First impressions: Make it a good one

Receptionists represent the face of your practice, experts note, making them important employees, both in terms of patient satisfaction and marketing.

By Larry Stevens, AMNews correspondent. Dec. 25, 2006.

En route to the hospital one recent Saturday, internist Joseph Turner, MD, had an experience that reminded him of everything he tries to avoid in his practice, and validated the attention his group gives to hiring, training and supervising receptionists.

He slipped into a fast-food drive-through to grab a quick cup of coffee. He placed his order and drove on to the window. Dr. Turner could see a lot of scurrying inside, but he had to wait an annoying 15 minutes. Dr. Turner says he doesn't blame the restaurant for the wait time. He's had plenty of experience with unexpected rush periods. But he does fault it for lack of good customer relations procedures.

"All they had to do was have someone pop her head out the window, apologize for being backed up, and say they'd get to me as soon as possible," he says.

That's what Dr. Turner, founder of 26-doctor Affinity Health Group in Tifton, Ga., has trained his receptionists to do. "We acknowledge patients, try to serve them as well as we can, and apologize and explain when an emergency or unexpected event delays things."

Experts say Dr. Turner is right in paying so much attention. In most cases, the receptionist is the first person any patient will deal with in your practice, whether in person or on the phone. A pleasant receptionist who can read the mood of a patient can kick off a pleasant experience for the patient. A gruff, curt receptionist oblivious to your patients' needs can make a patient think twice about coming back, regardless of the quality of care. Even an overly chatty or giddy receptionist can annoy some patients.