Let’s look to see what has taken us away from the courtesies of the human contact. Forms, e-mail, internet and other technical requirements have replaced handholding, touching or smiling. The ability to communicate with our patient has been reduced to minimal eye contact, short sharp communications and diminished relationships. This leads to patient and physician dissatisfaction. Focusing on making changes in this minimally communicative profession should be the task for 2012 and your future may depend on it.
Where to begin?
Well, patient surveys are a helpful start, but if you ignore the results, then don’t waste your time. Look for both patient and practice satisfaction, so conduct a survey to both insiders and outsiders. The information may provide you with the reasons for discontent from both perspectives. The survey should also involve your healthcare professionals as well. Don’t discount their comments and frustrations as these are often transferred to patients and staff by way of demeanor and interactions.
Sit in the waiting area or in the billing office of a practice and watch the interactions as they occur:
• Were issues handled properly?
• Did the involved parties believe the matters at hand were satisfactorily resolved and, most importantly, could the issue have been avoided?
• Full blown criticism of the event, not the people involved, will help to bring about change.
• Look to critique the small matters, such as in the way the event was approached, to the larger matters, such as the resolution.
In the end, all involved must feel a sense of satisfaction.
Reach your goal
Develop a customer service expectation, and practice what you preach. If the staff is to address fellow members of the office or patients in a certain manner, then all of the staff must be required to follow the same expected level of service, regardless of the letters after their last name. Look to praise the staff that develops and promotes good customer service skills and look to correct those that don’t. If continued failure to comply is a problem, then get rid of the problem.
Practices have developed over the years to consider insurance carrier as the primary serviceable patron, leaving the patient to wonder who is really being taken care of. It is time to make the patient the main objective, and focus on maintaining good customer contact, first and foremost. If you don’t, I am certain that the patient will find a practice that will!
