- PHONE TIE-UPS? ...Refrain from using the phrase "Just give us a call" when speaking to your patients. It BEGS for another phone interruption! Better to teach them that it is in their best interests- if they re-schedule their next appointment before they leave, so they can reserve the day and time most convenient for them.
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- A SIMPLE SCRUB ...of your claims before you send them out could save time, effort and money in the end. Take a quick look to see if: the form is legible and accurate; the services are substantiated; all necessary blocks are filled in; the service provider and ID number are identified. These simple things prevent unnecessary returns.
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- NEW EMPLOYEE? ...Be the first to welcome them. Write a personalized note, have all your employees sign it and send it to him/her before their first day.
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W-A-I-T
...an acronym for "Why Am I Talking?" Instead of thinking about the next thing you want to say...give your employee (or patient) the courtesy of completing their sentence and their thought. Stay focused, slow down and bite your tongue. Only when they are finished... should you start to speak.
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- NOTHING IN; NOTHING OUT. ...If you insist on seeing your employees as "costs" instead of "investments", you will never learn to appreciate what you have. Invest some quality time and money in their training; cultivate their skills; encourage their education and the return on your investment will be a worthwhile one.
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- GRINS & SMILES ...Do you find your staff rarely smiles? While it's not your job to make them smile...it is up to you to help build an environment that allows them to! So where can you start? Where else?At the top...with YOU! Maybe you don't stop to realize how your attitude affects those you work with. When you come in wearing a smile, you can set a positive tone for the entire day. So go on...turn those frowns upside down!
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- CALL, REPEAT, REPEAT ...Find that your staff's time is way too consumed with repeat phone calls? Why? When patients don't get all the answers they need while they are in the office...they call back. To try to keep these calls to a minimum...Ask the patient this one question while in the treatment room..."Do you have any questions?" and encourage staff to ask again before the patients leave the front desk. That needless phone time can more productively be spent elsewhere.
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- EFFICIENCY-DEFICIENT? ..Sometimes we unintentionally take more steps than are needed to complete a task because "that's the way it's always been done!" If you feel something takes longer than it really should, re-evaluate it by breaking it down into pieces. Visualizing it in this way can identify which steps can be eliminated to make the task more efficient.
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- LEARNED BEHAVIOR. .. Do your patients show up too early or too late and expect to be taken on the spot? Do they avoid paying their co-pay or deductible? Is it ok (in their minds) when they just don't show? If policies are not being followed, it could be due to a weak system. Once you allow their behavior to override your policy, they'll think it's ok to continue doing it. Next time, take control. Be firm, but be polite and let them know that breaking the rules is no longer acceptable.
- HERE'S TO US! Acknowledge good deeds by creating an "Applause Box" and encourage everyone to participate in feeding it whenever something positive happens - for example when a patient praises staff, acknowledging a new accomplishment or idea etc. At the end of the week, one employee note is drawn randomly and given a small prize to say "Thanks."
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