Health Care Management (Ambulatory Care Admin)
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managing_patient_relations-_week_4.ppt
- Patient often has at least some anxiety
Fear of diagnosis
Discomfort with lack of privacy
Fear of high costs/ time off work
Fear of pain or discomfort
- Difficult for MD’s and nurses
Administrative role to provide a supportive environment
- Patient judge medical care based upon their entire experience, not just physician quality
Parking
Registration
Billing
- Demeanor of manager may dispel complaints
Listen, empathize, change what you can, however….
Medical decisions are still the MD’s responsibility
- Timeliness
Respect that their time is as important as yours
- Provider attitude
Happy doctors and nurses, good “bedside manner”
- Complaints may be a symptom of a larger problem
Patient anxiety
Financial concerns
- Too little time with MD
- MD didn’t listen
- Staff was rude, uncaring
- Wait too long
- MD took calls during exam
- Poor teaching, no explanation for tests
- Poor explanation of billing, insurance
- Poor communication between specialist and primary care
- Top complaints revolve around time, respect, and patient instruction
- Gather facts, information
Remember subjective patient information is only one side of the story
Patients may be misunderstanding the purpose for tests or MD decisions
- Easier to resolve when organizational systems are in place
- Identification of the problem
Reactive: Complaints
Proactive: Data collection such as surveys
- Analyze data to identify trends
- Communicate information in an impartial way to staff, leaders
- Implement actions to reverse trends
- Continuous evaluation to assure effectiveness
- Inform patients of why the survey is being done
What the data will be used for
Confidentiality; that answers won’t affect future medical care
- Provide a stamped envelope
Put no burden on the patient
If a patient puts their name and a personal note provide a personal response
- Communicate results to staff
- Complaint resolution/ patient relations is an area where an administrator can make a tremendous impact
May reduce malpractice claims
- Need MD support
Establish peer review processes for MD’s
MD’s should be evaluated by other MD’s
Put in place a formal , objective complaint resolution system
- Communicate continuously with staff
