7 Best Practices for Your Front Desk

Everyone on your team is responsible for creating an exceptional customer experience. But the majority of that responsibility inevitably falls on your front office staff.

That’s because your front office is where your patients will get their first impression. Start off on the wrong foot, and you’ll be facing an uphill battle to regain their trust and confidence.

In this post, we’ll share seven best practices for your front desk.

Think about how well your practice executes each one. Then brainstorm with your staff what steps your team can take to get even better.

Let’s jump right in.

1. Keep the reception area clean and organized

This point should go without saying. Don’t clutter up the front desk with unnecessary papers. And don’t let magazines in the reception area lay scattered across coffee tables.

A clean, well-organized front desk and reception area can go a long way towards making patients feel more comfortable.

2. Optimize the workspace

When I worked in manufacturing, our engineering team would spend months redesigning a work cell to make the operator’s job easier. We built ergonomic racks that presented parts right where they needed to be. We even suspended drills from the ceiling so that they never wasted time picking them up or setting them down.

The same mindset can be applied to your front desk.

For example, the front desk should have their own copy machine available within arms reach to copy insurance cards, driver’s licenses, and referral or pre-authorization information.

Some practices let receptionists lose valuable time by requiring them to walk to the back office to perform these simple tasks.

Another simple idea is to use a telephone headset. This would free up the receptionist’s hands to take faster notes on the computer.

Enlist the input and advice from the people who actually do the work. Then invest in the necessary equipment that they need to do their job well.

3. Use checklists and scripts

Checklists and scripts are a great way to help train your front desk team to deliver a high-quality customer experience consistently.

The Greek poet Archilochus once said, “We do not rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”

This means that your team needs to be dedicated to learning and following a process. Of course, your front desk is dealing with humans, not robots. So each interaction will be unique.

However, that doesn’t mean that a checklist or a script cannot be an effective place to start. Especially if it means everyone on your front office team has access to a resource that helps them answer difficult questions. They can also help ensure that all office policies are being followed.

The accuracy of the information that a patient receives from your office shouldn’t depend on who they talk to. Mixed messages should not be tolerated.

So work with your staff and a certified healthcare business consultant to implement checklists and scripts that elevate the patient experience your team can deliver.

4. Prepare to be successful

Your staff should arrive at the office well before the first scheduled appointment.

This would be a good time for a morning huddle to discuss the upcoming day’s appointments, open slots, potential problems, and other short timely topics.

Remember: Success is where preparation meets opportunity.

A prepared team will always operate at a higher level than one that flies by the seat of their pants.

5. Preregister new patients

Preregistration is a great way to help new patients get to their appointment faster.

Instead of asking them to come in a half-hour early to fill out a mountain of paperwork, try to implement processes to capture that information ahead of time.

You can do this either over the phone, online, or through paperwork that is mailed to the new patient’s address.

Before the patient arrives at the office, you should know what type of insurance coverage the patient has, whether you are a participating provider in that plan and if your practice provides the services needed.

All such information should be in the patient’s chart and verified upon arrival.

6. Verify contact information

Always verify the patient’s address, employer and insurance plan at the check-in time.

It is better to ask the patient to provide this information than to assume that everything is the same, which could create billing or reimbursement delays.  

This is also a great opportunity for specialists to obtain the patient’s referral and/or authorization form.

7. Communicate your financial policy

Whether a practice collects co-payments and deductibles at check-in and check-out depends on the practice’s philosophy and type of services offered.

However, for all practices, it is important that the patient be aware that payments for which the patient is responsible are expected at the time of the visit.  

It’s very helpful to provide patients with a copy of your written financial policy as part of a welcome packet or prior to their visit.

The receptionist should know the co-payment, deductible and other fees due for the visit and politely request the payment.

Here’s a courteous way to phrase that request:

“Mrs. Smith, your co-payment for today’s visit is $30.  Will you be paying by cash, check or credit card today?”

If the patient has forgotten her checkbook, provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope so that the check can be mailed as soon as she arrives home.  

Conclusion

The front desk and reception area are prime real estate for continuous improvement. We can always do better at providing a great first impression and customer experience for our patients.

I hope this post has given you some good ideas to think about for your practice. Or maybe you’re already doing something that we forgot to mention.

If so, we’d like to hear from you.

What are some best practices for the front desk that you do at your practice?

Let us know in the comments below.