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1 What is CallMyDoc: CallMyDoc is the only one of its kind system which allows a patient to self-identify themselves and delivers their message and information along with their patient chart summary to a doctor’s smartphone. It answers the calls by itself and collects all of the caller information and then presents it to the doctor’s smartphone. The doctor can decide how they want to respond, by either calling the patient back or having the CallMyDoc app do so such as send prescriptions, etc., according to the doctor’s orders. All interactions taken will be recorded and go back to the patient’s chart.

2 What do I need to use CallMyDoc: You will need smartphone. Any iPad may also be used, but to do real-time phone calls requires it to be also connected wireless to an Apple iPhone. But any of the patient responses can be executed, as long as there is a cell phone signal or you can connect to WiFi. It will even work perfectly from an airplane equipped with WiFi.

3 Why is CallMyDoc different: It may seem like a cliché, but CallMyDoc was developed over the period of several years with actual doctors and patients. It has been created to take into consideration all aspects of being on call after hours, and provides the easiest way to deal with patients and at the same time keep them happy. The ability to prescribe a refill or new medication in less than thirty seconds is one such capability no other system provides. The ability for the doctor to instruct the system to schedule a patient on its own is another feature. The fact that it tracks all of the doctor/patient interactions during a call and documents all of it by itself is another. It does not just answer patient calls by itself. It makes sure when the calls are received the doctor can easily and conveniently handle those calls according to how they want to handle them.

Another aspect is that CallMyDoc reads your scheduling settings, and allows you, if you choose to do so, to allow patients to schedule their own appointments using any normal telephone after hours.

4 How does CallMyDoc work: When a patient calls in, it asks them for some identifying information such as their date of birth, which then matches their call to their patient chart to deliver both their message to contact the doctor as well as their patient chart summary to the doctor so the doctor knows EXACTLY what the patient is calling for, why they are calling, and allows THE doctor to decide how they would like to respond.

5 How does Call My Doc® prevent or eliminate medical malpractice: One aspect of a doctor’s life that can create a malpractice risk but most doctors cannot prevent it using traditional patient call answering methods is the telephone answering services that for after hours when they on call.

Physicians often regard the answering service as a “necessary evil.” The “necessary” part is based on the fact that all major insurance carriers require as a part of their contract that a doctor be available after hours. It is a potential liability if a doctor does not respond in a timely manner and appropriately to a patient emergency. To fully appreciate this liability, let’s take a worst-case scenario. A patient calls your service complaining of left sided numbness, blurred vision, and confusion. The patient is contacted hours later and has a stroke; Tissue plasminogen activator is not administered within the 3 hour window, paralysis ensues, and the doctor is sued for malpractice and abandonment. You’ll have to defend your standard of care in the timeliness and appropriateness of the advice you gave the patient. This cannot happen with CallMyDoc.

You will also have to defend the standard of care of your answering service. If a patient calls with a headache and says it is not an emergency but later is diagnosed with cerebral aneurysm, you’ll have to show that the failure to call you was reasonable given the circumstances. The answering service is regarded as the agent of the doctor. Therefore you are responsible for selection, training, and monitoring the service. This cannot happen with CallMyDoc.

A pattern of sloppy message forwarding can include not calling right away, not dating and timing the calls, calling the wrong doctor, transposing a number, or garbling a message. This happens quite frequently with call services. A plaintiff’s attorney could allege that you were negligent in not correcting the problem. This cannot happen with CallMyDoc.

CallMyDoc is set up to make sure who is on call and how to contact that person. CallMyDoc has complete information about on call schedules for the hospital and practice arrangements for coverage. All contact information: cell phone, text, email address, home phone, beeper number, or alternate land line where the doctor can be reached is entered into the CallMyDoc server as well as indicating for what time periods.

CallMyDoc will make sure you are available according to your schedule on its Admin panel. CallMyDoc can be set up to be available 24/7 in case there is an emergency even during the day. Also, via the Admin panel, it will to report every morning about the previous night’s activity to you or your staff.

6 How do patients like CallMyDoc: Patient satisfaction is also a consideration when choosing your answering service. Your answering service creates the first impression of your practice after hours. CallMyDoc articulates its questions in perfect English and as such is polite to the patients. If you have a multi-lingual patient base, CallMyDoc can be configured to speak other languages.

7 Are patients put on hold or do they have any difficulties getting through to CallMyDoc: No that is impossible. Our architecture is set up in such a way that it is non-blocking i.e. all calls always get through. It is multi-threaded and cloud hosted. It is impossible for patients to be placed on hold for long periods of time like any other answering service.

8 How does CallMyDoc protect you and your practice: CallMyDoc has been designed and created after over years of live research in actual doctor’s offices with patients. We have created CallMyDoc as an answering service as carefully as if it were in your own office.

9 How is CallMyDoc better than other methods of answering patient calls: you are, after all, the one who has a duty to respond to and reach the patient. Legally, it is no excuse if the service gives you a garbled message or fails to reach you. You must defend your standard of care, that is, that a reasonable physician would have reached the patient in the same time frame and would have given similar advice. With CallMyDoc, this is impossible since it is fully documented and never fails.

10 How do I deal with problems from my call center or when a patient suggests I have not followed up correctly: In the event of any questions, CallMyDoc has put all call information back to patient chart. It will produce documentation to support your standard of care and using CallMyDoc is far beyond any other known system. With CallMyDoc you do not have to use telephone message pads or write notes on napkins. CallMyDoc enters the notes in the patient’s chart. This includes the patient’s complaint, your advice, and the date and time of the call. CallMyDoc provides call recording and time stamping and can export to Excel all patient calls. Electronic tracking is better than manual tracking because it eliminates the chance for error. CallMyDoc is an extension of your practice and we treat it as such.