Every practice has them, the sad, the mad, and the just plain bitter. Patients that are unhappy with co-pays, deductibles and out of pocket expenses. Prescription prices are up and so are premiums. How does a front desk or outsourced management team cope? In a word, education.

Remember that customer service is still the easiest product to deliver in any profession. Staff and support team members who are willing to step up to the plate and deliver information in a sincere and confident manner can weather any patient fury. For those practices that lack an information source in a hurried front office consider info sheets explaining how new plan yearly deductibles and co-pays work.

Providing assistance with EOB review or other client friendly services pays off big. Avoiding client outbursts in crowed waiting rooms is a must and a can-do empathetic staff member or outsourced partner is a must in today's hectic over scheduled world. Remember to look for signs of customer service savvy when interviewing employees or outsource support players. They are worth their weight in gold and then some at the end of a long day at the office!