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We presently use five phone lines to handle all of our calls for one doctor.  We use regular 3-line phones - Panasonic and GE at present. We are adding 4-line phones with intercom capability as a result of adding floor space.

One phone line is the main line.  Two phone lines are backlines, with one known to the referring doctors and the other open for calls from staff and family members.

One line is used for FAX and for the credit card machine.

The fifth line is used during the day to route calls to a digital answering system (voice mail system ) that can provide directions to the clinic. We can create a 3-way connection between an incoming call and the digital system and instruct the client to press 4 or 5 for directions, depending on the approach direction.

Each time we looked at a other service options, we stayed with two phones having call waiting and automatic voice mail if the lines are totally busy.  We now have both call waiting and 3-way calling capability with voice mail.

We frequently speed dial the voice mail (we call it the bit bucket) to check for missed calls after a busy period.  We then call back any missed calls.

If we were a multi-doctor practice, the above described system might not work.  In a large group practice we would install a sophisticated phone system with intercom and all the bells and whistles.  We come close to having such functionality with our phones and the services offered by our local carrier.

Our system works and is cheap and easy to update.  Replacement phones are infrequently added and readily available.

We have two of the lines connected to a special service provider that converts our previously expensive local long distance calls to low cost per minute charges.  As phone charging rates change, we reevaluate our alternatives.

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Last Modified:  Monday, 03 July, 2000