Published Communications
When a Great Office Manager Isn’t Great at Managing People
You may have an office manager who is exceptional at running the business of your practice. She understands your billing, scheduling, systems, finances and daily operations. She is organized, dependable and knows the practice inside and out. There’s just one problem: she isn’t particularly good at managing the staff. Before deciding that you have the…
Collect What You’re Owed—Without Losing the Human Touch
My husband severely lacerated his thumb this week, including tendon involvement. What began with an urgent care visit quickly turned into a trip to the Emergency Department and treatment by a hand surgeon. The clinical care was excellent. But one part of the experience really stood out to us. While the surgeon was actively suturing…
Sometimes It’s Appropriate to Say Goodbye
In keeping with our Pro Tip theme from the last two weeks I thought it appropriate to dive further into the fact that not every doctor-patient relationship is going to work. Repeated failure to follow medically necessary treatment, chronic no-shows, abusive or belligerent behavior toward the doctor or staff, or a complete breakdown in the…
Don’t Let the Chart Go Silent
Last week’s Pro Tip(opens in new tab) discussed communicating and documenting general non-compliance. Today let’s specifically discuss what should be happening when high-risk patients miss appointments. Following the “no-show” your staff calls and leaves a message. (Morning no-shows should be called before lunch and afternoons by the end of the clinic day). The patient misses…
When Patients Don’t Follow the Plan
You can recommend the right treatment, prescribe the right medication, order the right testing and schedule the necessary follow-up—but you can’t make the patient comply. What you can do is make sure the patient understands why compliance matters—and document your efforts when they don’t follow through. Make the Consequences Clear Instead of simply saying, “Come back in two weeks,” explain why: “I…
The Power of “Do You Have Any Questions?”
One of the most valuable lessons from Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink has little to do with medicine—and everything to do with how patients feel about their doctor. Research discussed in the book found an interesting difference in the way physicians with fewer malpractice claims communicated with their patients: they tended to spend a little more time with them and created…