With patient experience bonus dollars in the offing, more practices are focusing on how to create a culture of service. SullivanLuallin Group broke the code. The road to success is C.L.E.A.R. (Connect, Listen, Explain, Ask Re-Connect)!

While many folks are familiar with the "AIDET" acronym, (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank you) one clinic Administrator, Don Robertson, Chief Executive Officer at Southlake Clinic, Renton, WA, has a strong opinion about which phrase is more appropriate in the ambulatory setting. As he wrote in a recent blog:

"Picture a scene where an employee strictly follows the AIDET script in a clinic where most patients are established and quite familiar with the clinic and staff.  Suppose you are a patient seeing your doctor for the third time this month, and the assistant once again says, "Hi, my name is MaryBeth. I am Dr. Smith's nurse and I'll be taking your blood pressure today." And when you return in two weeks, here comes the same script again! What if you've been a patient for decades, and the doctor has always had the same nurse? Enough with the introductions already!

Or picture someone who comes in every week for a protime. Does he/she really want to hear the employee's name, an explanation of how long the process will take, and what will happen with the results, every single time? 52 times a year?

You can think of many similar scenarios, but I think that the C.L.E.A.R. protocol is better suited to the clinic setting.  Besides, nothing says you can't add "Introduce" to the C.L.E.A.R. script when you are serving new patients, or if you are a new employee.

The "rules" of AIDET say you should follow the script and process every time.  That frequently doesn't make sense in medical groups.  However, the C.L.E.A.R. script and process can, and should, be followed every time."

Thanks, Don, we couldn't have said it better ourselves! If you'd like to learn how to implement these service protocols in your practice, contact us here!