All of us, at one time or another, have to deal with difficult patients. Have you ever stopped to think about why your patients are difficult?

Some patients have the idea that they have to be ugly and rude in order to get what they need from our office. Some are afraid of what the physician will find wrong with them. Others have the “white coat syndrome”. Some patients are grouchy because they just don’t feel good.

How do you deal with difficult patients? Put yourself in your patient’s shoes. Most of your patients are sick, they don’t feel good and they are not at their best. You have to be at your best each and every day. Treat them they way you would want to be treated and speak to them the way you would want to be spoken to.

Sometimes you can make your patients difficult. How does your patient perceive your office? Do all staff members possess the “I care attitude” or do you make them feel like they are just another number? Patients want to feel important. Treat them like they are the only one that matters at this very moment. Compassion, sincerity, cheerfulness, helpfulness and courtesy are traits that all staff members should have. Be a good listener. Keep them informed. Make them feel special.

When speaking to a patient, you should be aware of the words you use, tone and volume of your voice, and body language. Give them your complete attention. Look them in the eye, this lets them know they are important to you. Try to stay away from emotional trigger words and phrases like “No”, “Policy”, “I won’t”, “I can’t”, and “The computer”. These types of phrases put the patient on edge from the beginning.

Bottom line is “Kill ‘em with kindness”! Sometimes this takes more than one try. Don’t give up, keep trying. Practice the Golden Rule with every patient and remember to use those great manners that you learned as a child.

The patients are the reason we open our doors each day. Without them we would not have a practice. Every single patient is important to the practice. How you deal with them could make or break a good relationship.

The New Year is upon us. Is your practice prepared? There is a lot to do.

When was the last time you took a look at the super bill? Here are a few things to consider:

• Are your most common procedures and services listed?
• Are there blank spaces to write in procedures and services performed but not listed?
• Are all procedure codes current? Be sure to check Appendix B & C of the 2002 CPT Manual for a list of all new and revised codes.
• Is every level of E/M per category listed? The OIG has cited practices that give their physicians only the highest levels to choose form.
• Do your physicians provide ICD-9’s or diagnosis verbiage on the superbill? If they are writing out the diagnosis, do you have enough information to code to the highest specificity?
• Do your physicians sequence the diagnoses per CPT code for you? In other words, what is the primary diagnosis, secondary dx, etc. per procedure or service?
• Is the patient’s name and birth date printed on the superbill? Account numbers are also helpful.
• Are your superbills numbered? It is easier to keep up with them if they are numbered.
• Are lost charges a problem in your practice? Are you billing for every service provided and billable?
• Who is responsible for noting charges, the physician, nurse, etc.? Failure to note a charge constitutes lost revenue. This is the chief cause of lost dollars in practices today.
• ‘Missing’ superbills are also lost charges. Run a report at the end of each day to show all patients seen and be sure there are charges entered for each of them.
• Be sure the charges entered into your computer equal the charges noted on the superbills. You don’t want any mistakes here.
• What services does your physicians provide outside the office, i.e. hospital, nursing home visits, etc.? Use a customized pre-printed form to capture all out-of-office charges. Be sure the form has a space for listing the place of service.

Take a look at your fees. Are your in line with other physicians of your specialty in your zip code? A fee analyzer specific to your zip code and specialty is a necessity.

Customer service should be one of your top priorities. How would you rate your clinic when it comes to customer service? Are your patients being treated the same way you would want to be treated? We are not born with customer service skills. Your employees need to be trained on the proper and professional way to treat the patients coming to your clinic.

The Front Desk is the “Heartbeat” of the practice. The Front Desk employee could be the most important employee you have. This is the first person the patient hears when they call your office and the first person they see when they come to your office. First impressions are lasting impressions.

What type of training program do you have for the new employee in your office? Do you train the new employee how to speak to patients? What are the most common questions asked by your patients? Be sure your training program includes the answers to these questions.

Employees should always show good manners. Never let a patient see that you are having a bad day. In the medical clinic, there is no room for rudeness or bad moods. Never let a patient see that you are getting irritated with them. You are dealing with people all day long and most of the time they are not at their best. They might be sick, nervous, or anxious. They don’t feel in control of the situation and for most of us that is scary. The Front Desk employee should be able to put your patients at ease with the tone of her voice and her actions.

Watch how you sound over to phone. If you are irritated or distracted this really shows. Remember the patient can’t see you all they can do is hear you. How do you sound, DEAD or ALIVE? Do you sound pleasant? Do you sound willing to help the patient? Does your smile come shining through the telephone line?

Remember that patients are the reason you are in business. They are not an interruption to your day but the reason for your day.