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How to Deal with Scheduling Conflicts in the Medical Office

November 11, 2013 by procourtesy

How to Deal With Scheduling Conflicts in the Medical Office
There is nothing more frustrating than arriving for an appointment of any kind, only to find out that you have the wrong day. It has happened to all of us. Sometimes it is our error and sometimes it’s the error where your service is being provided. Regardless, of who is at fault, how these mix ups are managed can make or break the reputation of the business. If not done well, it can cost you a customer.

Take that same scenario, put in the medical arena and you have another potential situation that can lead to a very unhappy patient and some bad lip service for your practice. And even the loss of a patient.

Appointments in medical offices are often preceded with fasting lab work and a host of other things that need to come together before the patient can be seen. Consider post op visits that can be exhausting for the patient, visits by patients who come from a long distance, and older patients who require another family member to accompany them. Often, it isn’t just one person who is inconvenienced by a scheduling error, but several.

So, how do you manage those tricky situations, keep your schedule intact and keep your patient happy? Here are some things to consider:

First, have a discussion about the possibility of this happening and what you are going to do about it. I promise you, it will happen.
Direct staff to seek out the help of a manager or supervisor or even the physician, before turning someone away. This should not be a one person decision.
Don’t assign blame, even if you are not at fault. Listen, apologize for the inconvenience, and let the patient know you will try to accommodate them in some way. This is not the time for a power struggle.
Train front desk staff to be diplomatic. If you have someone on the front desk who can’t deal well with the public, get them off the front desk. They are often the first impression for your practice.
When scheduling appointments give the patient an appointment card filled out by you. This will lessen the chance for an error.
Call and/or email patients 24 hours prior to their appointment to confirm. Ask the patients to call you to confirm if they have not heard from your office within 24 hours.
Consider working them into your schedule in some way. Maybe the nurse practitioner or the PA could help. Offering some alternative will leave a much better impression than just turning them away.
Keep in mind that the patient is why you have a job. They are the most important part of the equation.

Another note…most offices schedule 6 months out and patients will have to call in at a certain time to schedule their annual appointments. Be sure to tell them the best month to call to get on the schedule. There is nothing more frustrating than calling in and being told that your calendar is already filled for the next three months. Remember, what seems to make sense to you, may not make sense to your patients.

Navigating A Modern Medical Practice

August 6, 2013 by procourtesy

Navigating A Modern Medical Practice
The contemporary practice of medicine has taken a major shift for physicians and patients alike. The reasons for this are multifaceted: managed care, expenses, insurance, technology…the list goes on and on. Certainly, physicians and hospitals are finding it challenging and feeling a lack of control as they adjust to the rapid changes in the practice of medicine. And so, patients must make adjustments as well, in order to feel they have control over their health care

Historically, progress has two sides to it. We usually have great benefits, but we often lose something that is unique to the old way of doing things. Medicine is no different. The solo practice where a patient and the “ole family doctor” have a close one–on-one relationship is becoming rare. However, this does not mean a patient cannot have a meaningful and effective relationship with their physician in a large group and get excellent medical care. It does mean that the patient may have to shift their thinking and adjust their approach. Patients who take more responsibility for their health and learn to work the system and their physician’s practice effectively can reduce the poor communication that is a common complaint today.

Some tips to navigate a modern medical system are:

