By T.T. "Mitch" Mitchell

The business of healthcare is the business of people. Like retail, your facility can't be successful unless many people come through your doors. Unlike retail, most of the people who come through your doors aren't necessarily willing customers. They come because they're not feeling well, or to be tested to make sure they're okay, or to be with someone who's not well. Their emotions are running high when they walk through your door-and when it comes to paying for services, their emotions can jump to another level.

The words were hard to miss, even from my office: "I'm sorry you feel that way sir. Have a nice life!" Slam.

I rose slowly from my desk and walked into the next room. I had recognized the employee's voice and was surprised because she was usually one of the calmest people in the business office. I walked over to her and, seeing that she was still upset, asked her whether things were okay.

"No, they're not okay," she said. "This guy was just impossible. I tried to help him, but he wasn't listening to anything I had to say. He kept yelling and screaming at me, and I just lost it."

My phone rang, as expected. I walked back into my office, picked up the phone, and said hello. On the other end was a man who was screaming and cussing at me. I always tell my staff that they never have to accept someone else's bad behavior, whether it is on the phone or in person. Going against conventional wisdom, I hung up.

A couple of minutes later the phone rang again. I picked it up and said hello. The same man was on the phone, still screaming and cussing, so I hung up again.

A few minutes passed before the phone rang again. This time, there was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Are you going to hang up on me again?" the man finally asked.

"That depends-are you going to continue cussing at me, or are you going to talk to me so I can help you?" I said.

He chose the latter, and five minutes later, he thanked me for all the help I'd given him, and apologized for his behavior.

What did I do that was so remarkable? I listened to what he had to say. When I reviewed the account he was asking about, I saw that it was an inpatient claim for his wife who had passed away while a patient in our hospital. She died two months earlier, and it was obvious that he was still dealing with the emotions of her death. Receiving a hospital bill after such an event can trigger strong emotions in people when they're still recovering.