Proprietary Tips

AccentHealth has teamed up with one of the nation's leading behavioral experts, Dr. Michael Peterson to create a series of tips specifically for practice managers to help them become ambassadors for good health.

You play a key role in creating a positive experience for patients in the office by Communicating Care every day. The following tips will help you hone your skills as an ambassador of good health by becoming an Information Highway and Reinforcing Success.

When patients feel taken care of, have accurate and helpful information, and are provided reinforcement in the doctor's office, you are supporting their health behavior change programs. This means a greater likelihood that they will adhere to that program or comply with specific physician instructions.

When patients follow their health improvement plans and their doctor's advice, they are more likely to become and remain healthy.

#1: Proactivity Without Pressure

Fact: Many people won't ask questions because they don't know what to ask, don't want to appear uninformed, and don't want to feel pressured.

Act: Be proactive in pointing patients to the information in the waiting room. By taking the initiative, practice managers demonstrate that they're looking out for patients. This increases their confidence, which is directly linked to successful behavioral change.

#2: Quality Querying

Fact: The way you ask a question can be a powerful source for motivation.

Act: The true meaning of the word dialogue is "communication that seeks to understand what a patient is saying without passing judgment." To dialogue effectively, ask questions that help you understand the patient's situation, concerns, and ideas.

Learn the art of asking good questions. Practice Managers who query effectively help promote positive communication and information exchange. Examples of good queries:

"Is this what you mean...?"
"Would you tell me more about...?"
"Can you give me more information about...?"
"When you say_____ do you mean_____?"

Tip #3: Become a life-long learner

Fact: When the office supports a culture of learning, everyone is motivated.

Act: Constantly find ways to share information in the office, whether it's practice manager to practice manager or directly with patients. Behavior change is a direct result of information sharing and vice versa.

Tip #4: Put yourself in the patient's shoes

Fact: If you think of yourself as a patient, you will better understand how the office environment will help them change their behavior.

Act: Periodically ask yourself: am I providing access to the information they need. Self-monitor and evaluate.

Tip #5: Become a Community Conduit

Fact: Doctor's offices often receive information from health agencies like the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, or other agencies about upcoming walks, events, races, etc., that patients often don't hear about.

Act: Promote community health events to your patients as a way of getting them involved or as a start on their road to health. A 5-K walk, for instance, can act as a catalyst or a motivator for healthy behavior changes.

#6: Believing is Achieving

Fact: Patients won't do something unless they believe in their heart that it will work.

Act: The more a patient believes that the doctor's recommended action will lead to the desired health goal, the greater the likelihood that they'll follow the orders. Share with your patients success stories about what things have worked for other patients (anonymous, of course), since these testimonials will reinforce their drive to achieve the desired behavior.

Tip #7: Incentivize to Realize

Fact: Most patients don't know how to reward themselves, which is why patients need help establishing incentives.

Act: Provide a list of incentives that patients can reward themselves with when they adhere to their health improvement program and reach their goals. Incentives can vary in size and kind, and could include the purchase of a new lipstick, tickets to sports or cultural activities, dinner at a favorite restaurant, or a massage.

Tip #8: Follow-Up for Follow-Through

Fact: Everyone needs a timely reminder to stay motivated, especially in today's society when patients have so many demands on their time and energy, which can distract us from our health goals.

Act: Use the patient tip cards provided by AccentHealth to encourage behavioral change. Reminders promote adherence and follow-through on a patient's health goals.

Tip #9: One Pigeon at a Time

Fact: Positive reinforcement has been used extensively on animals — particularly pigeons. Researchers have found it much more effective to reinforce behavior one pigeon at a time rather than one flock at a time.

Act: When reinforcing success focus your efforts on one patient at a time. Make it personal — directly to the patient.

Tip #10: Make it Tangible

Fact: Tangible rewards are both a powerful recognition of achievements and a motivating reminder for patients who meet their health goals

Act: Provide coupons, gift certificates, or other tangible items as a concrete reinforcement of patient success. Encourage patients to engage in health behavior challenges, many of which are available on-line (e.g., the President's Challenge at www.presidentschallenge.org), as a way of logging their behavior changes, then provide them with tangible rewards for participating and meeting their challenge goals.