An excerpt from Dr. Paul Corona’s upcoming book, Healing the Mind and Body: The Doctor and Patient Guide
All aspects of the office are important, but the front doctor office is the key to ensure good customer service. It all starts at the front. The most important roles for the front office staff is greeting the patients in a warm fashion, answering the phones in a prompt and friendly manner, checking them out and making follow-up plans and paying attention to the needs of each patient.
The front doctor office is where people get their first and last impressions.
I’ve heard a lot of complaints from patients about other doctor’s offices ranging from the provider seeming to be aloof and uncaring, the office staff being rude and unaccommodating, not having enough time with the doctor, not getting questions answered or getting adequate explanations about the treatment plan, the doctor typing in the computer and not maintaining adequate eye contact, not having the billing handled correctly and many more.
We need to return to the old-fashioned values that used to prevail in medicine during the “golden years” before managed-care and massive entitlement programs started to take over. This has created a complacency and resignation of doctors (and patients) to our fate, though it need not be if we fight back and not accept the new status quo. Some doctors become apathetic and burnt out, which can lead to dissatisfaction with work and life.
I enjoy hearing when patients tell me that I remind them of an “old-fashioned” doctor. I take that as a compliment since is exactly what I go for.
We need to be positive and encouraging and assure our clients that we can provide from the best of both worlds by combining scientifically proven treatments in a friendly atmosphere with staff who care, and who come to the office with a positive attitude and a desire to help. Doctors and others in charge should make sure each team member shares these same goals.