Be proactive before you get sick, if possible.
Know the routine of your physician’s office.
Try to see the same physician at every appointment to enhance continuity of care and to establish a relationship.
Learn the names of the medical staff you deal with, in person, and when you place a call.
Learn when to place a call to the office. Avoid Monday mornings at 9 am, before lunch and minutes before the office closes.
Ask for, and keep copies of your own health record and that of your family members.
Plan ahead for prescription refills. Don’t wait until week-ends or the last minute.
Learn how to navigate the telephone system by asking for the extension number of the nurse and how to get a “live” person.
Understand their protocol for emergencies.
Find out what hospital your physician goes to? Many medical groups split the hospitals for efficiency. Your physician may not make rounds or have privileges in your preferred hospital.
Know the people who are providing your care. If the staff or physician does not let you know who they are, introduce yourself and ask their name and title/ position.
Turn off your cell phone! Taking calls during your appointment is rude and disruptive.
Understand your physician’s protocol for receiving test results. Some offices only call patients with negative test results. If in doubt about the expectations or if you are anxious about a test results, call.
Call ahead and see if your physician is running behind if timely appointments are a concern. Ask again when you arrive and check periodically if your wait is getting lengthy.
Be familiar with the privacy guidelines and be sure to document the family members who are privy to your medical information.
Consider taking a family member or trusted friend to your appointments. If you are elderly or have serious medical issues another person can act as an advocate and help prevent errors in information transmission.
Take notes or ask if you can record the conversation for other family members.
Note when making an appointment if it is essential to arrive 15 minutes ahead of your appointment time to fill out paper work.
Understand that courtesy is infectious on all sides and very important. Make sure you are considerate. If you encounter rudeness from a staff member or physician, respond kindly. It will often diffuse the behavior. We all have a bad day, but if it is one individual, and the behavior is persistent, let the physician know. They can’t fix a problem if they don’t know about it.
Change practices if the personalities and attitudes of a particular office are something you can’t live with. Be sure to let the office know why you left.
Document serious glitches. For instance, if you call multiple times and no one returns your calls, let management know. Your time is valuable and waiting for long periods of time without a response can hold up progress.

Sooner or later we all become consumers of the medical system, even physicians. Staying informed and up to date will help with the frustrations that plague the modern practice of medicine. Dr. Welby, as we knew him, may be passé, but there are many fine caregivers who have replaced him. On the surface, their style, accompanied by advanced technology may make things seem very different, but the ultimate goal of most physicians is to care for people and make them better.

Are You A Real Health Care Professional?

July 19, 2013 by procourtesy

Are You a Real Health care Professional?
The healthcare arena today, has workers with many different levels of education. However, regardless of the letters after your name, there are certain skills that everyone should have in order to be perceived as a “professional” health care worker. While the technical skills are necessary to deliver competent care to a patient, the soft skills are the skills that set you apart. Not developing those skills can make you less effective as a caregiver and co-worker and tarnish the title, “professional.”

Patients assume you know how to do your job in the clinical sense, but it is how you deliver that care that makes all of the difference in their perception of the care they receive.

Take a step back and ask yourself some questions about how you conduct yourself when caring for patients and working with others.

Am I giving my patients my undivided attention immediately upon seeing them?
Do I introduce myself and state my position with every new patient encounter?
Do I shake hands with the patient and their family members?
Do I give good eye contact when speaking and listening to a patient? Can I note the color of their eyes?
Do I connect with the patient personally before starting to chart on the computer?
Do I look at the patient when I ask a question and return to the keyboard to enter data?
Am I respectful by addressing patients formally, especially older patients?
What message does my body language convey? Do I have my hand on the door knob and one foot out the door before I close the conversation with the patient?
Am I well-groomed from top to bottom? Do I have on clean shoes and a pressed uniform?
Do I chew gum in public?
Am I sensitive to the needs of my co-workers? Do I offer help before being asked?
Do I manage up my co-workers and the physicians?
Do I pull rank on team members?
Do I recognize the value of everyone on the team?

Don’t just let the letters behind your name define you as a professional. If you answered no to many of these questions it may be time to review some professional courtesy skills to improve the perception others have of you as a “professional” and to become a genuine professional.

Contemporary Medical Attire

May 27, 2012 by procourtesy

Healthcare is very competitive today. Distinguishing a large group or institution from all the other groups and hospitals can be a daily challenge. Some of the ways this can be done is by maintaining a professional, yet personal, approach in dealing with patients and the public at large. A visible mark of distinction can be what your employees wear.

What is the appropriate dress for the staff and physicians in offices and hospitals today?

This question is one that causes confusion in many work places, not just the medical arena. Staying current and up with the times in dress is important. The days of everyone being in white and nursing caps seems to be a thing of the past. However, problems can arise if guidelines are not specific. Dress codes left to individual interpretation can leave room for big surprises.

Uniforms of some sort give an air of professionalism and a sense of solidarity. Different departments often adopt a certain color unique to them and easily identifiable. For instance, pediatric situations may want to gear their uniforms to the children so they do not seem threatening. In certain departments, lab coats over street clothes offer protection and look professional. Scrubs are essential in many areas and reduce concern for getting clothes soiled. Shirts or coats with hospital and group logos offer another good choice.

