The behavior of your medical office staff on inbound and outbound calls can have a positive or negative impact on your business. Whether a receptionist is scheduling an appointment or a nurse is answering a question, excellent phone etiquette and customer service is required to prevent patient attrition and spread of negative word-of-mouth advertising. Ask your staff to follow these seven rules of etiquette when dealing with patients, vendors, colleagues and others on the phone.
Fast on the Phone
Answer inbound calls as quickly as possible – before the third ring – to prevent a caller from thinking the office is understaffed. Too many rings is an unnecessary irritation in waiting patients and can create a negative office atmosphere. Impress upon your staff that everyone in the office should assist with this issue.
Friendly and Professional
Greet callers in a friendly, professional manner with the office and staff member name: “Good afternoon, Thousands of Smiles Dental office, this is Jacob. How may I be of assistance?” Smile during every call, as smiling can naturally improve the voice to make it seem more energetic and friendly. Avoid eating or chewing gum while talking, as the noises can be most unpleasant for the person on the other end of the phone line.
Appropriate Volume and Speed
Speak in a low tone using moderate volume and speed to convey words in a clear, understandable way. Raise tone or volume to emphasize a point or clarify as the situation dictates. For example, a staff member might raise the volume of his voice for an elderly patient who asks him to speak up.
Be Polite When Placing Caller on Hold
Ask a caller’s permission to place her on hold if necessary. For example, after the greeting and determining the caller’s name, a staff member might say, “Mrs. Anderson, I'm assisting a patient on the other line. May I please place you on a brief hold? (waits for answer) Thank you. Please hold.”
Tip
Advise office staff to always check back with a caller on hold within a specific amount of time to reassure the caller that he hasn’t been forgotten. If a staff member anticipates a long hold time, she should apologize for the continued hold and provide the caller with options such as leaving a voice-mail message, continuing to hold or calling back later. Although hold times vary by medical offices, callers might consider a hold time longer than 30 seconds without a hold message or music, or 90 seconds with a message or music, to be disrespectful.
Use Plain English
Use nontechnical language with patients instead of jargon or medical abbreviations, as a caller or call receiver might not understand medical terminology. If use of a medical term, phrase or abbreviation is necessary, ask staff members to offer a definition in context to clarify meaning. Of course, it's appropriate to use more technical language in conversations with a doctor, medical supplier, pharmaceutical representatives and so on.
Attentive Listening Skills
Listen to the caller or call receiver attentively to determine the best way to assist and to show interest and concern. Advise staff members to take notes while listening, wait for the caller to finish speaking and repeat key points or ask questions to clarify the caller or receiver’s statements.
Satisfying Call Closure
Close the call in a friendly, professional way instead of simply hanging up. For example, “Thank you. I will make certain the doctor gets your message. Goodbye.” or "Mr. Smith, Is there anything else I can help you with? (waits for answer) You’re welcome. Thank you for calling and have a nice day."
