As a physician, I value my staff. My receptionist is the first person that you are in contact with. She sets the tone for your office visit and for your relationship with the rest of the staff. You can be comfortable with her, or she can make your visit not so pleasant. It all depends on how you approach things with your phone calls and your visit.
My receptionist has worked with me for a long time. She knows how I work and what I do and don’t do. She will ask you what your visit is for. I have several tips about this initial phone call. My receptionist has asked me to tell you:
1. Please tell her what you are calling about. If you tell her that it is a “personal call” for the doctor, and you aren’t the doc’s Mom or Sister, you aren’t going to get through, and you aren’t going to get a call back. Sales people pull this all the time. So let us know what you need. Often times someone else can help you sooner than the doctor. S/he puts office patients first. Isn’t that how you would want it if you were in the office?
2. Remember that each doctor has a specific type of practice. If the receptionist tells you that the doctor doesn’t deal with that particular problem, please take that as a “no”. She often can tell you which doctors can help you. If you are nice to her, she may give you names and phone numbers to call.
3. The receptionist needs a short version of the story. She is only trying to figure out when you need to be seen and how much time you need. She does have other jobs, so try to keep your discussion focused on the problem.
4. Please tell us the real reason you are coming for your visit. We schedule our visits based on what you have told the person that answers the phone. If you develop another problem between the time you schedule your visit and the time you come to the office, please call. We can see if you have enough time scheduled to be seen for that problem or if that problem should be seen at another time. You may need to be seen sooner or for a different amount of time. For example, if you schedule a visit for an annual exam and you develop an abscess, we would want to see you sooner for the abscess. We may have to put off the annual exam until the treatment for the abscess is completed.
5. We also have patients who want to be seen specifically for pain medication. Every office runs into this. If you have an issue with pain, please tell the receptionist up front. If this is not an area that her doctor can help you with, she will tell you right away. This will save you the time and expense of an office visit when you are not going to get the medication you are looking for. If you are serious about being treated for pain, remember that there are other medications besides opioids (narcotics) that can help your pain. Be prepared for most physicians to talk to you about these other treatments. DO NOT expect narcotics on the first visit to ANY physician.
6. We make every effort to remind you about your appointment. Our office gives you a card if you made the appointment here. We call you 24-48 hours before your appointment. Please do us the courtesy of calling our office if you are not going to be able to come for your appointment. We could give that appointment to someone else if we know you are not coming. Many offices now bill patients (anywhere from $25-$150 to the total cost of the visit) if you do not come in for your visit. You might want to ask when you schedule your visit.
7. Each practice participates with different insurance companies. If you have changed your insurance company since your last visit, please let us know. You may be responsible for a different amount. You, not the doctor’s office, are ultimately responsible for the bill. We do all we can to get your insurance company to pay, but we are not always successful. We deal with insurances all the time, and know which ones will pay US, and which ones will pay YOU. Believe us when we tell you that YOU are responsible for a certain amount.
8. Many doctor’s offices now make you pay your percentage of the bill before you are seen. The reason for this is that many patients “magically” don’t have the money after they have been seen. We may never see the patient or the money again. It is hard to pay the bills when people are keeping money that should be ours. The receptionist knows she is going to hear it from the doctor if she doesn’t get the money. Or she may be told that the doctor will not see you. So be prepared to pay your part up front to avoid a confrontation. Some offices will charge for billing you if you don’t pay the entire amount. Some offices make payment arrangements, especially if you are having a surgical procedure. You are welcome to ask about office policy when you schedule your visit to avoid surprises.
I had my trusted receptionist look over this article, and she gave me two thumbs up. She hopes that all our patients read it. I want to keep her around for a long time, so I hope that my patients and my office staff can get along better by communicating better with each other.
