Handling Culturally Diverse Patients

• Mrs. Abdul has recently emigrated from the Middle East to live with her daughter and son-in-law. The Abdul family has just started coming to the clinic you work at as a Medical Administrative Assistant for care over the past 3 months. You have noticed that they have arrived late for all of their appointments to date, have arrived again late for their appointment today and seem reluctant to answer many of the questions that are asked. Also, it is observed that Mrs. Abdul allows her daughter to speak for her most of the time. Based on some preliminary testing that was conducted, Dr. Jones is concerned that Mrs. Abdul may have cancer, but must do some further diagnostic testing to be sure.

  Based on the above scenario what information should the medical staff be aware of to help them interact effectively with the patient? Are there specific guidelines they should follow in terms of cultural diversity? If so, what would those be?
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  W3C1: Key Assessment for CLO #4

  Utilizing Proper Telephone Techniques: The Angry Patient

  You are the Medical Administrative Assistant for your practice. The phone rings and you answer it. It is Mr. Wilson, a patient of the practice. He is very upset because he received an EOB (explanation of benefits) in the mail today indicating the insurance denied his claim for his most recent office visit because it was not considered medically necessary. Your practice has not yet billed Mr. Wilson, but he warns “You better not even think about billing me for that visit, or I’ll sue you”. Mr. Wilson does not want to hear that the office can appeal the denial if he is willing to complete the form that was sent to him. He adds “paperwork is your job, not mine!”

  1. If you were in this situation what would you do? Think about and incorporate applicable PRICE characteristics.

  2. Should you alert the physician or office manager or try to handle on your own?

  3. Should this incident be documented in the patient’s medical record? Why or why not?

  4. Please answer all questions completely. APA format must be used.