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WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS

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Types of Written Communications• Letters to patients– Thank you for referral – Sympathy card – Letter of appreciation– Birthday and holiday greeting

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Types of Written Communications

– Collection• Most send 30-, 60-, and 90-day notices • Then a certified letter with a 10-day warning• Then send to collection

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Types of Written Communications

• Newsletters

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Stationery Supplies

• Select a good quality bond paper for the office letterhead

• A color theme in stationery supplies can set the tone for the office

• An alternative to purchasing stationery is to create a template in word processing

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Factors to Consider inWritten Communications

• Use correct grammar• Use appropriate business punctuation• Use technical language sparingly when

communicating with lay person• Eliminate words that say nothing• Vary sentence length and sentence structure• Put the reader in the sentences• Use positive words

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Characteristics of an Effective Letter

• Neatness– Organized thoughts and delivery

• Positive attitude– Use helpful and caring phrases

• Use of the team approach– Focus on the patient– Say "we" and not "I"

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Business letter

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Parts of a Business Letter

• Date line– For full pages, about 2 inches below the

lowest letterhead line– Current trend is toward left side of page

• Inside address– Includes same information as the

envelope– A matching envelope can be printed with

software programs

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Full block style [Your Name / Company Name]• [Title (Optional)]• [Address]• [Tel]• [E-mail •  •  • December 21, 2012.•  •  • [Recipient’s Name]• [Title (Optional)]•  • Dear :•  

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Modified block style letter

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Parts of a Business Letter

• Inside address/envelope– Do not put both Dr. and the degree

– Use two letters for the state in capital letters

– Use two spaces before the ZIP code

• Salutation– One double space below the inside address

• Body of letter– Message

• Complimentary close– One double space below end of body of letter

– Directly below the date

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Parts of a Business Letter

• Keyed Signature– Four lines below complimentary close

• Reference Initials– Doctor's initials capitalized, then typist's

in lower case

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Parts of a Business Letter

• Attention line– To indicate that the writer prefers the

letter be directed to an individual

• Subject line– Typed and double spaced after the

salutation followed by a double space before continuing with the body of the letter

–May be typed in all capital letters, in capital and lowercase, or be underlined

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Parts of a Business Letter

• Enclosures–When the letter mentions that items are

enclosed or attached– Typed a double space below the reference

initials, even with the left margin

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Capitalization

• Common usage – The first word of every sentence should

be capitalized– The first word of a complete direct

quotation should be capitalized– The first word of a salutation and all

nouns used in the salutation should be capitalized

– The first word in a complimentary close should be capitalized

– All proper names should be capitalized

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Preparing an Effective Letter

• Collect Information– What it is about and to whom it is being sent

• Examples are letters of referral and inquiry

• Make An Outline– Creates an organization and framework

• Develop the letter– First paragraph sets tone and gets attention

– Go from general to specific

• Review and revise the letter– Evaluate for clarity by re-reading

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Envelope