Are You Prepared?

As the leader in these tough times, you need to ask yourself several questions about your staff.

Who is on my team? Do they have the skills necessary to handle aggressive, angry, fearful, or frustrated patients? Are they trainable? Are they motivated to learn?

Until the pandemic is over, you may want to consider shifting your team around. For example, the technician or optician may be more suited (i.e., authoritative) to handle the front desk at least part time for the short term.

GIVE GUIDELINES

The next step is to create a training plan. Give your team very clear guidelines on how you want difficult situations handled. Give them scripts and even role-play. Create flowcharts for escalating situations, with increasing responses and action plans.

Don’t ask your team to educate the patient, debate with the difficult patients, or change their mindset. Just ask them to follow your guidelines and practice by role-playing. This will make your team more confident in how they respond in tough situations.

Have options for the team member to offer the uncooperative patient. You can refuse service altogether or reschedule to a later date. Booking them at the end of the day will minimize exposure to others, but that may increase your own risk. And, if they register a fever, wait a few minutes and retake their temperature.

PATIENT PREP

Begin by having the front desk staff inform and prepare the patient for the new protocols when scheduling their appointment. This should not be rushed, and the patient will need to acknowledge their understanding and agreement of these new protocols. It’s important that the tone be conversational, not interrogatory.

Have a script for the team as well as documentation that they had this discussion with the patient on the phone. Another option would be to direct the patient to your online video or website for your new protocols. This will allow visual learners to better understand what to expect.

If a patient knows a mask is required, they will be more responsive. If they know their temperature will be taken and will need to be below a certain level, they will be more cooperative.

Some patients will, however, use this opportunity to “act out” with your staff. Reassure staff that they are doing nothing wrong when patients act this way.

HOW TO RESPOND

The receptionist/patient coordinator can do a lot to screen for these patients on the phone by asking questions. Train the team to acknowledge a patient’s frustration, anger, etcetera, but not to engage in a discussion or debate on the merits of this situation.

Have a prepared phrase that represents the practice philosophy. An example? “We understand your feelings, frustration, and anger. We are doing our best at this time to protect all our patients and ourselves, and we ask you to help us do that.”

If the patient continues to resist, it may be time to bring in a co-worker and calmly remove the patient from the situation by talking in the parking lot or suggesting the patient go to their car to calm down.

Today’s world is difficult to navigate. Prepare your staff for success with clear protocols and training.

—as told to STEPHANIE K. DE LONG by MARY E. SCHMIDT, ABOC, CPO, president of EyeSystems. Schmidt offers private, live video workshops to help practices create a plan that is right for them.