Remember the old adage: “If a customer has a negative experience they are 10 times more likely to tell others about it than if they’ve had a positive experience.” Even if you don’t remember the number being ‘10x’ you probably remember the point. I consider myself to be an optimist; unfortunately, human beings, in general, have a tendency to focus on the negative rather than the positive which is why this statement holds true.
At NFMGMA’s May meeting we are excited to welcome back Jamie Verkamp, Chief Speaking Officer with (e)Merge. A returning speaker to NFMGMA, Jamie is going to be talking to us about one of the most important parts of healthcare delivery: people who interact with the patient.
Most customer service topics cover tips for training staff on how to provide good service. Jamie, instead, is going to focus on how to train the managers and leaders of organizations to ensure that they build the best team possible. A pillar to ensuring this is that the right person has been hired and that they are, in fact, in the right role.
Getting this right will lead to maximum engagement by both staff and (most importantly) the patient!
Some of the things you’ll learn from Jamie are:
- Skills can be taught, but behaviors are hard to change!
- We cannot hire and place staff based on their skillset. We have to look at other performance indicators and communication styles to ensure they are working in the right role in the office.
- It’s difficult to focus on great patient care if you don’t have your team structured properly!
Competition in healthcare is tough. A friend recently shared with me that her experience with a pediatric practice was less than stellar, in fact she commented to me that the members of the staff were rude and she was choosing not to go back.
Don’t worry, it’s not anyone from the NFMGMA, but with that in mind there’s always room to improve. So, Jamie hopes that you’ll make the time to take some action as follows:
- Take a look at your top performers in various departments and understand what makes them successful at their job. Model this for new hires in similar roles.
- Incorporate more powerful interview questions and other candidate screening tools to determine the best potential hires.
- Understand different communication styles and how they affect your staff and patient engagement.
If you’re interested in the personality assessment that she’ll be referencing, it’s called DISC.
From her previous presentation, I recall that Jamie was a fun and engaging speaker, so don’t miss out on our next meeting. Register today at the North Fulton MGMA, share this with your peers and colleagues, and invite them to join us.
Click here to register: NFMGMA May 2016 Session – Six Crucial Behaviors for Patient-Facing Employees
