Manager Practice
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THE MOST EFFECTIVE RECEPTIONISTS MADE ALTERNATIVE OFFERS TO THE PATIENT
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may be juggling other patient contacts and feeling pressured to end the call. At this point, agreed mechanisms for gaining advice from a clinician are essential to ensure patient safety is maintained. The receptionist should know the options available to them and should provide the patient with clear information on what will happen next and when. Risk manage accessibility in your practice
by taking time to ask your team which types of encounters are most difficult for them to deal with positively under pressure. Encourage them to imagine being in the shoes of the patient in order to identify practice-based, team solutions.
a supportive team culture, effective problem solving in both planning and facilitating access, and encouraging staff to engage in empathetic and positive communication skills. MDDUS has long experience in assisting
practices with patient complaints and claims and my top advice would be to urge practice managers to spend time in reception to increase their understanding of how often receptionists encounter difficult patient interactions. Do your team members answer each call in a positive, welcoming tone? How often are the team quick to say things like; “I’m sorry I can’t...” or “I’m afraid we have nothing available…” or “No, I’m not able to…”? It is important for the team to address the
patient’s non-clinical (human) needs as well as their clinical needs. A positive tone, asking the patient how they can help and listening properly to the request are important to ensure the patient feels valued. Research shows that in most cases, a
positive experience for the patient from the start of an encounter can influence the way the patient feels at the end of the encounter
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– even when they have not been able to get exactly what they wanted. If the receptionist cannot meet the
patient’s need (for example in providing “an appointment today”) they should offer an alternative - for example: “I can offer you an appointment on Wednesday for Dr Smith.” It is important that, if the patient expresses concern about a delay, the receptionist should be able to address that concern - for example: “If you can tell me more, including why you feel this cannot wait, I can ask the doctor if she is able to speak to you today?” It is important that the receptionist does not
offer health advice in lieu of an appointment and that they listen to the patient’s concerns. Nor should the receptionist attempt to triage the patient if an acceptable solution cannot be found initially. It is their job to stay in the encounter until a solution is identified and to take responsibility for passing concerns on to a clinician so that a decision can be made about what to do. This can be particularly difficult at busy times when the receptionist
FINAL THOUGHTS Interestingly, one mechanism many practices have put in place to increase the efficiency of receptionists could result in decreased patient satisfaction. Electronic patient check- in systems are intended to reduce the need for receptionists to interact with patients attending for appointments and allow them to answer calls faster. But practices should remember that for many patients a positive “live” contact with a member of the team can make them feel valued. Ensuring the team take time to nod or smile at patients when they enter or leave can be just the thing to bump up your scores!
If you would like to explore risks around access to clinicians with your team, a case study and discussion guide is available in the Risk Management section of
mddus.com (access at
tinyurl.com/hsk59zq).
Liz Price is a senior risk adviser at MDDUS
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