Physicians Practice - March 2008 - (Page 18)

P eARLS THE VALUE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS BY KENNETH HERTZ PHYSICIANS ADVISORY BOARD David Albenberg, MD Access Healthcare, Charleston, SC Michael F. Bonazzola, MD Oregon Health & Science University Medical Group, Portland, OR Juliet Breeze, MD Richmond Bone and Joint Clinic P .A., Richmond, TX Robert C. Goldszer, MD, MBA Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA Scott Meyer, MD Greater Northwest Medical Group, Arlington Heights, IL William Smits, MD The Allergy & Asthma Center, Fort Wayne, IN Generally, the front-ofﬁce staff is the ﬁrst contact the patient has with the ofﬁce, as well as the last. In these times of increased consumer knowledge, the customer service we provide can set us apart from our competition. But the front-desk staff is tugged in many directions: answering the phone, checking patients in and out, verifying current demographic information, collecting copays, calling to remind patients about appointments, dealing with pharmaceutical reps and other vendors — you get the idea. So what to do? Here are a few tried and true methods for improving your customer service in the front ofﬁce: • Training — Make sure that your staff receives sufﬁcient training on using the practice management system, scheduling, reading accounts, phone manners, and customer service skills. And once is not enough. Training should be ongoing. • Separation of duties — Create a distinct position to handle incoming calls, so that others on the front desk staff can focus on the needs of those customers actually in the ofﬁce. • Knowledge empowerment — Make sure that your front-desk staff knows the answers to common questions, including ofﬁce hours, directions to the ofﬁce (including how to get there with public transportation), where to park, what insurance you take, and so on. If your ofﬁce has an active intranet, post the information on that. If not, provide an answer book listing answers to the most frequently asked questions. • Mystery shoppers — A mystery shopper can provide valuable feedback on the way things really work at your reception desk. 18 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | MARCH 2008 • See for yourself — Try calling into your ofﬁce’s main line to gauge how patients are treated. Also, spend a little time sitting in your own waiting room. See what the patients see, and hear what the patients hear. • “Thank you, Mrs. Smith” — Simple, huh? But so often skipped. Teach your staff to thank your patients. And while they’re at it, why not have the staff ask patients if they have all of their prescriptions, or if they have any questions that could be answered before they leave? That one step alone can save countless telephone calls later in the day. • The other “thank you” — This is the BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD Diane Haines Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR Rebecca A.H. Anwar, PhD The Sage Group, Philadelphia, PA John Barrasso, MD Wyoming Medical Center, Casper, WY V. Alin Botoman, MD Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, FL Barry Brennan Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL Greg Bruce UMC Health System, Lubbock, TX Patrick Cawley, MD Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC Wanda English Shands at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Richard Gangemi, MD Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY Hewitt Goodpasture, MD Via Christi Regional Medical Center, Wichita, KS Darren R. Haskell, MD St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterﬁeld, MO Larry Hopperstead, MD Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston, ME Allen B. Hornell, MD ETMC Regional Healthcare System,Tyler, TX Timothy Huffcutt Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshﬁeld, WI Peter J. Jacoby, MD, FACEP St. Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury, CT Jean Kostelansky Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Michael Kryda, MD Ministry Healthcare, Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Milwaukee, WI Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA Jim Lindsey, MD SETON Healthcare Network, Austin, TX John Mackel, MD Saint Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau, MO Lorraine L. Manzella SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY Hagop Mekhjian, MD OSU Medical Center, Columbus, OH Daniel M. Navin, MD Munson Healthcare, Traverse City, MI Harold Pillsbury, III, MD UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC J. Robert Polk, MD Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, ID Thomas Pow, MD Lakeland Regional Health System, St. Josephs, MI Kevin Ruggles, MD Rockford Health System Rockford, IL Ronald W. Swinfard, MD Lehigh Valley Hospital, Bethlehem, PA R. Stephen Taylor, MD Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, GA Donald Thomas, MD Kingman Regional Medical Center Kingman, AZ Jerome Thompson, MD UT Medical Group, Memphis, TN J. Stephen Wikle, MD, MPH Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA Michael Wong, MD Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY Sally Wright, MD Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA John M. Zerwas, MD Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX Nathan J. Zuckerman, MD Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, Willingboro, NJ one that you should do to show that you notice the efforts of your front-desk staff. Take time to learn their names, chat with them, and acknowledge the contribution they make to the ofﬁce. Your positive attention will work wonders, guaranteed. Bottom line: Never doubt the importance of your front-desk staff and the impact they have on your patient base. Keeping patients is far less expensive than securing new ones, and you need your front-desk workers to help keep them. With just a little effort and training to get the front ofﬁce on board, you will have patients singing your praises and spreading the good word about the superb customer service at your practice. • Kenneth Hertz, CMPE, is a senior consultant with the MGMA Health Care Consulting Group. His special interests include operational improvement, practice analysis, strategic planning, and strategic marketing. He can be reached at khertz@mgma.com. WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - March 2008

Physicians Practice - March 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Try a Little Tenderness Second Opinion Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: The Value of First Impressions Noteworthy Cover Story: Your Complete Guide to Patient Service Billings & Collections: Rules to Code By The Administrators Desk: Selecting an EMR Technology: Learn to Love Your Nerd Ask The Experts Coding The Guide The Tech Doctor: All About Blogs The Great Practice Makeover: When Bad Things Happen to Good Practices Start It Up - NEW! The Law: Audits 101 In Practice: Do As I Say... Pretty Please? Healthonomics: Handling the Changes Wrought by Medicare D Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - March 2008

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