Confirmation calls are the most important job at the Headache Center to ensure efficiency and provide good customer service. The document outlines the step-by-step process for making confirmation calls, including reviewing upcoming appointments, calling patients' cell phones first to leave a reminder message and then calling home phones if needed, noting the call in the patient's record, and repeating the process daily to confirm appointments. The goal is to minimize no-shows and ensure patients and providers make efficient use of scheduled time.

1. HEADACHE CENTER
CONFIRMATION CALLS
PROCEDURE
March 2015

2. Most Important Job
• Confirmation calls are the most important job of the
Headache Center. You say why? If patients don’t show or
arrive past their appointment time slots, then we have to
reschedule, reconfirm, send more letters. This is total
inefficiency of all parties. The providers are standing
around doing nothing; the administrative staff are standing
around doing nothing; and we lost a valuable slot for
someone who really could have used it. Lose Lose!

3. You say double work and
redundant
• I say not so – Yes, UPMC sends an automated
phone call three days before appointment. Some
confirm and some do not and some think they did
and they didn’t. We call two days before with a
more personal touch reminder. This covers
customer service with a smile in your voice as
well as efficiency in scheduling. Win Win

4. Step 1
• Every morning go to EPIC Schedule and pull up schedule for two days from current day.
Place report in Provider/Type order by clicking the top of the Provider/Type Columns
and in that order. You are calling New Patients ONLY.
• Pull up each New Patient individually and double click on their appointment. You now
see a history of the activities that have occurred in scheduling this appointment (in
chronological order). If patient was scheduled within the last 3 days, then you simply
type in the edit notes section as such: (i.e., Appt made March 3, 2015, no reminder
required and the initials of the employee who scheduled.
• Always place your new information after the already existing information. Do not delete
any existing information. Everything is a record of sorts and should be left in the chart.
However, new information should be after and not before existing information.

5. Step 2
Pre-call activities --
Put your smiley face on!!!
• First review your Scheduling Report once again for two days from current day.
• You are reviewing for existing confirmations. Why? Because you want to thank
the patient for confirming their appointment, however, you are now giving them a
little reminder of the free parking under the builidng (5 levels with a 6 foot 1 inch
clearance,,so no trucks or oversized SUVs. (i.e., Lincoln Navigators, Escalades,
Xterra’s, Tahoes’ to name a few).
• In addition, you are reviewing or taking note of anyone under the age of 18 so that
you ask for parent’s or guardians so not to talk directly to minor.
• You are reviewing for appointments made in the last three days. These patient’s do
not need to be insulted by or bothered by an unnecessary confirmation call.

6. OK – We R Ready~~
Cell Phone/Technology First
• You begin by calling the cell phone first and leaving your reminder mess (i.e.,
Hi, this is, state your name, at the Headache Center. This message is for
patient’s name. You state that this is a reminder call for your time, date, and
with which provider – If you cannot make this appointment, please let us
know at 412/647-9494, We also would like to take this time to let you know
that we have free parking under the building. There are 5 levels with a 6 foot
1 inch clearance….. Thank you and have a great day and we look forward to
seeing you on (state day once again).
• .
• You ask why cell phone? We say because we are moving with the times
as well as what number would be more HIPPA suited? That is right, most
people have their cell phones on their bodies or close to them. TECHNO
TECHNO TECHNO

7. Old School – Call Home
• Of course if you reached the patient on their cell phone
and patient confirmed or cancels or reschedules, you are
done except for notating patient’s edit notes.
• However, if you had to leave a message, then you now
need to also contact home phone. You ask why, because
we are that driven about making sure our patient’s arrive
for their scheduled appointment as well as hopefully being
on time. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency!!!
• Call one ringy dingy to the home phone with same
message as cell phone……

8. Notations in patient’s Edit Notes
• You will notate Edit Notes of each patient to state what
you have done for each patient. (i.e., Left reminder mess
on cell/home/work/email, date, and your initials, after
notes that have already been entered by another) If you
were unable to reach patient on cell or home, you may
have to call the work phone. You may even have to email
(please follow UPMC Electronic Mail and Messaging
Policy HS ISO147). If all else fails, you are off to the
Emergency Contact people indicated in Registration
Screen. We strive for success!!!

9. Last But Not Least
• The end or is it???
• Not quite, remember, tomorrow is another day full of
customer service reminder calls for the next two days.
• Remember, you are doing the most important job of the
Headache Center so smile because you are very
important.


10. Last But Not Least
• The end or is it???
• Not quite, remember, tomorrow is another day full of
customer service reminder calls for the next two days.
• Remember, you are doing the most important job of the
Headache Center so smile because you are very
important.
