Restore Communication [Healthcare Compliance Tips]

Restore your practice communication in five steps.

Scheduler: Hello, John Doe’s Medical Clinic.  How may I assist you?

Patient: Yes, I am calling because I am not feeling well.  And I need to see the doctor immediately.

Scheduler: Can you describe your symptoms?

Patient: Well, I have diabetes, so I am not sure what is occurring.  But, I do feel my symptoms are related to my insulin issue.  I don’t have my glucose monitor.

Scheduler: Ok, currently, we have no openings.  But, allow me to relay the message back to the provider to see what we can do next.  I will call you back.

Sadly, the practice did not return the patient’s call.  And per this report, the patient later collapsed and died from diabetic ketoacidosis.

You may be wondering:

Who is at fault?

It’s easy to get caught in playing the blame game.  

But, if we take a step back to analyze the situation, we will see we can’t blame one individual in most cases.

Like the scripted example, mistakes are so significant that the Joint Commission estimates 70 percent of sentinel events are because of communication breakdowns.

This statistic reveals that it is not just happening in one healthcare entity but many.

Every missed communication makes your practice even more susceptible to revenue loss, malpractice suits, compliance issues, public scrutiny, and much more.

Therefore, in this tip series called “The Blame Game: 5 Tips to Restore Practice Communication, I will provide you communication tips that you can apply to your compliance program.

**The opinions and observations from the group/author are not a promise to exempt your practice from fines and penalties.  Research, modify, and tailor the advice to fit your specialty.

Click here for the next tip in the series.