Frequently Asked Questions

Metro Medical is dedicated to answering calls for medical professionals. Existing customers range from sole practitioners to hospital departments. A sampling of the specialties served include allergy, cardiology, dermatology, dentistry, family medicine, fertility, gastroenterology, internal medicine, nephrology, neurology, ob/gyn, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, plastic surgery, podiatry, psychiatry, pulmonary, radiology, rheumatology, surgery and urology. Metro Medical is a preferred provider for Partners Healthcare.

Metro Medical works with all the area’s hospitals (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Brigham & Women’s, Caritas, Carney, Children’s, Emerson, Faulkner, Lahey, Newton-Wellesley, Mass Eye & Ear, Massachusetts General Hospital, Milford, North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital, and South Shore to name a few). We also work with regional and neighborhood health centers.

Our dedicated medical answering service combines a level of experience and focus that cannot be matched by traditional competitors. Because of this focus, operators become well-versed in medical terminology, triaging incoming calls, working with on-call schedules, and understanding the different nuances associated with each specialty. This combined knowledge and experience allows our operators to interact more effectively with patients and medical professionals, thereby ensuring you the highest possible level of service.

Yes! Metro Medical has operated 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week for more than 25 years. Metro Medical answers calls day or night, on weekdays, and on weekends, and during all holidays. Managers are always available to our customers 24/7.

Customers have the option of turning over their phones to us on short notice. Metro Medical prides itself on its flexibility and ability to exceed customer expectations.

This is one of the most important questions to ask, since experience makes a big difference with regard to quality. Metro Medical is committed to attracting and retaining qualified staff. We are careful in the selection of new hires, and provide vacation and health benefits. Unlike most other services, Metro Medical can offer employees a management career path through our national call center network. As the result of these factors, turnover at Metro Medical is very low compared to the industry average.

Operator training is a lengthy process at Metro Medical. In addition to a structured introduction with written exams, there is personal, private instruction before working under a buddy system. Prior to handling calls, each operator undergoes 120 hours of training. As a reflection our commitment to quality, periodic training takes place on future dates, even for experienced staff members.

What sets Metro Medical’s training program apart from others is our emphasis on problem-solving and common sense. This combination of up-front training combined with direct experience ensures that your calls will be handled accurately and professionally.

Accuracy and professionalism are fostered through the following:

• Supplemental training programs that occur on an ongoing basis.
• Written and verbal performance reviews provided by a group of experienced managers.
• Enforcement of specific operator guidelines for ensuring accuracy.
• Regular monitoring by supervisors who listen to calls randomly and fill out a report providing feedback to the operator.

All calls are answered using a personalized answer phrase. The exact wording of this answer phrase is based on instructions from you, the customer. Depending on your preference, the incoming caller may or may not know that they are even speaking with someone outside of your practice. You can use a custom, recorded greeting to screen routine calls or can direct all calls to a live operator.

Metro Medical uses a paperless automatic call distribution system running on the latest software release. It is front-end loaded with an interactive voice messaging system. The call routing equipment is integrated for the seamless transfer of calls between the live operator and voice mail functions. What all this all “technical talk” means is that you will be able to take advantage of our advanced and powerful telecommunications equipment. We have thought through the full range of technical questions and issues so you won’t have to.

Short answer: Yes.

The long answer involves a comprehensive list of all our different hardware, software, systems, archiving practices, emergency procedures, disaster processes, spare parts, supplies, tools and maintenance staff in place both on-site and off that ensure we are always available to take care of your callers and deliver your messages.

We take backup seriously. That is why we have gone to great lengths to make sure no type of natural disaster, power outage, or system failure can take us down. Even if it is a storm that cripples our entire region AND all of our extensive backups fail in cataclysmic fashion, we have a network of call centers based elsewhere in the United States that we can roll our calls to in order to provide continuous service so that your callers always have a helpful, friendly person to speak with.

Price is a function of call volume. We can design a package to fit your needs. Purchase orders are not a problem and we accept credit cards. We will be happy to provide you a price quote once we learn more about your anticipated monthly call volume. In many cases, we can even help you lower your costs.

Metro Medical is HIPAA compliant. Each staff member must go through HIPAA training to be certified to work. For the convenience of our customers, you can download our Business Associate HIPAA Compliance Form. Metro Medical continually monitors and addresses any issues that arise pertaining to the answering service industry.

Activating your phone’s call forwarding feature transfers over your phone to us. If you have a night button, you can simply program that to automatically transfer your line. (We advise you to always check by placing a call and verifying that your lines have switched over). We also offer 800# call forwarding numbers.

Yes! Metro Medical can send all your messages to your cell phone. We can call, text, or email you. We can also recommend an app for your cell phone that enables you to receive your messages from us in a HIPAA compliant manner.

If you rely on pagers, we can sync with both alphanumeric and digital pagers from all major equipment vendors so that you may receive your messages in a way that best fits your requirements.

The proprietary software used at Metro Medical is a complete message management and call tracking solution. You can securely login to your online account from any web-enabled device to view account details and explore different types of call metrics. Get a broad overview of your call activity to keep a finger on the pulse of your account or dive into one of many reports to get specific call details or analyze call trends. Updated performance reports can be generated each day to ensure maximum efficiency and high-quality service.

Metro Medical’s clients have the ability to log into our system directly through our Web Portal. Our Web Portal gives our customers the ability to see their current and already handled messages as well as their current and future on call assignments. Our customers have the ability to make their own changes if they wish to do so.

Choose from a variety of automated delivery options to simplify the delivery of your messages, save time and reduce your costs. Customize the service to fit your specific needs. Your messages can be delivered four possible ways:

– By Fax
– By Voice Mail
– By Pager
– By Email

Please refer to our Services for additional details on the advantages of each message delivery option.

Yes! Upon request, Metro Medical will fax you copies of your paged messages for no charge or your account can be set up to do this automatically.

With our combined medical focus and industry experience, chances are that we will be able to meet any and all of your requirements. We enjoy coming up with creative solutions that meet customer needs. Give us a call to discuss your specific requirements – we stand ready to help. We offer free consultations with absolutely no obligation.

You have lots to do in your practice and don’t want to get bogged down looking for a new answering service. However, the sooner you get a professional, well-managed answering service, the sooner you will be free to concentrate on your own priorities. To help you in the decision-making process we have set up this website to be a helpful source of information. The Getting Started section of the site is a good place to go next.

Signing up to become a Metro Medical client is fast and painless. Simply give us a call or fill out our easy Free Trial form and we will promptly contact you. We are happy to help you choose a customized plan that will best fit your requirements and solve the unique challenges your face. Call now: 844-798-1025.

Yes! We offer a variety of ways to accommodate your requirements for multi-lingual service including bilingual call agents who are fluent in Spanish and English, affiliate call centers and partnerships with real-time translation services. We also offer personalized voicemail greetings in a variety of foreign languages.

Our Client Service Manager is happy to meet with you and your colleagues at your office. This is a great opportunity for you to ask additional questions and become comfortable with the people behind the service.

Yes! We invite prospective customers to visit us at our Massachusetts office and see our call center in action. Please call us to schedule a tour at 844-798-1025. Our address and additional contact information is found on our Contact page.

Additional information can be found in the Getting Started portion of the site. Feel free to call us if you have follow-up questions at 844-798-1025. In addition, you can use our Contact Form to send any inquiries.