Both Administrators and Caregivers are often required to communicate with Doctors, Family Members, Social Services etc, and it is imperative professional communication skills are used at all times. As an Administrator this mind set must be driven from the top down. The tools and the training of your staff in understanding confidentiality and implementing professional communication skill sets should be reviewed and practiced on an ongoing basis.
All personnel should be trained in effective and professional communications skills, client confidentiality, and be trained in the tools used during all communications based on their role. This includes communication logs, forms that are used in your operations.
More often than not I will call upon a facility and receive just a hello, one that seems as if my call was a burden to the one answering. What does this say about your operations in just answering the phone? You will be surprised in how many potential clients will hang up or a social service worker or referral agency that often refers clients to facilities or determines your level of care, or an Insurance Underwriter who will determine your premium based on your professionalism. Are your communication practices hurting your business and even putting it in potential risk? If you are still reading and have any questions – here are 2 easy ways to reach us now!
Call 800-449-6762
Email [email protected]
The below information is a small sampling of our offerings to the Health Care industry, and as our client this unmatched program is included in your policy:
Always remain calm, courteous and professional on the phone. When answering the phone, speak clearly and always give your full name and the name of the facility. Practice this with your employees if you feel necessary but never assume it is being done right without proper training and practice.
Make sure to have a call logs handy to document complete, careful notes that include the date time and full name of the caller and a return telephone number. See that the note is delivered to the individual in a timely manner, what may seem of little importance to you can be of great importance to a resident or other party the message is for. Add this call log to the client’s records if appropriate and include the action taken on the note.
Take care in relaying confidential or sensitive information. Never repeat sensitive or confidential information as you may be in violation of privacy rights. Only the Administrator, Management and the Facilities Attorney should have access to this information. As you receive sensitive information for your resident from any source, it should be filed and accessed only by those of authority and permission for review. Staff is not one of them. Staff should be trained on what should and should not be conversed within your operations, including the procedures in documenting and delivering this sensitive information to Administration for filing.
Outgoing calls should be treated the same as incoming calls, always introducing yourself by full name and the name of the facility. Careful note taking is again necessary. Be sure to plan for the outgoing call in advance making certain that you have all the information at hand before making the call.
If your current agent is not offering and implementing a Risk Management plan at your facility as a policyholder, your operations could be at risk. It is our expertise and offerings that separates SIA from other great agencies with a decent price, as the exceptional agency that is making a difference. Ask our current clients. For further information this and other Risk Management tool sets, please contact Jim Nocero for a free review @ 800-449-6762 or [email protected].
Do you have any questions you would like answered? Please leave any comments, questions or ideas below, we would love to hear what you have to say.