Transcript Allied Health Assisting

Allied Health Assisting
Unit 5 Chapter 10: Written Communication
Objectives
• List 7 types of correspondence used in the medical office and identify
when each is used
• Name instances when form letters and templates may be indicated
• Explain the purpose of information sheets
• List the pros and cons of using email
• List three precautions to take to avoid acquiring a virus through email
• Explain how HIPAA affects correspondence
• Recognize elements of fundamental writing skills, including spelling,
parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and
treatment of numbers
Objectives
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Name and describe the 12 components of a business letter
Identify three letter styles
Explain how to sort, open, and annotate incoming mail
List six classifications of mail
Explain the purpose of the following: certificate of mailing,
certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Communication: the exchange of thoughts, messages, or
information by speech, signals, writing, or behavior
• Written communication often called correspondence
• Notes, interoffice communications (IOC’s), email, information in the
patients chart, form letters, information sheets, business letters,
professional letters, personal letters
• In a physicians office written communication is used to:
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Inform the staff officially of a policy or decision
Inform patients of a policy or decision
Contact professional colleagues
Correspond with professional associations
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Respond to or request medical consultation
• Engage in business communications with medical suppliers, financial
consultants, attorneys, and insurance companies
• Send a message regarding a patient (by written message, HER, patient
portal, or email)
• Send personal messages
• Interoffice Communication
• Memo style communication
• Specific to one concern
• email
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Informal Notes
• Times of thanks, congratulations, or similar expressions
• Usually on first name basis
• Personal Letters
• Provider may ask for assistance with personal communication
• Provider just has to provide signature
• Professional Letters
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Professional associations
Licensing boards
Other physicians
Provider provides signature
May not be very detailed
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Form Letters and Templates
• Pre-written letters
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Return-to-work or school approvals
Annual diagnostic reminders
Delinquent account reminders
Noncompliant notifications
Office visit verifications
Information to referred patients
• Master kept on server or in file
• Only patient specific information changed
• Word processing software has multiple built in templates
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Information Sheets
• Specific written instructions
• Reinforce what you have explained
• Patient education material
• Email
• Allows for almost instant exchange of information
• Various types of documents
• Security measures
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Email cont…
• Pros
• Email is a powerful tool, enabling us to communicate at times without picking
up the phone, or worse, getting on a plane. It provides round-the-clock
convenience and service, reducing costs and increasing productivity
• Any more??
• Cons
• Email communications are far more likely to be misinterpreted than if you were
to have those same communications face to face
• Any more??
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Email cont…
• Established email etiquette
• Emoticons should not be used in the professional setting 
• Abbreviations such as FYI, FAQ, and BTW should be used sparingly if not at all in
the professional setting
• Avoid text-message style writing! OMG!!
• Don’t overuse cc
• ALWAYS review your emails before hitting the sned buton!!
• Ownership and Intellectual Property
• Whose email is it?
• Property of the company who PAYS for the email system
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Email cont…
• Privacy
• Emails can be sent or forwarded without permission
• Legal Considerations
• Emails can be recovered (even deleted ones, just ask the IRS) and used for
evidence in court
• Freedom of Speech
• Carefully consider what you say in an email
• You might have the right to say what is on your mind, but there can be
repercussions from your actions
Correspondence in the Medical Office
• Email and Computer Viruses
• Computer viruses a very real threat
• Before opening an email, look at the subject and who sent it
• Never open an executable or script file unless you are expecting to receive
such a file (.exe or .vbs)
• Use antivirus software to scan emails before opening them
• Usually through email server or mail application
• Not 100% effective
Communication and HIPAA Regulations
• Communications that include personal information about patients
require special handling
• Personal Health Information (PHI)
• Signed releases of information
• Patient personal use
• Life insurance questionnaire
• Disability insurance questionnaire
Communication and HIPAA Regulations
• Signed release NOT required
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Requesting consultation from a specialist
Providing results to the referring physician
Providing information to a hospital or nursing care facility
Information to insurance company for payment
• Patient provided with privacy policy
• Protect electronic patient information (EHR)
• Need to know basis
Writing Guidelines
• Spelling
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Must be correct
Use spell check
Context
Spelling Help
• If you cannot seem to spell certain words correctly try making an alphabetical
list to use as a quick reference
• Make a mental picture of the word correctly spelled
• Pronounce the word CORRECTLY several times
• Write the word several times breaking it up into syllables
• Learn to use general medical dictionaries when in doubt
Writing Guidelines
• Parts of Speech
• Must be aware of the 8 parts of speech and how they are used
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Noun
Pronoun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection
Writing Guidelines
• Sentence Structure
• Simple sentence
• Only one complete thought
• Ex. “Physicians examine patients.”
