Overseas vs US-based Professionals?

Overseas vs US-based remote professionals has been a hot topic! Lots to say here but I will start with these highlights based on our work for those considering remote options!

Oversees- Often preferred for certain tasks that are non-patient facing like verifications or text-based comms. Training needs to be thorough with regular monitoring and QA efforts as most individuals hired do not have previous dental experience. Typically less expensive on a cost per hour basis but training is often more labor and time intensive. Patient experience is often more variable due to cultural and language differences but practices decide what factors are most important. Eg- cost factor of professional may weigh more heavily due to lower insurance reimbursements (which can limit type/quality of service).

US-based – We have found that our private practices have preferred US-based experienced professionals if patient facing activities are involved (eg scheduling and treatment/hygiene follow up) to allow for closer cultural fit. This could be important for practices with more cosmetic/elective/out of pocket patient base. Whenever possible, find someone with at least 2-3 of experience to reduce ramp up time.. (Note: Years of experience is not always associated with quality of professioal but training from scratch remotely requires a heavy lift and resources not often available for smaller, under resourced practices.)

Both: Previous experience with your software is helpful. While many softwares are more similar than different, it does affect onboarding time. Also, pay attention to claims process as this may be different from software to software so be sure to understand entire workflow.

Have more questions? Want to discuss which option work better for you? Send us a DM and let’s connect!

And yes, my plug: At Swiss Monkey, we have primarily a US-based contingent workforce. We do offer an overseas component for those interested in this.

– Christine Sison, CEO/Founder