As I was thinking about how we can meet the needs of our patients better and anticipate what they may need before they arrive to the office it lead me to think about how I had to be ready to meet the needs of my children when they were babies.
I anticipated what they were going to need and was ready to deliver as the need arose. It is basically the same with our customers, not that they are babies, but that we need to be in the “think-ahead” mode before they come through our doors. There a many things that we can have ready prior to their visit, like insurance verification and benefits, copayment, deductible, and balance amounts. Making sure any paperwork that needs to be on hand, like referrals or authorizations are there before they arrive. We (office staff) know what it will take and it is a pleasant surprise to the patient when we are ready in advance. Just the other day when a patient needed a piece of durable medical equipment, we were able to dispense it right then because we had already checked her benefits before her appointment knowing that it was a possibility that she may need the equipment. She was so surprised and pleased that she did not have to wait. Not only did this make the patient happy, but it made us happy that we were taking care of her needs quickly because we had anticipated what she may have needed. When you anticipate your patients needs you are preventing problems before they start, reducing patient service demands later and you are showing your patients that you care and are actually thinking about them. These are the great service qualities we all want so we should make sure we deliver them.
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