• Compound sentence
• Two or more independent clauses
• Ex. “The physician dictates letters, and the medical assistant transcribes them.”
• Notice the comma
• Complex sentences
• One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
• Ex. “The doctor, who is off on Thursdays, sees allergy patients in the morning.”
Writing Guidelines
• Sentence Structure Cont…
• Compound-complex
• Two or more independent clauses plus one or more dependent clauses
• Ex. “Medical assistants should seek continuing education because of the evolution of
new technology and new procedures in the medical field.”
• Avoid run-on sentences
• Tailor sentence structure to your audience and subject matter
• Punctuations
• JUST DO IT!!
• Makes reading easier
Writing Guidelines
• Capitalization
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Names of persons
Names of places
First word in sentence
Names of holidays
Principle words in titles
Products or titles that may be trademarked
Certain medical procedures (Names of the doctor who invented them)
Brand name medications only
Writing Guidelines
• Numbers
• Use must be consistent
• Write out if less than 10
• Proofreading
• Always proofread
• Seek assistance
• Watch for problem areas
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Words ending in “s”
Combinations of punctuation
Capital letters
Numbers
Apostrophes, hyphens, and dashes
Two-letter words
Double letters in words
Preparing Business Letters
• Several distinct components
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The letterhead
Date/time
Inside address
Salutation
Reference
Body
Complimentary closing
Sender’s signature
Reference initials
Enclosures
Copies
Preparing Business Letters
• Letter Styles
• Full block
• Modified block
• Modified block with indents
• Stationery
• Makes a statement about your office
• 16, 20, or 24 pound paper
• Larger the number the heavier the paper
Preparing Business Letters
• Composing the Letter
• Determine what information must be included
• Determine the style of the letter and set margins
• Select the typeface and font size
• 10 or 12 point
• Compose a rough draft
• Use I and we as infrequently as possible
• Use variation in word choice
• Use a thesaurus is vocabulary is lacking
• Proofread rough draft
• Compose final copy
• Sign or give to the sender to sign
Preparing Business Letters
• Composing the Letter Cont…
• Considerations for formatting
• The date typed indicates when the information was dictated
• The month is spelled out in full
• Inside address should be copied exactly from the correspondence being
answered
• Courtesy titled used (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.)
• If gender is unknown use Mr.
• Do not use Dr. before physicians name if MD follows name
• If a street address and box number are given, use the box number
Preparing Business Letters
• Composing the Letter Cont…
• Considerations for formatting
• The words North, South, East, and West preceding street names and Road,
Street, Avenue, and Boulevard are not abbreviated
• The words Apartment and Suite are typed on the same line as the address and
are separated by a comma
• The name of the city is spelled out and is separated from the state by a comma
• The state name can be spelled out or abbreviated
• Know your state abbreviations
• A proper salutation is “Dear” followed by the title and last name
• When writing to a business use “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam”
Preparing Business Letters
• Composing the Letter Cont…
• Considerations for formatting
To use a reference line type “RE:” and then the persons name and DOB
Always double space between paragraphs
If a second page is necessary stop first page at the end of a paragraph
Bottom margin must be at least one inch
Last word on a page cannot be divided
Capitalize only the first word of a complimentary closing; follow it with a
comma
• Formality of the letter dictates complimentary closing
• Senders name is typed four spaces below the closing
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Preparing Business Letters
• Composing the Letter Cont…
• Considerations for formatting
• The typist’s initials in lower case are placed two spaced below the senders
name
• When items are enclosed with the letter, enter Enclosure or Encl one or two
lines below the reference initials
• If copies of the letter are sent to others ender CC and other receivers name one
or two spaces below the last notation
• A PS is entered two spaced below the last notation
Preparing Business Letters
• Consultation Letters
• Requests consultation from a specialist
• The reason for the appointment
• The date and time of the appointment
• Statement saying that if the patient has any questions to please feel free to call
your office. Be sure to include phone number
