I was sitting in the dermatologist’s office this morning and among the magazines in the waiting room were several stacks of one page fliers.  The one that caught my “legal” eye was labeled “Notice to our patients regarding pathologies”.  Hmmm.

A closer look revealed that it was a one page explanation about the billing practices associated with laboratory services.  Apparently these services are broken down into two components: a technical component that consists of preparing a tissue biopsy for analysis as well as a professional component that consists of actually reading, analyzing and interpreting the specimen plus issuing a report.

Different service providers provide each of the different components and different skill levels are required for both steps.  While this type of delegation makes business sense and can result in a cost and time savings for everyone, you can imagine how to patients like us seeing the same “lab test” on two different bills creates the impression of double billing and thereby sows the seeds of conflict.

By issuing a simple one page explanation up front this doctor’s office provides useful information that helps explain the value of its services and how such services enhance the quality of their diagnoses and treatment of patients.  It helps manage patient expectations in a mutually beneficial way and probably saves them a lot of time having to explain the same thing over and over again.

Are there common misunderstandings that crop up in your business? Is there something that you have to keep repeating to a customer, client, patient, or even an employee?  If there is, finding ways to inform and educate them can save you time and avoid conflicts that can spiral into lawsuits.  It can also improve your business relationship by underscoring the value of your goods and services.