Is Your Practice 'Undeliverable'?
Submitted by Keith Maule, Kats Management
I tried sending an important e-mail message to one of our clients. I typed it up and pressed the "send" key, but it kept coming back "undeliverable." Was it the "stupid computer" or the "stupid Internet"? Did my client change his e-mail address? After calling him I found the problem: I had one letter wrong.
When it comes to using computers and the Internet, everything must be right for it to work. You can type a wonderful message and attach beautiful pictures, but unless you type the right address it won't send. If even one number is wrong, it will return as "undeliverable."
The e-mail scenario applies well to all health care practices. I have heard practitioners say they are doing everything they are supposed to and yet their practice is not finding success. Their practice is essentially "undeliverable" because they are not doing everything correctly.
Are you sending the correct message? The following errors, will make your practice "undeliverable."
- The mood you came in with in the morning: would we have to send you back out again?
- The time everyone arrives in the morning and gets back from lunch: are you and your employees on time or continually late.
- The way the phone is answered every time it rings. If the patient has to call again your practice is "undeliverable."
- Was the front desk staff ready with warm greetings and smiles when new patients come in or are they busy on the computer?
- Are you cluster-booking your appointments?
- Did the practitioner confirm the next appointment time? Did you collect the co-pay? Lack of organization means "undeliverable."
Fixing five of the six practice errors is just not good enough. Unless you correct all of these mistakes, your practice will become "undeliverable."
What would happen if your patient's treatments were free when things weren't done correctly? Play the undeliverable game for a week in your practice to see how many times you can catch each other making a mistake. Better yet, have a week where all of your care was truly "deliverable"! Remember, if you do it all right, it has to work!