• If prior insurance authorization is required it should be stated
• The observation that the office visit will require a follow-up letter from the
specialist to the referring provider, identifying the findings, diagnosis, and
recommended course of treatment
Handling Incoming Mail
• Follow Office Policy
• Sorting Mail
• Mail marked personal should be placed on the provider or office managers
desk
• Special delivery mail or special messenger mail should be opened
immediately
• Sort rest of mail into categories
• Magazines, professional journals, and newspapers, should be separated from
drug samples and advertisements
Handling Incoming Mail
• Opening Mail
Use a letter opener
Stack all envelopes the same way
Be sure to remove all contents from the envelope
Before you discard envelope, make sure contents has address and other
identifying information
• Date-stamp correspondence
• Be aware of suspicious letters or packages
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Handling Incoming Mail
• Opening Mail Cont…
• USPS suggests these things make a letter suspicious
• It is unexpected from someone you do not know
• It is addressed to someone no longer at your address
• It is handwritten and has no return address or bears one that you cannot
confirm as legitimate
• It is lopsided or lumpy in appearance
• It is sealed with an excessive amount of tape
• It is marked with restrictive endorsements
• It has excessive postage
• It is wrapped with string
• Sound is coming from package
Handling Incoming Mail
• Opening Mail Cont…
• What do I do with suspicious material?
• Don’t shake, bump, or sniff it
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water
• Notify local law enforcement
Handling Incoming Mail
• Processing Incoming Mail
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Follow Office Policy and Procedure
Endorse checks immediately
Have witness count cash immediately and have them sign receipt
Annotate incoming mail
• Identify important points to be noticed my provider
• Update provider daily on notices of meetings
• Drug samples need to be logged on an inventory sheet
Handling Incoming Mail
• Mail Received During Vacations
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You might be asked to read ALL mail
Provider may want you to call with important items
HIPAA, HIPAA, HIPAA, HIPAA
Have mail held if office will be closed for a significant period of time
• Must go to post office for this
Preparing Mailings
• USPS uses most advanced technologies for reading and sorting mail
• Sorts nearly half the worlds mail volume
• Sorts mail at around 39,000 pieces per hour
• Machines read 93 percent of all hand addressed mail
• You must address the envelopes properly to ensure accurate and efficient delivery
• Addressing the Envelope
• Address read by computer
• Use a standard type font
• For domestic mail city, state, and ZIP or ZIP + 4 must appear in that order
• ZIP may be placed on line directly below the address aligned with the LEFT edge of
the address block
Preparing Mailings
• Addressing the Envelope Cont…
• Mail to foreign countries should include the country name printed in
CAPITAL letters with no abbreviations, as the only information on the
bottom line
• Ex: Mrs. Helen Saunders
1010 Clear Street
Ottawa ON K1AOB1
CANADA
Preparing Mailings
• Preparing the Envelope
• After mail has been signed place in proper size envelope
• No smaller than 3.5 in X 5 in will be accepted
• Larger than 6.125 in X 11.5 in will be accepted, but, must be processed by hand
and require additional postage
• Stamp or Meter Mail
• Post office can furnish your with rates
• In office meters
• Mail Classifications
• Many informative booklets available from USPS and website
Preparing Mailings
• Mail Classifications Cont…
• Express Mail
• Fastest service, guarantees overnight delivery
• Priority Mail
• Preferential handling and expedited delivery up to 70lbs
• First-class Mail
• Letters, postcards, greeting cards etc. Usually overnight locally and two day rest of
country
• Periodicals
• Newspapers, and magazines
• Standard mail A
• Retailers, catalogers, advertisers, less than 1 lb.
• Standard mail B
• Parcels up to 70lbs
Preparing Mailings
• Special Mailing Services
• Certificate of Mailing
• Shows piece was mailed
• Purchased at time of mailing
• No proof of delivery
• Certified Mail
• Proof of mailing and delivery
• Recipient must sign for mail
• Collect on Delivery (COD)
• Payment collected upon delivery
• Recipient must have to order mail
Preparing Mailings
• Special Mailing Services Cont…
• Insurance
• For up to $5000
• Registered Mail
• Most secure
• Tight security
• Up to $25,000 of protection
• Restricted Mail
• Only delivered to specified person
• Return Receipt
• Sender’s proof of delivery