My primary care of 5 years recently got a new medical assistant. Prior to her arrival, the office was exactly what you'd want - calls returned promptly, referrals done quickly and efficiently, lab and test reports telephoned to you as they arrived.
The doctor is exactly the same, however other things aren't. I'm on medication with side effects of hyperactivity and irritability, so I thought it was my problem that she irritated me so. Recently he decided an MRI and PT was needed and said they'd set up the appointments and call me. I waited and waited. The referral coordinator is the same person who has done it for years with never a glitch. I finally called her after 10 days and absolutely believe her when she said she never got the orders. She called back in 20 minutes with the appointments. I told her I knew what happened and said she really needed to speak to him because while I KNOW where the problem is, some patients might not and it reflects on him. She said she'd gone to the practice administrator AGAIN as that's her "chain of command".
So, I was in the office yesterday and he was going over the MRI results. There are 4 herniated disks with impingment in one cervical and one lumbar. I asked why it had taken so long for him to get the results.
He said "You were called last week and a message was left for you to call and to increase the Ultram. I said "No." He said maybe my husband had gotten it and forgot to tell me. I KNEW that didn't happen but just let it go. Both my husband and I checked messages for the last two weeks and there is NO message. She wrote IN MY CHART THAT SHE CALLED! Do I tell him?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
by all means, say something. if you're noticing things like this, i'm sure other patients are, too. but being in health care yourself, you're in an ideal position to get your point across.
I'll have to plan my words carefully since he's not just a great doctor but a very kind person. I'd much prefer to go to the practice administrator, if possible, since I wrote a letter complimenting how the practice was run.
This doctor's practice is closed to new patients and has been for a long time. They add a new doctor instead of overburdening the partners - new patients are scheduled for 1 hour, new problem for existing patients - 30 minutes and a return check - 15 minutes. The administrator told me "It's hard because of the pressure to increase volumn, increase revenue. But this group is young and idealistic. They want to have time to do well by their patients and still have time for their families. The revenue is not so important to them."
What I'm hoping is that I'll have some credibility with him, having recognized the outstanding job he does and that he is the HR person for the practice. In other words, I hope the administrator is the one to do the couseling or terminating.
I was pretty sure I should say something but was hoping her "problem" was limited to me.
I'll have to plan my words carefully since he's not just a great doctor but a very kind person. I'd much prefer to go to the practice administrator, if possible, since I wrote a letter complimenting how the practice was run.
This doctor's practice is closed to new patients and has been for a long time. They add a new doctor instead of overburdening the partners - new patients are scheduled for 1 hour, new problem for existing patients - 30 minutes and a return check - 15 minutes. The administrator told me "It's hard because of the pressure to increase volumn, increase revenue. But this group is young and idealistic. They want to have time to do well by their patients and still have time for their families. The revenue is not so important to them."
What I'm hoping is that I'll have some credibility with him, having recognized the outstanding job he does and that he is the HR person for the practice. In other words, I hope the administrator is the one to do the couseling or terminating.
I was pretty sure I should say something but was hoping her "problem" was limited to me.
Docs like the ones described above would WANT to know what's happening behind the scenes.
This isn't about offending someone or hurting feelings. This is about errors and omissions that could harm people, not the least of whom are the doctors. The problem person is undermining the patients, the other practitioners, and the practice. If you don't feel that you will be assertive enough, write down your thoughts ahead of time so you will be organized and thorough.
I wouldn't go to the administrator, but direct to the doc himself. As one of the owners of the practice, he needs to know what's happening first hand. Some administrators feel it is their job to "protect" the docs from complaints, and to a certain extent, this is true. But in the kind of situation you are talking about, the only real protection is the knowledge that there are problems.
I remember seeing a sign in a store that said, "If you are pleased by our products and service, tell a friend. If you aren't, please tell us."
I just keep coming back to your description of the practice. Please, honor their refreshing committment to their patients by telling them that someone is jeopardizing the very people they are trying to serve.
Just to offer a different perspective, I've had calls left on my answering machine from doctor's offices that were not for me or anyone in my family. So it could be possible this person did dial a number and left a message but it was the wrong number. The one time I did call the office back and tell them they called the wrong number, there wasn't much they could do to find out who should have been called because the person who left the message didn't say "this message is for so and so" but rather "please call the office." I'm not saying this is what's going on in this situation but just a possibility.
A little off the topic: I've actually been dealing with for quite a while several different healthcare facilities who keep calling and leaving messages for someone who does not live at my number. From what I gather, she had a baby and is in some sort of program for follow-up care. Don't know if she or the baby had problems but apparently she's involved with several different agencies, all of which have my number. Either she gave them the wrong number on purpose or they wrote it down wrong. I can't believe it would be a misdial that many times. I have told them time and again that this person does not live here but they keep calling and will not remove my number . And just when I think it's quiet and all is fixed, I'll get another one. It's been a few months now so I'm probably due any day now for another call .
At any rate, I'd still mention it but wouldn't be quite so quick to assume she out and out falsified the chart. She may have but she may not have. At least for this first offense give the benefit of the doubt unless/until she does it again.
What a coincidence! I just had lunch with a dear friend and told her. We get each other's calls all the time because there's only one digit difference. She's gotten two calls on her machine but they did say "This mesg is for..........Please call Dr. ............at.........". She promptly called the doctor's office and told them she'd gotten the message in error. Of course, she'd have called me if it was my name and she knows my doctor. I really hadn't considered that possibility before Judy mentioned it.
This will make it much easier to tell him because it could be a mistake. I won't feel like such a tattler or worse because it could possibly be a teaching moment. The caller to Judy's phone identified for whom the message was intended and gave the doctor and phone number so she could call and let them know.
My primary care of 5 years recently got a new medical assistant. Prior to her arrival, the office was exactly what you'd want - calls returned promptly, referrals done quickly and efficiently, lab and test reports telephoned to you as they arrived.
The doctor is exactly the same, however other things aren't. I'm on medication with side effects of hyperactivity and irritability, so I thought it was my problem that she irritated me so. Recently he decided an MRI and PT was needed and said they'd set up the appointments and call me. I waited and waited. The referral coordinator is the same person who has done it for years with never a glitch. I finally called her after 10 days and absolutely believe her when she said she never got the orders. She called back in 20 minutes with the appointments. I told her I knew what happened and said she really needed to speak to him because while I KNOW where the problem is, some patients might not and it reflects on him. She said she'd gone to the practice administrator AGAIN as that's her "chain of command".
So, I was in the office yesterday and he was going over the MRI results. There are 4 herniated disks with impingment in one cervical and one lumbar. I asked why it had taken so long for him to get the results.
He said "You were called last week and a message was left for you to call and to increase the Ultram. I said "No." He said maybe my husband had gotten it and forgot to tell me. I KNEW that didn't happen but just let it go. Both my husband and I checked messages for the last two weeks and there is NO message. She wrote IN MY CHART THAT SHE CALLED! Do I tell him?
Yes. Now maybe because she is new, she is still acclimating to the system and honestly had a few mixups, but still, I would let the doc know that she may need a bit more training time or something.
. And just when I think it's quiet and all is fixed, I'll get another one. It's been a few months now so I'm probably due any day now for another call 
.
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
by all means, say something. if you're noticing things like this, i'm sure other patients are, too. but being in health care yourself, you're in an ideal position to get your point across.