Houston Methodist Physician Referral Instructions

SHOP GUIDELINES UPDATED: July 6, 2020

OVERVIEW

Shop Objective

The purpose of this shop is to evaluate the phone skills of the call center agents at the Houston Methodist Hospital.

Phone Times

This shop must be completed on the assigned date and the report is due by midnight, no exceptions.

The shop start time is the time you start the call, in central time, and the shop end time is the time you end the call, in central time.

Questions?

Please contact the scheduler listed on your assignment if you require assistance.

KEY ASPECTS OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

Scenario

You will be local to Houston, Texas calling for a physician referral. You must use the specific call scenario and location that is noted in the Special Visit Details Section. Also, please note if there are agents listed that you cannot shop. If you are offered a referral at a different location than the one you called about, then you should accept that referral information.

Please do not relay the entire scenario unless you are asked for specifics. Do not repeat the scenario word for word (unless you have been explicitly instructed to do so) and do not relay the entire scenario all at once. This will make you sound like a shopper and we will not be able to use the call. Before you place the call, think about how you would open the call if you were actually calling for yourself.

Call Preparation Checklist

1.Know your personal information. You must say that you live in the Houston area. Have ready a name, local address, local telephone number, email address and a realistic date of birth. If you are calling about age-specific specialties – MAKE SURE YOU USE A BIRTH DATE THAT MAKES SENSE! You cannot EVER use the same information twice. If you do not have a local address, please look up an address (www.realtor.com is a good place to look). Be prepared with any other pertinent information you might need.

2.Know what your symptoms are. If you are not sure, then take the time to go online and familiarize yourself with this information. These agents are trained to know symptoms and refer you to the correct doctor. They will be able to tell if you do not sound like you know what you are talking about.

3.Know which hospital. Do not just say the “Methodist Hospital” because there are many locations associated with the hospital system. Use the hospital location that listed in the Special Visit Details Section of this shop.

4.Know how you heard about them. I was transferred to you. The hospital. I've been there before. All my doctors are there, my primary doctor, friend, information, Google, Internet, etc.

5.Know your insurance. For insurance Coverage, if this is not provided, go to: http://www.houstonmethodist.org/for-patients/patient-resources/insurance/ for a listing of coverage. Be prepared with the name of your health insurance company AND the Plan (i.e. PPO, HMO, HAS, etc.). If the agents cannot find you a doctor in your area that uses the insurance, you gave, then just say okay and take referrals that do not take your insurance. DO NOT CHANGE COVERAGE MIDCALL – if you do the agents will know it is a shop. Or if the agent asks if you are willing to go to another location, agree and take the referrals from that location.

6.Please use real life, personal experience whenever possible to make these calls sound as realistic as possible

General Shopper Notes

Please make sure to read the scenario, guidelines, and questions carefully before completing the shop. Please contact ad4z93@r.postjobfree.com with any questions.

If it is necessary for the Editor to correct your scoring, reformat fields with required formatting, or add sufficient and grammatically correct comments to make your shop valid you will be charged for a re-write/re-score and you may incur a commensurate penalty. This penalty will vary by the type of survey being re-scored and/or rewritten and the amount of the survey that is deemed unusable.

CALL INFORMATION

Transferred Calls

If you are transferred, once you get the new person on the line make an excuse and end the call. You should not make an appointment directly with the doctor’s office. If you do, we will not be able to use the call.

DO NOT HANG UP DURING THE TRANSFER. YOU MUST STAY ON THE LINE AND CONFIRM THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT DEPARTMENT. Then make an excuse and end the call. You should not make an appointment directly with the doctor's office. If you do not follow these instructions, we will not be able to use the call.

Do Not Shop List

Please note there may be agent’s listed that you cannot shop. You must check for updates in the Special Visit Details Section IMMEDIATELY prior to placing the call. If you reach someone that is on the list, make an excuse to get off the call and try again later.

Call Attempts

You should spread out attempts over a 4 to 6-hour period. Unless you are getting a busy signal or voice mail do not ever make more than two call attempts within a 60-minute timeframe, and do not make these calls attempts one right after the other. Please contact ad4z93@r.postjobfree.com after two unsuccessful attempts to find out how to proceed.

ISSUES THAT WILL INVALIDATE A SHOP

You did not get the name of the agent.

You shopped an agent on the do not shop list.

You did not record the call.

The recording is not clear due to a bad connection or interfering background noise on the shopper's end.

Not being prepared with the reason for the call or not using the correct hospital location.

Hesitating or stuttering when asked for your address or other personal information.

Not using a local address and telephone number.

Hanging up on a prior agent.

Making too many call attempts too close together.

Shopping the same agent within a 60-day period.

Not staying on the phone through a transfer.

You relayed the entire scenario, without prompting, right at the start of the call.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

** If there is an issue that occurs during the call, please DO NOT call back to redo the call. If you do, the agent will know you are a shopper and we will not be able to use the shop. If an issue occurs, please notify ad4z93@r.postjobfree.com for assistance. **

Failure to comply with these instructions may result in NOT being paid.

Thank you!

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