Service recovery is the work of recognizing when care delivery, communication or access has fallen short, responding quickly and respectfully, documenting the concern, escalating the right issues and finding patterns in complaints to prevent repeat failures.

While many practices will hire staff whose personality and quick-thinking make them excellent at customer service, a practice leader still needs to manage responses to problems that arise. Those problems can come from dozens of small points of friction every day: phone access, portal messages, appointment delays, check-in problems, prior authorization delays, unexpected bills, referral confusion, prescription refills, lab follow-up and rushed rooming workflows.

AHRQ's CAHPS Ambulatory Care Improvement Guide encourages medical groups to use survey results and other patient feedback to identify weaknesses and improve patient-centered care.¹ A strong practice defines what the front desk can solve, what the provider must address and what the practice manager, medical director, compliance officer or risk contact must own — so recovery does not depend on whichever employee happens to be at the desk.²