Front office staff as medical educators, risk creators, and risk managers

Article type: Letter

Authors: Kapp, Marshall B.

Affiliations: Florida State University Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine and Law, Florida State University College of Medicine and College of Law, 1115W, Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300, USA. Tel.: +1 850 645 9260; E-mail: marshall.kapp@med.fsu.edu

Abstract: The author describes his own negative series of encounters with the front office staff of a large specialty medical practice during a recent lengthy episode of significant medical distress. The author suggests several reasons, including legal risk management, that medical students should be exposed as part of their education to the interactions of patients with front office staffs (not just physicians) to get a fuller picture of patients’ actual experiences with the health care system.

Keywords: Office staff, medical education, patient relationships

DOI: 10.3233/JRS-160673

Journal: International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 61-64, 2016