Can an offshore receptionist answer our practice phone?
Yes. They answer calls on your practice number through your cloud phone system (3CX, RingCentral, Aircall or Microsoft Teams phone), in your clinic hours, with your scripts and booking rules. Patients speak to the same person every day rather than a rotating call centre, and your on-site team can pick up any call that needs someone at the desk.
How is patient privacy protected with staff in the Philippines?
Your team member works inside your practice management software at the permission level you set, through a VPN or your own remote login, and nothing is exported or stored by Offshored. Every candidate is pre-screened and police checked (NBI clearance) before you meet them, the employment contract with Australian Pathways OPC includes a confidentiality clause, a company supplied laptop with USB ports and personal cloud drives blocked is available where your policy requires it, and all logins are removed on their last day. Your practice remains responsible under the Privacy Act, so your privacy officer adds the arrangement to your privacy policy and collection notice.
Can offshore staff do Medicare and health fund claiming?
They lodge and reconcile claim batches inside your practice management software, work rejections, prepare gap statements and follow up debtors. In-room terminal claims through HICAPS or Tyro stay with your front desk because they need the patient’s card present, and payment authority over your bank accounts stays with you.
How much does an offshore medical receptionist cost?
A$1,900 to A$2,400 a month, all inclusive, for a full-time receptionist or recall coordinator working your clinic hours. Medical billing officers and practice administration coordinators are A$2,100 to A$2,800. The fee covers salary, statutory contributions, 13th month pay, leave, HMO, payroll and HR, with no recruitment fee and no lock-in contract, and Offshored replaces the person at its own cost if they leave.
What hours will they work, and can they cover early starts?
Your clinic hours. Manila is two hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (three behind Sydney and Melbourne in daylight saving) and the same time as Perth, so a 7:30am start on the east coast is a normal 5:30am to 6:30am start in Manila, which Offshored recruits for specifically. Tell us your opening hours on the first call.
Do they know Australian practice management software, and how quickly can they start?
Offshored shortlists for the software you run; Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Zedmed, Genie, Cliniko, Dental4Windows, Praktika and EXACT are the common requests, and you interview the shortlisted candidates yourself before deciding. Recruitment typically takes one to two weeks, and where a candidate is strong on reception and billing but new to your particular system we say so and you decide whether a week of training is worth it.
What admin can an offshore team member do for an Australian clinic?
Four roles run from the Philippines for Australian clinics through Offshored: reception (calls on your practice number, bookings, confirmations and new patient registration) at A$1,900 to A$2,400 per month, recall and reminder coordination, medical billing (Medicare, DVA, WorkCover and health fund batches, gap statements and debtor follow-up) at A$2,100 to A$2,800, and practice administration (inbox and referral triage, results filing and accreditation evidence). Clinical decisions stay with your clinical team.
Can an offshore team member do medical billing for an Australian practice?
Yes. An offshore medical billing officer through Offshored lodges Medicare, DVA, WorkCover and health fund batches from your practice software each day, works rejections the same week, prepares gap statements, follows up outstanding accounts by phone and email, and reconciles Tyro and HICAPS settlements against the practice system and Xero or MYOB. The fee is A$2,100 to A$2,800 per month, all inclusive.
Does Offshored recruit offshore medical coders?
Offshored recruits in the Philippines for the role you describe, so a coding role is scoped with you on the first call: the item numbers, classification and software involved, and the credential you require. You test the shortlisted candidates on your own de-identified records before choosing. Coding that needs an Australian credential or a clinician's sign off stays with your team.