4 tips for communicating with your health care team
Getting through to your doctor when you have a question or concern is essential to your health and wellbeing. Billings Clinic recognizes that long wait times and confusion over what number to call can be a frustration for patients. That’s why they have implemented improvements that positively impact the patient experience and give you quicker access to your primary care team.
The approach is to de-centralize scheduling and clinical calls so each department in Billings has its own phone number. This helps patients get to the right person faster, and the person on the other end of the phone is more likely to have expertise in clinic operations of that specific specialty. This change is specific to Billings and does not affect our clinic sites in Cody, Miles City, Bozeman, Columbus or Townsend.
The following departments have updated their phone numbers, which can be used for both scheduling and contacting your nursing team:
- Primary Care (Billings Downtown, Westend, Heights) 406-238-2900
- Billings Pediatrics 406-238-5800
- Pediatric Specialty 406-238-5770
- Billings SameDay Care 406-238-2677
“Primary Care has been positively impacted by this change,” said Crystal Colliflower, Billings Clinic Director of Primary Care. “We are seeing shorter wait times on the phones when patients call our new number and our clinical staff are able to answer calls sooner. It’s important that patients are educated about this change, so they get to the right spot the first time.”
Billings Clinic offers the following tips for the best ways to access you and your child’s health care team:
- When calling the new department phone number, you are prompted to either press 1 for scheduling or 2 to speak to their care team. There may be additional prompts when you call that allow the calls to be routed to the best person to meet your needs.
- Online scheduling is available and encouraged for Primary Care and Pediatrics appointments. This quick and convenient option gives patients access to scheduling at their fingertips. Go to www.billingsclinic.com to schedule your appointment today.
- If you need a prescription refill, all you need to do is call your pharmacy and they will send the request directly to your doctor without having to call your clinic care team.
- The Billings Clinic PatientConnect portal is the easiest and quickest way to communicate with your health care team. The portal allows you to send secure messages and also gives you access to your medical records, lab results, upcoming appointments and much more. More information and registration can be found at www.billingsclinic.com/patientconnect. You will need a Medical Record Number to register online, or you can ask any Billings Clinic registration staff to set you up with an account.
All the phone numbers and online scheduling options you need can be found at www.billingsclinic.com. Getting in for your annual exams, routine screenings, and ongoing care has never been more important. Billings Clinic is working to make it easier for you to prioritize your health and we’re constantly listening to patient feedback on how to improve the process. Thank you for working with us to deliver better care at the right time.
