HLTH 106 Everett Community College Health & Medical Discussion

You as MA are answering the telephone this morning at the clinic when a patient calls and begins to accuse the clinic of stealing her money. Hannah Brooks informs you that she made a payment that has not been subtracted from her amount due.You inform her that there have been no payments made to her account for 160 days. She begins raising her voice and states,”I am aware that you assume I haven’t made any payments because I received your collection letter last week that my account was past due 150 days!” Ms. Brooks begins to accuse you of not posting her payment and is relentless in her effort to convince you that she made a payment last month.

You have spoken with Ms.Brooks about her past-due aaccount and are aware that she recently lost her job and are aware that she lost her job and is a single parent. You are also covinced that her angry tone and accusations are the result of frustration from her financial difficulties. You try to explain to Ms.Brooks that you did not receive a payment because you would have credited it to her account immediately. Her account still reflects an outstanding balance of $160.

Respond to all the three following questions with detailed answers for full credit.

How might one proceed with this type of call (Think in terms of any documented notes on patient’s account that could be relevant to be shared with the patient to ease her frustration) ? How can professional communication be adapted to meet the needs of an angry caller (Research about therapeutic communication, active listening/passive listening skills)? Should the call be transferred to someone in a higher position? Provide links to the internet resources or books you have used to research your answer.