Perception...What Are Your Patients REALLY Hearing

Perception…What Are Your Patients REALLY Hearing?
Copyright © 2003 Livvie Matthews

Never underestimate the power of perception! Perception
plays a major part in what is actually said -vs- how it is heard.
And to patients...perception is reality!

For example, lets look at broken appointments, one of the
biggest problems in your practice. Last minute changes and
no show appointments account for thousands of dollars a
month in lost revenue for the practice!

Are you sending signals to your patients that it's all right to
break appointments?

When the patient calls and says they "Forgot" or "Have a
meeting." or "Just want to reschedule." Is your response
"That's OK.", "Sure, that's no problem." or simply..."How
soon do you want to come back?" And then schedule them
right back at the 1st available opening?

A well established practice with a scheduling coordinator who
knows the patients well has a sense of "offending" the patient
if they remind them of the dilemma this last minute change
will make.

Nothing could be further from the truth or more harmful
to the practice!

An unusually high number of broken appointments generally
translates into a lack of respect concerning your practice and
appointments time and "time is money."

Generally patients simply are not aware of the problems
associated with last minute changes because they have
been "trained" (they hear) it's so easy to change the
appointment.

Often before we can "train" the patient, the front office
must first "re-train" their response to these last minute
calls.

For example, when the specific date or time a new patient
or existing patient wants is not available, if our reply is: "We
get cancellations every day" or even worse, "We get
cancellations all the time and can get you right in", what
have we taught this patient?

In just a matter of seconds the patient has been "taught" (heard)
It's all right to call at the last minute to change an appointment,
cancellations happen all the time, when they do cancel they
can get "right back in."

The patient has no value associated with the practice or the
appointment time. In fact, we "signaled" (and they heard) it's OK!

A more positive verbal response would be: "Let's go ahead and
schedule you an appointment. Should there be a change in our
schedule on that date, I will be glad to call you. May I have a
number that you can be reached during the day?"

This time in just a matter of seconds you have trained the new
patient and existing patient to think (they heard): You have a
tight schedule (busy practice), "Cancellations" are not even
mentioned (not an option) and there could be a wait before
being re-appointed if they have to change---(best keep the
appointment!)

Value is now being associated with the practice and
appointment time.

This problem didn't happen overnight and won't be "fixed"
overnight. But making it a priority to use positive verbal
skills in training your patients to value their appointment and
practice time will make a noticeable difference.

After all, how you are perceived by your patients is everything,
and it's all in their Perception....
What your patients are (Really) hearing!