Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 - (Page 48)

PATIENT RELATIONS Depending on the severity of symptoms, he will usually recommend visits every two weeks to three months. This seeming “visit overkill” can actually reassure such patients, telling them that you’re available to help them, no matter what. “Eventually, the focus of the interview moves away from how bad these symptoms are to how things are going in their life,” says Wolf. “This works incredibly well and ofﬁce visits are a relatively cheap way to treat people, versus MRIs or having them visit the emergency room.” THE NON-PAYERS cially, your ofﬁce may also choose to reduce its rate for services rendered, or work with hospitals and specialists to negotiate lower rates. “It’s like any business,” say Welters. “You have to negotiate with patients who can’t pay their whole bill, but can pay part of it. We sometimes reduce our fees for procedures performed.” ENOUGH’S ENOUGH For patients who fail to pay their bills, recognize that they’re not necessarily trying to wreak havoc on your accounts receivable. They may be working with their insurance company to resolve a claim dispute. Or, more likely, they may be having ﬁnancial trouble at home. Ask late payers what your ofﬁce can do to help — write a letter to the patient’s insurer? Set up a payment plan? If the patient is truly struggling ﬁnan- If, despite all your best efforts, a patient continues to behave poorly, then you’ve got a responsibility to your practice to cut that person loose. “It probably should happen more often than it does,” says Welters. “I had one patient who called four or ﬁve times a day and spent an hour on the phone with our staff. I told her this is really interfering with our ability to care for other people.” Centor agrees. During his 20-year career in outpatient practice, he has “ﬁred” only three patients. “For me, the most difﬁcult patient is the one who is verbally abusive to my staff,” he says. “I can handle verbal abuse directed at me, but when they’re rude to my staff, that’s when I ﬁre patients. If you make my nurse or clerk cry, you’re out.” Hopefully, this ﬁnal-straw scenario is a rare happening for you, too. It should be. Most people stop acting out as soon as they’re confronted with their shenanigans. Just make sure you take time to search for the underlying reasons before just showing your patient the door. You’ll both learn from the experience: Your patient will get a refresher course on playing well with others, and you’ll hone your communication skills. Both results will lead, in turn, to more gratifying experiences for everyone in your practice. • Shelly K. Schwartz, BA, is a freelance writer in Maplewood, N.J., who has covered personal ﬁnance, technology, and healthcare for 12 years. Her work has appeared on CNNMoney.com, Bankrate.com, and in Healthy Family magazine. She can be reached via editor@physicianspractice.com. 48 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | JULY/AUGUST 2008 WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://www.pivothealth.com http://www.pivothealth.com http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Battle Royale in the EMR Market Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Hire Right Noteworthy Cover Story: Healthcare Reform: Voting for Change Patient Relations: Dealing with Problem Patients The tech Doctor: Is Self-Service Medicine Inevitable? Technology: Do EMRs Make You a Better Doctor? The Guide Idealab: Cash-Only Care Still Works The Administrators Desk: Who’s in Charge? Ask The Experts What Went Wrong: ‘Why Our Great Idea Didn’t Work’ Coding Start It Up: How to Launch a Practice: Operations Partnership: Don't Let Partner Conflict Destroy Your Practice Appraisals: What’s Your Practice Worth? Getting Advice: How to Hire a Consultant Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

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