Goals are hard work, and you deserve a treat as you work toward them.
6. Outsource the nitty-gritty.
How much time do you spend responding to emails, trying to set up meetings, and updating social media? If you feel like you don’t have enough time to do everything, maybe you just simply need some help. The problem with “doing it all” is that you don’t have as much time to focus on new strategies and ideas.
For example, you can spend the whole day responding to customer inquiries, emails and creating content, or you can just hire a VA. Outsourcing to a VA will save you both time and money by allowing you to focus on more important aspects of your business.
The Bottom Line
Working smarter, not harder, is the key to increased productivity. Working smarter allows you to devote more time and attention to the things that matter most to you: your life goals, your personal growth, your health, and your relationships.
When it comes to work, hustling or burning the midnight oil may seem tempting, but there are far better ways to get things done. Use these six ways to improve your business, life, and side hustles. The moment you adopt smarter ways of working is the moment you decide to become more efficient.
How to Find the Best VoIP Phone System
How to Find the Best VoIP Phone System For Your Business
Communication is critical when running a small business. You must be available to your clients and provide them with a professional, pleasant experience when they call you – all while ensuring that your staff can communicate and interact with one another (especially if your team is working remotely). All of the best VoIP Phone Systems on our list are hosted VoIP — or Voice over Internet Protocol — solutions, meaning that they are hosted in the cloud and are maintained and operated by the system provider. This relieves you of the effort of installing hardware and maintaining software while also allowing your staff to use the system from anywhere with just the software's app and a reliable and stable internet connection.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is an abbreviation for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is a phone service that makes and receives calls over your internet connection. It also provides additional communication capability and alternatives for your company to employ. It allows you the freedom to work from any location and on any device.
You will no longer need to be close to your analog desk phone to receive customer calls or speak with coworkers. You are free to go wherever you want. You can communicate with customers as long as you have an active internet connection. When you're on the go, IP phone systems allow you to make business calls from your smartphone.
VoIP versus Analog Phone Systems
Analog phone service can't compete with VoIP in terms of flexibility, features, and convenience of use. VoIP phone service is a popular option for both large and small organizations. It offers enterprises the most scalable and secure communication options. Uptime is hardly ever an issue with today's dependable internet service. Additionally, it has the potential to cut expenses by more than half.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing the best VoIP provider for your business:
● PBX (Private Branch Exchange) — Used to communicate both internally and externally (inside the firm) (with the outside world). It's a personal telephone network. PBXs frequently handle internal phone extensions and call handling.
● Virtual PBX — Used to give PBX technology to enterprises of all sizes to manage phone tasks within offices and departments.
● SIP Trunking — A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunk is utilized for various real-time applications such as voice and video. A SIP client is used to send and receive data.
● A public telecommunications network (PTSN) — is the infrastructure and services for public telecommunications.
Choosing which telephone system to invest in can be overwhelming, and it's easy to let price point and feature sets dictate your selection--but a sound phone system will make or break the operations of your business. If you're looking for the best office phone system that fits the needs of your business, you're in luck. We've listed down some of the top-rated systems on the market, so you don't have to. We'll take you through our list of the five best office phone systems. You've got a lot to choose from in this category, but isn't that a great problem for business owners to have?
5 Top VoIP Telephone System Providers
RingCentral
RingCentral's phone system combines voice, video, conference calls, and team messaging into one seamless communication solution. RingCentral was one of the first enterprises to join the VoIP industry and is recognized for its unique and cutting-edge technologies combined into a secure, one-stop, cloud-hosted communication solution.
RingCentral's team collaboration features, including real-time messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing, and file sharing, allow users to engage and work from any place, increasing productivity and efficiency.
RingCentral cost starts at $19.99 per user per month for their "Essentials" plan, which supports up to 20 users. If you have more than 20 users, you may pick between their "Standard" plan, which costs $24.99 per month per user, or their "Premium" or "Ultimate" plans, which include additional capabilities like automated call recording, single sign-on, and CRM connections.
GoToConnect
GoToConnect, GoTo's advanced corporate VoIP phone system, is a unified communications solution that combines video conferencing, team messaging, SMS, and all the call capabilities required for a reliable remote and in-office solution. It also provides free international calls to over 50 different countries, which is convenient.
While these features will appeal to expanding enterprises, perhaps the best feature for straightforward scalability is the effortless call routing management called Dial Plan Editor by GoTo.
It's a color-coded, drag-and-drop interface where you can lay out call flows – telling your system where to direct calls when the business is open versus closed, how long to keep incoming calls waiting before asking them to leave a voicemail, which 'sound clips' to play at which points, and more.
Nextiva
Many businesses rely on Nextiva to do business both inside and outside the workplace. Your location no longer represents how much work you can do because Nextiva lets you complete all work assignments from any location using your smartphone.
Nextiva provides your team with the necessary business tools to keep employees productive and customers happy. With call routing, hold music, video-conferencing, and a variety of calling capabilities, your company is set to control the world. Call logs, call waiting, sophisticated voicemail, and a toll-free phone number are all included at no extra fee.
The monthly cost of Nextiva's phone service begins at $20.00 per user. The more people you add, the greater the deal you'll get. Nextiva provides choices for expanding your workplace phone system while saving money.
Dialpad
The first thing to mention about Dialpad Talk is that it provides fantastic value for money; with all of the call capabilities and basic collaboration tools, you'll need to get started for only $15 per user per month.
The best part of the system, though, is its unique "Vi" (Voice Intelligence) analytics tool, which analyses your conversations as they transpire and transcribes them into an easily legible manner.
It can recognize action items that come up during your calls and automatically generate to-do lists for you while noting negative and good moods in the chat. This exposes both issues and compliments for you to analyze and act on, making it perfect for your salesmen and their calls and chats. The more you converse with Vi, the smarter it grows.
8x8
8x8 works hard to ensure a genuinely unified cloud-based communication solution that integrates easily and flawlessly with your organization.
They take pride in their ability to think creatively to give dependable and clever solutions. With the 8x8 system, your company's miscommunication concerns will be resolved promptly. You may improve connections by ensuring that communication delivery is no longer an impediment.
For their X Series X2 plan, the pricing of 8 phone services starts at $25.oo per month, per user. Following that, the X8 plan, which is their most sophisticated plan, costs $172 per month per user.
Ultimately, finding Best VoIP Phone System is a highly individualized process—one that will come down to the specific needs and preferences of your business. Knowing how these systems work—and which ones are designed to meet those needs—can help you find the right fit for your team.