Will Someone Please Take Care of My Patients?

Why This Topic Matters

Patient experience now influences how patients perceive the care they receive and whether they return for future services. The article helps practices understand which service measures may reveal problems in billing support, call handling, and patient communication.

Article Sections

1. Inbound Call Volume

   Introduces a baseline measure for patient call activity and discusses how call routing can affect what is being measured.

2. Abandonment Rate

   Covers the issue of callers hanging up before reaching assistance and why that can reflect problems in the patient service process.

3. Average Hold Time

   Discusses wait time before a caller reaches a live representative and its relevance to access and patient frustration.

4. First Contact Resolution

   Reviews the importance of resolving patient concerns during the first interaction and the operational capabilities that support that goal.

5. Average Handle Time

   Examines how long it takes an agent to address a patient issue and why the metric should be interpreted in context.

6. Patient Education

   Addresses patient understanding of bills and insurance-related communication, along with the need for explanation and support.

7. Employee Turnover Rate

   Looks at staff turnover in call center settings and why it can signal broader service or workforce concerns.

8. Compassion and Empathy

   Discusses the challenge of measuring interpersonal service qualities and ways organizations may evaluate them.

9. Key elements to a successful patient service center

   Summarizes broader themes of service quality, monitoring, training, empowerment, and patient-centered communication.