Nearterm Blog

SILENT IMPRESSIONS

Every encounter we have with another person or a business results in an impression. An encounter may be conversation, email, voicemail, text, social media, appearance, hygiene and others. Some of the impressions we form based on these encounters are stronger than others and because people are all different, reactions vary. Some impressions are indelible and others can be replaced by subsequent impressions. Every impression formed by a person, either positive or negative, can be called a “moment of truth”.

However in any case, impressions are actionable in terms of future decision making, willingness to start/continue a relationship, buying services and drawing comparisons to other people and/or businesses. When impressions are favorable, the likelihood of a continued relationship increases and the opportunity to strengthen such a relationship is available.

The problem is that when they are negative, we rarely know about it – ergo “silent impressions”. Business potential and new friendships are blocked by the negative impressions that have been formed. Worse yet, these impressions are often shared with others who then form their own impressions based on hear-say.

The Impact of Healthcare RCM on Your Brand

As leaders in healthcare revenue cycle management, we have responsibility for millions of these “moments of truth” every day. Every patient encounter, phone call, visit, email and snail mail represents an opportunity for a patient, visitor or family member to form an impression.

Same goes for the physical appearance of the hospital facility and work areas.  However, the presentation of our bills to payors and patients is a big part of the revenue cycle work product and “silent impressions” formed about those items can result in disregard that leads to the electronic (or hard copy) trash can instead of your lockbox. Of course, you have reports and data designed to alert you to claims denials, trends and edits etc. – all good. However, if you are relying too much on external feedback to evaluate the efficacy of billing or other functions, just remember that those “silent impressions” are out there and you will not likely hear about them.

I have blogged before about the value of conducting a “moment of truth” audit in your hospital. I would be very interested to hear of the results if you have. If you have not and would like to talk about methodology and the benefits, please contact me online or give me a call at 888-646-1330.