Business Memo: Implementing Effective Communication Practices

This business memo, written by a student, addresses the critical need for effective communication within a hospital setting. The memo, directed to assistant administrative and supportive staff, outlines best practices for handling patient inquiries and delivering information accurately. It emphasizes the importance of both direct and indirect communication methods, including face-to-face interactions, phone calls, emails, and website queries. The memo provides specific guidelines, such as maintaining professionalism, using telephone etiquette, ensuring patient identity verification, and avoiding grammatical errors in electronic communications. The student highlights the significance of these practices in improving patient-physician relationships and maintaining patient confidentiality. The memo also includes references to support the recommended practices.

Business Memo
SystemJP
2/10/2020

Memorandum
__________________________________________________
To: Assistant administrative and supportive staff
From: XYZ------------
Date: February 10, 20XX
Subject: Suggesting the implementation of the best practices for the effective communication
Dear staff,
As I noticed that, some recent front office appointment and administrative department facing
difficulties in delivering the proper information regarding the queries of the patient health and
many other issues here are some suggestions in this memo essential and suitable to be
adopted by the assistant supportive administration staff while communicating to a person or
patient. Hospital administrative staff includes front office department, appointment
management department and record-keeping departments majorly, employees working in this
department face direct interaction with the patient and their family members. They are the
face represent the overall scenario of a hospital; hence, they are compulsory to solve issues
raised by the patients regarding the health issues or many other issues. Important task of the
employees is to manage the timing and schedules of the doctors' availability for the patient
and manage their appointment with the doctors, they use direct and indirect both means of
communication.
Direct or face-to-face communication is easy and more flexible for the staff because they
know whom they are interacting, and what tone they have to use during the communication to
solve the queries or to deliver the information. Indirect communication can take place on
phone calls, text messages, and queries on websites and in email. This direct means of

communication is very challenging to maintain by the employees as many queries are raised
from the patient regarding the health issues and treatment, which is out of the expertise and
knowledge of a non-physician assisted staff, but replying to a phone call or email, is essential.
Hence, this memo includes practices to deliver information or reply accurately to an email or
phone call regarding health issues.
Effective communication in healthcare information is the most important aspect because it
improves patient and physician relationship, front office or appointment management office
can use these practice while writing an email or replying on phone;
 Creating a positive impression
 Remember common courtesies
 Keep the conversation professional and sensible
 Use telephone etiquettes effectively to handle aggressive and angry patients
 Automatic call transfer facility for the callers
 Menu selection for the automatic call transfer need to be understanding
 Conduct telephonic conversation in a calm atmosphere and out of the disturbance
 Receiving or delivering information regarding health issues is a confidential aspect
and patient records are private hence supposed to maintain with great privacy and
care
 Confirmation of the patient’s identity is essential for the staff before delivering any
private information on the call
 Confirmation for the return call or any other query need to be communicated very
clearly on the call
Electronic communications including e-mails or text message are essential to include the
following practices;
 Avoid grammar errors and use professional and formal language

 Avoid long sentences or big terms
 Avoid personal attachment
 Use accurate subject line
 Respond in time
These are the best practices important to train and implement in an employee, working at the
office administrative and appointment managing staff, because they deliver the information
most useful for a patient hence it is their ethical responsibility to deliver it. If you have any
doubt or query, regarding practices and etiquettes, please feel welcome to write to me in my
mail.
Sincerely
XYZ
External Consultant

References
Bonaccio, S., O’Reilly, J., O’Sullivan, S.L. and Chiocchio, F.,. “Nonverbal behavior and
communication in the workplace: A review and an agenda for research.” Journal of
Management 42.5 (2016): 1044-1074.
Cifuentes, M, et al. “Electronic health record challenges, workarounds, and solutions
observed in practices integrating behavioral health and primary care.” The Journal of
the American Board of Family Medicine (2015): S63-S72.
Jones, Rodney H. “39 Discourse and Health Communication.” Discourse Analysis (2015):
841.
Tuleja, Elizabeth. Intercultural Communication for Global Business: How leaders
communicate for success. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016.