Here at AIMM we are pretty convinced that Shakespeare had it wrong! We put a lot of time and effort into ensuring that both what we say and how we say it is as clear and accurate as possible. Every new person at AIMM gets immersed into a whole new literary world! First there is the mandatory Dale Carnegie training, and then the trip to Auburn University for Motivational Interviewing training, and then there is the call auditing that is done as a part of the learning process.
Did you know that at AIMM we even ensure that our RNs understand the difference between active voice verbs and passive voice verbs? Want to know why that subtle difference is so important? The rationale is pretty basic...if you talk in passive voice, then you probably act accordingly...change your tone/voice, and your actions will change too! Many of you have heard me get onto my soap box to complain about "paid historians" who track, follow, and sound as if they stand by watching as a catastrophic case management case unfolds. Not here at AIMM...it's lead, manage, assess, plan, implement, and evaluate, or get out of the way!
We've even got a list of "evil words" (things we NEVER say at AIMM). Among them are things like the words like authorize and deny. At AIMM we never authorize or deny anything - we simply certify or not...authorization implies some sort of permission, and since our model constantly emphasizes that we are not here to tell our patients what to do (or not to do for that matter) it wouldn't make sense for us to authorize or deny. We simply certify that a requested service meets the medical necessity & appropriateness criteria, or that it doesn't (in which case we issue a Lack of Certification decision, but that is a topic for a separate blog!). And that's just one small example.
When the company was first being founded we made a conscious decision to adopt a particular tone for all our communications. It was important that it be a tone that does justice to the model of medical management that we perform and that it would clearly reflect the overall philosophy of our approach. We do almost all of our communication over the telephone verbally. There are advantages and disadvantages to this form of communication, but because people can't see you, it's more important than most people could possibly imagine that both the tone and the words be very clear and concise. The tone of voice and the word choices our RNs use when talking with patients and health care providers over the phone becomes, essentially, the "non-verbal" communication of the conversation. The people with whom we are talking with can't see if we're smiling, and they can't see if our arms are folded in front of our chest, but they can hear a smile in our tone, and they can perceive our openness based on the word choices we make. It's probably one of the hardest parts of AIMM for new staff to learn and adapt to, but it's also one of the most important.
Another interesting tidbit: Do you remember the name Suellen? Some of you who have been with us a long time probably recall the name - she's fulfilled a variety of non-RN functions within our organization, and Suellen is our expert proofreader. She's a specialist in the English language. She reviews our formal written communications, and she also works with the RNs to teach them how to write effective case studies. She's an integral part of keeping our tone on track. (How many other Independent Medical Management companies have a resident proofreader?)
So, with all due respect to the great Shakespeare, at AIMM, a rose by any other name would smell a whole lot different!
