No matter how hard you try, you will always receive some complaints. Sandra Jones, executive vice president of ASD Management, offers "dos and don'ts" on how to handle complaints from patients, physicians and employees.
From patients:
1. Investigate every complaint. Even if you think the complaint is unfounded, Ms. Jones says an ASC must investigate every complaint to find out what went wrong or how a misunderstanding occurred. "Take it seriously and try to understand if it's a valid complaint," she says. "If it's a misunderstanding, you can see what you can do to improve your center's communication. If it's a valid complaint, maybe you need to make something better in your center."
2. Don't jump to conclusions about who's right or wrong. You might assume your physicians and staff members know best, but be careful about jumping to conclusions. If you treat the customer like his or her complaint is invalid, you might produce even more trouble in the form of an angry, humiliated and now former patient. Take some time to listen to both sides, Ms. Jones says.
From physicians:
1. Find out what's really going on. Sometimes the topics physicians complain about are not the problems that are actually bothering them, Ms. Jones says. Ask questions and probe until you discover the root of the problem. Maybe a physician feels undervalued or financially burdened. You won't be able to fix the problem until you find out what really brought about the complaint.
2. Determine if the problem can be fixed. Sometimes physicians will come to you with problems that can be fixed, and sometimes there will be no immediate solution. Ms. Jones says it's important for administrators to differentiate between the two situations and explain the difference to physicians. "They may complain because they want a different type of instrument or a newer technology, and your resources just aren't going to allow that because of continuous cutbacks on reimbursement," she says. "It's tough to have the latest and greatest in everything." She says part of that resource allocation is just working with physicians to help them understand that every physician has to operate for the benefit of the whole.
Don't assume problems don't have solutions, though. Sometimes a physician will come to you with an issue that should be fixed, like slow room turnover. "You can really look at your system process to help move patients through preoperative and OR and back into recovery quickly enough," she says.
From staff members:
1. Bring staff into the decision-making process. Ms. Jones says an ASC administrator has to foster teamwork and team effort to bring about solutions. "It's really important for surgery center staff members to work as a team, and that means that the administrator is not the only one who makes decisions," she says. "The team needs to brainstorm to come up with a solution that will make the whole staff work better and happier." Your staff members will feel respected if you include them in your decisions, and you won't have to shoulder all the blame if a decision turns out to be unpopular in the long run.
2. Know when to cut your losses. Occasionally, you'll have a staff member who will be unhappy regardless of what you do, says Ms. Jones. Recognize that your energy is best spent with positive team members who will help you look for solutions.
From patients:
1. Investigate every complaint. Even if you think the complaint is unfounded, Ms. Jones says an ASC must investigate every complaint to find out what went wrong or how a misunderstanding occurred. "Take it seriously and try to understand if it's a valid complaint," she says. "If it's a misunderstanding, you can see what you can do to improve your center's communication. If it's a valid complaint, maybe you need to make something better in your center."
2. Don't jump to conclusions about who's right or wrong. You might assume your physicians and staff members know best, but be careful about jumping to conclusions. If you treat the customer like his or her complaint is invalid, you might produce even more trouble in the form of an angry, humiliated and now former patient. Take some time to listen to both sides, Ms. Jones says.
From physicians:
1. Find out what's really going on. Sometimes the topics physicians complain about are not the problems that are actually bothering them, Ms. Jones says. Ask questions and probe until you discover the root of the problem. Maybe a physician feels undervalued or financially burdened. You won't be able to fix the problem until you find out what really brought about the complaint.
2. Determine if the problem can be fixed. Sometimes physicians will come to you with problems that can be fixed, and sometimes there will be no immediate solution. Ms. Jones says it's important for administrators to differentiate between the two situations and explain the difference to physicians. "They may complain because they want a different type of instrument or a newer technology, and your resources just aren't going to allow that because of continuous cutbacks on reimbursement," she says. "It's tough to have the latest and greatest in everything." She says part of that resource allocation is just working with physicians to help them understand that every physician has to operate for the benefit of the whole.
Don't assume problems don't have solutions, though. Sometimes a physician will come to you with an issue that should be fixed, like slow room turnover. "You can really look at your system process to help move patients through preoperative and OR and back into recovery quickly enough," she says.
From staff members:
1. Bring staff into the decision-making process. Ms. Jones says an ASC administrator has to foster teamwork and team effort to bring about solutions. "It's really important for surgery center staff members to work as a team, and that means that the administrator is not the only one who makes decisions," she says. "The team needs to brainstorm to come up with a solution that will make the whole staff work better and happier." Your staff members will feel respected if you include them in your decisions, and you won't have to shoulder all the blame if a decision turns out to be unpopular in the long run.
2. Know when to cut your losses. Occasionally, you'll have a staff member who will be unhappy regardless of what you do, says Ms. Jones. Recognize that your energy is best spent with positive team members who will help you look for solutions.