The functioning of a medical facility and motivation of its staff

A patient visit at the doctor’s office is a culmination of the process in which they are served as the customer. However, taking the position of the first point of contact and guiding the patient through formalities is the job of the medical registration team. What’s important is that this initial contact often influences whether the patient decides to make the appointment at all and take advantage of the healthcare services provided by the given facility. For this reason, the proper motivation of the staff members who make and take the calls is very important.

The work of the team which provides professional customer service to patients at the registration desk is very specific. It requires not only skills but also a proper attitude. A person employed in this position must be characterized by patience, resilience to stress, and a pleasant appearance. In order to maintain this attitude, they need proper motivation. Without it, even the best-trained employee will become less effective in time.

How to motivate medical registration employees?

Employee motivation can have many sources. It can take the form of measurable benefits, as well as an emotional bond or a sense of a job well done. Whether the incentive is a bonus or a word of appreciation, it’s important that the person feels valued. Success and self-confidence are excellent motivators. It is worth keeping this in mind when managing a team of employees.

How to create a motivational system for your employees?

An effective system is one that will build and then maintain employee engagement. It should combine both a reward adequate to the work performed and psychological factors.

Without a doubt, earning money is the main motivation for most people to work. However, it is worth remembering that it is a part of life for which we spend a lot of time. The right atmosphere and the degree to which professional and social needs are met are important factors. Sometimes they can be as strong as financial arguments.

Motivational schemes for medical registration employees – types of systems

There is no single recipe for effectively building employee engagement to ensure professional patient service at the front desk. The methods should be adjusted to the size of the team and the technical capabilities of the facility. Below we present ways to increase motivation that can be used.

• Callback bonus

A system of callback bonuses is simple and easy to implement. We have known for a while that not only the number of answered calls but also the number of return calls is important. They both translate into visits and, consequently, profits.

So it’s a good idea to draw the focus of your staff to the need to respond to every contact attempt from patients – including those calling after hours (evenings, nights, or holidays). These calls usually end up on the IVR. Medidesk’s medical system allows you to catch these attempts and easily make a return call.

A method of increasing employee motivation can be based on the number of callbacks made. However, it is worth noting here that these should be responses to calls that actually could not be answered, and not those abandoned deliberately in order to gain a bonus.

A system based on achieving a common goal

In this system, the entire team is rewarded. Employees are rewarded if they collectively achieve a given business goal. This method puts individual team members on an equal footing. Therefore, the pressure to perform well and work diligently comes from „within”, i.e. from the co-workers themselves.

• A particular revenue target

Callbacks, as well as professional telephone and front desk service, contribute to high revenues. The goal of a team of employees may be to earn a given amount of revenue. It is worth noting here, however, that the people who recommend specific services have a significant influence here. Doctors have the greatest driving force in this case.

• The number of completed appointments

However, the medical registration team has a big impact on the number of appointments that have taken place. It’s no secret that patients sometimes cancel them, reschedule them, or simply don’t show up. Sometimes random events on the part of the clinic or doctor are also to blame. In many such situations, however, the registration office can react, offering, for example, an alternative date. The more visits you manage to „save”, the greater the chance for a bonus.

A system based on individual targets

A motivational system may also be based on individual targets. This way you can achieve exactly the same level of engagement from each team member.

• Number

A system based on individual targets can depend on the number of appointments made, the number of callbacks or the number of … This method works best when members of the team have a similar scope of duties. In other cases, this may lead to misunderstandings.

Gratification for achieved goals

An award for achieved results may take a financial form, but it doesn’t have to. There are many ways to demonstrate appreciation to employees and motivate them to perform better. These include:

• one time bonuses,
• periodical bonuses,
• team events,
• courses, workshops, and training to increase competencies of the team,
• gifts, e.g. in the form of coupons or gift cards,
• improvements of the workspace – change of design or new coffee brewing equipment.

Validating the effectiveness of professional patient care at the registration desk.

Planning and validating the effectiveness of work requires proper tools. In the case of medical registration teams, it is a good idea to implement a comprehensive system. The Medidesk Application includes, among others:

• detailed incoming and outgoing call statistics,
• statistics regarding work performance in particular positions,
• the possibility to record and review calls for analytical purposes (by authorized personnel),
• IVR features (the possibility to set different voice prompts at different times).

By obtaining such tools the manager of a medical facility may professionally manage the work of their institution and evaluate the quality of the implemented motivational system for the medical registration team.