Allied Health Assisting

1. Allied Health Assisting Unit 5 Chapter 10: Written Communication

2. 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

3. Objectives • 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

4. 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: • Inform the staff officially of a policy or decision • Inform patients of a policy or decision • Contact professional colleagues • Correspond with professional associations

5. 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

6. 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 • Professional associations • Licensing boards • Other physicians • Provider provides signature • May not be very detailed

7. Correspondence in the Medical Office • Form Letters and Templates • Pre-written letters • 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

8. 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

9. 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??

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Communication and HIPAA Regulations • Signed release NOT required • 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

15. Writing Guidelines • Spelling • 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

16. Writing Guidelines • Parts of Speech • Must be aware of the 8 parts of speech and how they are used • Noun • Pronoun • Verb • Adjective • Adverb • Preposition • Conjunction • Interjection

17. 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.”

18. 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

19. Writing Guidelines • Capitalization • 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

20. Writing Guidelines • Numbers • Use must be consistent • Write out if less than 10 • Proofreading • Always proofread • Seek assistance • Watch for problem areas • Words ending in “s” • Combinations of punctuation • Capital letters • Numbers • Apostrophes, hyphens, and dashes • Two-letter words • Double letters in words

21. Preparing Business Letters • Several distinct components • The letterhead • Date/time • Inside address • Salutation • Reference • Body • Complimentary closing • Sender’s signature • Reference initials • Enclosures • Copies

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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”

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. Handling Incoming Mail • Processing Incoming Mail • 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

34. Handling Incoming Mail • Mail Received During Vacations • 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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