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The first thing you should do when answering the telephone is___________. | Identify the medical office and yourself |
Telephone calls that require the physicians personal attention include___________. | Patient requests to discuss abnormal test results |
Which of the following documents indicates who is responsible for the various types of calls in the office and how the calls are to be handled? | Routing list |
If you are uncertain about whether to give particular information to a patient on the telephone, a general principle is to________. | Have the physician return the patients call |
The recommended procedure for handling billing inquiries is to________. | Pull the patients chart and billing information |
If a patient remains dissatisfied after discussing a bill,_________. | Document all comments and relay the information to the physician |
Under what circumstances will a pharmacist call to check before dispensing refills? | If more than one year has passed since the original prescription was written |
When may a medical assistant authorize a pharmacy to refill a prescription? | If the physician has authorized in the patients chart that refills are approved |
What type of call must be immediately routed to the physician? | Emergency |
Which of the following conditions requires immediate medical help? | Trouble breathing |
Which of the following symptoms indicates a heart attack? | Chest pain radiating to the arm, shoulder, and jaw |
One of the most important telephone skills is saying words correctly, which is called_________. | Pronunciation |
Speaking clearly and distinctly to help the person you are speaking to understand you is called_____. | Enunciation |
A medical assistant should answer all telephone using_______. | Proper telephone etiquette |
Before putting a caller on hold,________. | Ask the caller to state the purpose of the call |
When a cal with a patient is longer or complicated,______. | Summarize the details of the call to ensure understanding by both your and the patient |
When dealing with a patient who is nervous, upset, or angry,__________. | Show empathy and an understanding of the callers feelings. |
How much time should you allow for a patient to answer when you place a phone call? | One minute or about 8 rings |
Which of the following guidelines should you follow when practicing an outgoing telephone call? | Ask if it is a convenient time and if the person has time to talk |
The appropriate response to a triage patient who is experiencing chest pain is________. | Go to the nearest emergency room immediately, preferably by ambulance |
When handling an incoming telephone call regarding a patient progress report, you should________. | Take a message for the physician |
The appropriate way to handle an incoming call for a physician from another physician is to_____. | Route the call to the physician immediately, if possible |
Which of the following medical conditions requires immediate medical help? | Snake bite |
A mother calls and informs you that her son has a deep dog bite. Your response should be________. | Your son needs immediate medical help |
Before placing an outgoing telephone call to a patient, you should_____. | Verify the correct phone number |
After speaking with a patient on the telephone about a clinical issue, a medical assistant must always_______. | Document the conversation in the patients record |
Your first priority when responding to a complaint of an angry patient is to________. | Stay clam and try to pacify the caller |
When you receive or place a phone call, your message should be logical and free from ambiguity. Which of the following Cs of effective communication does this demonstrate? | Clarity |
When you are responsible of a caller, which of the five Cs of communication do you exhibit? | Courtesy |
A communication that contains all of the necessary information demonstrates which of the following? | Completeness |
What can you do to make a message concise? | Make the message brief and direct |
A telephone message that is organized and logical demonstrates_______. | Cohesiveness |
When answering the telephone, you should always be courteous, _______, and pleasant regardless of how busy you are? | Calm |
If you must walk around the office while you are on the phone with a patient, always keep HIPAA and patient________ in mind | Confidentiality |
The medical assistant cannot handle calls from patients requesting_____ renewals, unless the physician has indicated approval in the patients record. | Prescription |
When handling calls from patients, you should always remember that the physician is legally ____ for the information you give over the telephone. | Responsible |
When taking information from a patient, you shook repeat it to________ the information before ending the call. | Verify |
If an angry patient calls in with a complaint, you should remain calm and speak gently, but you should not become angry or _________. | Defensive |
Telephone ________ means handling calls politely and professionally and with good manners. | Etiquette |
Saying words correctly is called proper_________. | Pronunciation |
Speaking with good_______ enables the person to whom you are speaking to understand you. | Enunciation |
When talking on the telephone, you should use a Normal conversation tone and vary your_______, which enables you to emphasize words. | Pitch |
Proper_______ of telephone call, including taking messages, helps protect the physician from the legal action. | Documentation |
When placing an outgoing telephone call, ask the patient you are calling if you have called at a________ time. | Convenient |
A medical assistant may be asked to use telephone_______ to determine what action to take when a patient calls with a clinical problem. | Triage |
An automated____ response unit can be used to provide greater flexibility for the medical staff, as well as offer enhanced service to the patient. | Voice |
Many physicians tree up staff time by using,____—- phone systems to remind patients of appointments, call patients about no shows, and leaving other types of messages. | Automated |
Physicians often use_______ phones to respond quickly to a message from a staff or a hospital. | Cell |
An_______ pager is one that is designed for two way communication. | Interactive |
A specially designed telephone that looks like a lap top and allows the user to type a message instead of speaking is known as an________ device for the deaf, or TDD | Telecommunication |