One of the most important reasons for uniforms is to let the public know who you are, that you are at work, not at play, and that you are not some stranger off the street who comes into a patient room in the middle of the night. In short, you should look like what you do and who you are.

If anyone has to question what you do or if you are working, it may be time to evaluate what you are wearing.

Here are some basic tips for dressing today:

Establish well-defined dress codes and enforce them.
Be clean and well-groomed. Shorter fingernails are more professional and more hygienic. Avoid acrylic and artificial nails. Save nail art and dramatic nail color for social situations.
Hair kept short or up is suitable and more professional. It is also, more hygienic.
Keep make-up subtle.
Fragrances should be kept to a minimum and if you smoke consider how you smell leaning over a sick patient. Use breath mints and mouthwash. Consider not smoking in your uniform.
Well fitting clothes are a benefit to everyone, no matter their size.
Clothes should be clean, well maintained and pressed.
Panty hose should be worn with skirts, bare legs are unprofessional.
Invest in, and use a full length mirror before leaving the house.
Pants may not be flattering to all women. If that is the case, consider a uniform with a skirt.
Jackets and blazers add an air of authority and professionalism to men and women.
Identification badges should be visible at all times (first names only, may be necessary for security reasons) and should be worn on the right shoulder so they are easily seen. Add a verbal introduction, stating your name and position..
Save athletic shoes for athletics. Wear clean, polished, professional shoes. No sandals…closed toes and heels are best.
Jewelry kept simple and to a minimum presents a more professional image.
Gum chewing is not a part of any uniform.

Individuals in administrative positions or positions that do not require a uniform, including physicians, should use care to look professional and well-groomed. It is just as important as those requiring a uniform.

It has been said, that the way we are dressed can influence the way we work and how we are perceived. When the public looks at you and views your work environment, what do they see?

Compassion in Healthcare…Stepping Outside the Box

January 19, 2012 by procourtesy

Compassion in Healthcare…Stepping Outside the Box
Upon recently learning that one of my longtime Canadian friends had lost his mother, after a lengthy illness, he shared this lovely story with me…

“Let me take some time to tell a cute story about her and the nursing home. It just happens to be the same facility that my grandmother died in 1979. Mum used to say she talked to her mother today and I always said “who is to say she didn’t”. Anyway, you may recall my mother was the Head Nurse of the Emergency Department at our hospital here in our town. She was a strong woman who bordered on bossy, a good trait considering the job.

Within the first 3-4 weeks of being in the nursing facility, she heard a call over the loud-speaker that there would be a nurses meeting in the board room at 1 o’clock. Sure enough, when the nurses and the Director went to the room, there was my mum sitting there. Now this is where the story, as related to me by the Head Nurse who had trained under my mother, gets interesting. Everyone knew my mum’s background. Our town was a small town (10,000) back in the day and everyone knew everyone. Rather than confront my mother and ask why she was there or tell her to leave, they simply gave her a legal piece of paper and a pen and continued on with the meeting. Upon conclusion, the Director adjourned the meeting and my mum stood up, rapped the table with her hand and said she thought these meetings were a good idea and walked out.

As a nurse and a care giver I know you can relate to this story better than most. I told this during my mother’s funeral and must admit I got a little emotional doing so. I did write a note to the Director thanking her and her team for the compassion.”

As a former nurse and etiquette expert, who does a lot of training in the medical arena, this story points up the importance of being able to step outside of the box and adapt the rules to fit the situation in any arena, but especially in health care. The last word from my friend says it all…”compassion”. It is so key in being a care giver, regardless of your position on the team. That young Nursing Director may not realize the impact that her small gesture of respect toward her former teacher meant to the patient’s family, but it was powerful. Obviously, my friend’s mother was a wonderful teacher and care giver…that will live on in the nurses she trained and will become part of her legacy. RIP Anne.

*This story is shared with the permission of my friend.

How to Deal with Scheduling Conflicts in the Medical Office

Navigating A Modern Medical Practice

Contemporary Medical Attire

Compassion in Healthcare…Stepping Outside the Box

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