Closing Early August 5th, and Office update

Closing Early on Friday, August 5th, 2022 and Update on the Practice

Dear Patients,

*This announcement is to inform you that our office will be closing early today, Friday August 5th at 1:45pm due to an office meeting reviewing a recent assault that occurred at the practice.* We now have a new platform of communications through Phreesia, and are utilizing this service for an easier and more efficient check-in process - eliminating paper forms where we can, and allowing patients to easily pay copays and balances, while maintaining a touchless environment. The adoption is going very well, and we thank you for your use of, and patience while we implement this new process!

The reason for closing early today is that we are having an office meeting to review the recent assault directed at two of our staff members in the practice. We have taken this very seriously and we have had many inquiries about this. We want to let you all know that none of our staff were physically injured, but the repercussions of this incident were terrible for these staff members and the entire practice. When one of us is harmed in any way, we all suffer the consequences. The message that we set on our main phones lines was far reaching to every social media platform, and hopefully, these notifications may have made a difference to anyone and everyone to understand how better to work with *ANY PERSON* who works in a customer service environment moving forward during this pandemic.

I would like to remind you that none of us asked for the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it upended all of our lives, most especially in the workplace. This includes our staff and providers as well. And now that we have been forced to return to a more "*new normal*" existence, we remain front line workers who come to work each day in the face of danger in order to serve our patients in the very best way that we can. All we ask from you is that you treat our staff kindly, and professionally at all times. There is no cause for contentious conversations with any of our staff members, for any reason. Due to the constant surge of Covid cases in our area and the higher volume of calls we receive, we may not be able to always respond in a timely fashion, or satisfy every patient's requests due to many of the policies and procedures in place - but there is *NEVER* a reason to yell at, use profanity towards, or mistreat our staff or providers, at any time.

*All calls are recorded for quality purposes*. Our staff are now being trained to recognize abusive and belligerent behavior and when to pass off calls and inquiries to a manager. If you use profanity of any kind, they are directed to hang up the phone immediately. Once any incident occurs, your case will be reviewed, and a decision will be made regarding you, and your family's status in the practice. Being a member of the practice is voluntary on both sides, and once the trust is broken, sometimes it's hard to come back from that. Our providers are very concerned about the way our staff is treated, so please be mindful the next time you call or come to the office - and remember, *a little kindness goes a long way*. One bad phone call or in-person experience can ruin everyone's day. Try to remember that we wish to be your partner in health, and we hope that together, we can make that happen in a kinder, gentler way.

Thank you for taking the time to read this announcement, and we look forward to seeing you, or hearing from you again soon.