Hot Topics from the 2011 MIP Conference

Following the Management in Practice conference in London last month, it seems that there were some common 'hot topics' raised by delegates visiting our stand.

How to avoid patients getting the engaged tone

A number of practice managers were facing complaints that the surgery phone line was ‘always’ engaged

A similar complaint was too many calls and not enough staff.

Call congestion at peak times

Again a similar issue raised was call congestion at peak times, a common problem for surgeries at the start of the day when patients wish to make appointments, book repeat subscriptions or obtain test results.

In both cases there are a number solutions available from Opus, at both network and telephone system level, along with automated appointment-booking solutions, which can alleviate these issues.

Where do I stand with my existing 0844 contract?

Another common topic of discussion was where did surgeries stand if they were tied into long contracts for the 0844 numbers with existing suppliers and what were the implications of continuing to use such numbers.

The Department of Health guidelines are quite clear on this and we are happy to advise practice managers of where they stand. Many were surprised to hear that there were often options to extract their practices from such contracts ahead of time.

How do I link multiple surgeries

Another question asked by a number of practice managers is how can I link multiple surgeries or main and branch surgeries to maximise efficiencies and cost savings. 

With fast, reliable and dedicated data networks available from Opus, together with proven IP (Internet Protocol) communications solutions, there are many shared resources productivity benefits and costs savings to be made in linking surgeries.

The Opus Medical Team are happy to help with any of these topics. For advice and information please call us on 0800 019 5690 or simply complete the ring back request form in the right hand column of this page.