Whether you’re a seasoned patient service representative or an organized
person who’d like to work in healthcare, knowing how to improve your
customer service skills can help ground you in a successful profession and
open the doorway into a career as a patient service representative or
patient support medical biller.
What is a patient service representative or patient support medical biller?
A patient service representative is often a patient’s first point of contact
in a healthcare organization. It’s a customer-facing role that requires
strong organization, communication, and administrative skills. Sometimes
known as a patient service representative, this position can overlap with
that of a medical biller, whose role it is to connect patients with
insurance companies and ensure individuals can receive the treatment they
need.
A medical biller or patient service representative’s role may include:
-
Liaising with insurance companies to investigate and submit patient
claims
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Preparing distributing invoices
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Managing patient data and billing information
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Investigating cases where compensation was denied
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Communicating with patients to ensure their needs are being met
The vital role of customer service skills
What might seem like a highly administrative role calls, most importantly,
for exceptional customer service skills. A patient support medical biller
may interact with people in vulnerable, often extremely challenging
positions on a daily basis. It stands to reason that attentive customer
service skills are key.
Customer service skills are a muscle that can be trained over time both on
the job and through the myriad tips, courses, and upskilling opportunities
available today. In fact, building attentive customer service skills is a
practical way of securing a strong career in the world of healthcare.
How to improve your customer service skills & succeed as a patient
service representative
Active listening
Most of us, most of the time, are listening to those around us on a level
that doesn’t truly serve them. We’re often distracted, searching for
subtext, or waiting for the moment when it’s our turn to speak again. In a
healthcare setting, where a patient may be experiencing enormous distress,
not actively listening can potentially cause great harm.
Active listening is the method by which we ensure we’re genuinely listening
to understand another person, and that we’re being fully present for
whatever it is that they’re communicating. The benefits of active listening
have been scientifically evidenced,
particularly in a healthcare setting.
Clear communication
Combining active listening with polite, informed, jargon-free language
results in satisfying and clear customer service. Avoiding overly technical
language is best; just because a patient service representative knows all
the lingo doesn’t mean the patient does. Clarity is a basic quality of good
customer service and benefits the patient, you, and your employer.
Preparedness
Providing stellar customer service initiatives in a healthcare setting means
having access to the customer solutions that your patients need. You can
support yourself in achieving this by knowing your niche inside and out;
what company protocols are, answers to common patient questions, and who to
refer patients to if you don’t have the expertise . Naturally, you’ll
encounter situations where you don’t have all the answers, but if you’re
working in a supportive environment, you’ll always have help finding them.
Compassion
As a patient service representative, having the capacity to put oneself in
the patient’s shoes can support your ability to provide quality care.
Compassion
speaks to our ability to be with another person’s suffering and respond to
it with presence, attentiveness, and care—vital skills in a patient service
representative.
Self-care
Self-care is perhaps one of the less acknowledged elements of providing
skillful customer service. Working in a caring role can easily result in
compassion fatigue
and burnout when self-care isn’t prioritized. As a patient service
representative, you have a duty of care not only to your patients but to
yourself. It’s impossible to properly care for another person when you’re
depleted. Consider what self-care looks like for you; it could be seeking
support for your mental health, or arranging to
work per diem
to achieve work-life balance.
Build your skills with IQVIA
Whatever your professional role or career goals are—be it a patient service
representative, medical biller,
or sales representative—knowing how to improve your customer service skills can
support your life in many ways.
Now that you have some actionable ideas, it’s time to put your new knowledge
into practice. IQVIA is currently hiring for a range of jobs across the
healthcare sector. Learn about how you can support IQVIA’s vision and
discover
medical biller jobs
today.
