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Front Desk

Front Desk

Collect Outstanding Balance at Your Front Desk Without Waiting Room Outbursts

QUESTION: We collect outstanding balances as patients check in at our front desk – before they see the provider. Generally this goes well, but recently we’ve had several instances of patients getting upset and loud. Not only is this problematic for our front desk staff, it is very uncomfortable for other patients sitting in the […]
Published Date: February 27, 2020
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Front desk phone etiquette

Reduce Patient Loss by Boosting Phone Etiquette

Update Notice:  This blog post was reviewed for accuracy on May 26th, 2021, by a Healthcare Training Leader expert, and determined to be up-to-date, accurate and complete. Front desk phone etiquette. QUESTION: We recently discovered that we lost several patients due to the poor customer service they received over the phone. How can I help our […]
Published Date: January 30, 2020
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HIPAA Student Health Record

Restrict HIPAA Student Record Release or Face Violations

You could get hit with fines for violating HIPAA student health records’ rights unless you update your protocols based on new agency directives. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) updated HIPAA and privacy act laws on how to maintain students’ health records. Some situations allow […]
Published Date: January 28, 2020
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Practice QA: Fend Off Costly Front Desk HIPAA Fax Fines with 6 Actions

QUESTION: I’m trying to prevent my front desk from making HIPAA mistakes when we send and receive faxes that contain protected health information (PHI). What should and shouldn’t you send electronically? Do we need any kind of release on file? Rochester, NY ANSWER: The first key in making sure that front desk HIPAA fax activity […]
Published Date: December 12, 2019
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Front Desk Angry Patients

Handle Angry Patients for Front Desk Win-Win

QUESTION: Although most of our patients are friendly, sometimes we have patients who are hard to manage. In a couple of instances, a staff member got upset, the encounter got loud and the physician had to step in. There must be a better way for us to handle these situations. Anonymous, Sacramento, CA ANSWER: You’re right. How […]
Published Date: December 4, 2019
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HIPAA Violations

Practice QA: Derail HIPAA Violations When Leaving Patient Messages

QUESTION: I’m trying to help staff avoid HIPAA violations when leaving patient messages. What should and shouldn’t you say when leaving voice messages for patients?   – Anonymous, Chicago, IL   How to Avoid HIPAA Violations When Leaving Messages ANSWER: To avoid HIPAA violations, first, it’s important that you have a signed consent form on file […]
Published Date: November 15, 2019
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Master Front Desk Collections Tactics That Get You Paid More

Once your patients walk out the door, your chances of collecting what you’re due plummet. But there is an answer to your collection challenges. By training your front desk team to collect from your patients at both check-ins and check-outs, you can significantly improve your collection percentages. Collections statistics are against you and your practice, […]
Published Date: October 15, 2019
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Front Desk Customer Service

Head Off 3 Common Front Desk Customer Service Disasters

What’s the most important position in your practice? If you said “doctor” you’re wrong. It’s actually your front desk customer service staff. They are the “gatekeepers,” and typically the very first contact experience a patient has with your office. If it’s a bad front desk customer service, they won’t be seeing your doctor at all. […]
Published Date: August 20, 2019
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Front Desk HIPAA

Halt Front Desk HIPAA Check-in Violations

Each time a patient checks-in with your front desk, your risk of a HIPAA violation goes through the roof. Especially considering that patient check-in occurs over and over again, every day you’re open to see patients. You might think that your front desk staff are to blame for this increased HIPAA risk. However, the real […]
Published Date: April 18, 2017
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Front Desk Collections, Expert Tips

Improve Front Desk Collections, Expert Tips Empower Your Team

Almost every practice I speak with has issues with collecting payments from patients. There are so many things that can happen, and the last thing you want is for your patients to leave your practice confused or angry because they aren’t clear about their bill. When I was chatting with one of our speakers, Rhonda […]
Published Date: October 25, 2016
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