n't want to undergo screenings, they took a more aggressive
approach.
"We developed a brief training program to teach schedulers how to
better communicate with reluctant patients," says Dr. Al-Haddad.
"The program helps them reassure patients, talk them through anxi-
eties and share the facilities' safety data."
If a scheduler is having trouble convincing a patient, they can
request back-up. "The advice of a nurse is sometimes more impactful
in changing a patient's mind," says Dr. Al-Haddad.
• Focus your efforts. You want as many patients as possible to keep
their regularly scheduled (or rescheduled) screenings, but it's important
to recognize procedures are more important for some patents. "The key
is to identify patients who are at a higher risk of colorectal cancer," says
Rajesh N. Keswani, MD, medical director of quality at Northwestern
Medicine Digestive Health Center in Chicago. "Instead of calling every
patient on the cancelation list to see who shows up, try to identify high-
risk individuals, because they're more likely to come."
Dr. Keswani, who recently co-authored a detailed report on reacti-
vating outpatient GI practices (osmag.net/ppQAR5), says your
physicians need to play a more active role in
engaging patients. "Whenever possible, they should reach out to
patients to remind them about the importance of screenings, espe-
cially if they have a family history of colon cancer," he says. "That
dialogue between physician and patient is much more likely to result
in the patient agreeing to get screened."
• Virtual appointments. As a result of the pandemic, Dr. Kim's
facility is offering telehealth for the first time (physicians still sched-
ule in-person consults for new patients). "I think it's worked out
really well so far," he says. "Our patients love it because it saves
them time, they don't have to drive and the appointments are reim-
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