Well, there goes our bonus!

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 18, 2018

At my doctors office, and at many others there are signs that say "No cell phones" or "no cell phone use". I would start putting those signs up and then you have grounds to tell the patient they need to put it away, as it is not allowed in your office. People have no manners and shame on the patient's mother for not teaching her social manners!

Annie

smf0903 · Sep 18, 2018

At my doctors office, and at many others there are signs that say "No cell phones" or "no cell phone use". I would start putting those signs up and then you have grounds to tell the patient they need to put it away, as it is not allowed in your office. People have no manners and shame on the patient's mother for not teaching her social manners!
Annie

Every doctor's office I've been in has these signs too. It's pretty ridiculous that it has to even be said. The patients would be mad as hell if the doctor or nurse was sitting on their phone during an appointment.

TriciaJ, RN · Sep 18, 2018

If your bonuses are based on patient satisfaction surveys, then whoever is in charge of paying them out has no intentions of doing so. Everyone knows how the public is. If peoples' poor behaviour toward you can scupper your bonus then the whole idea was a bait and switch anyway.

Colour me cynical. If those bonuses were meant to actually happen, they wouldn't be based on something so capricious as a stupid satisfaction survey.

brownbook · Sep 18, 2018

Our bonus at work is based on the lovely patient surveys that new pts get (formulated through CMS, blah blah blah).
We had a very entitled older teenage pt and mother in the office recently who would NOT get off the phone. Pt just stared at me when I asked for name and DOB, and I had to ask mom to verify pharmacy, meds, and allergies because pt was too busy texting. (Someone had texted pt about what so-and-so had posted on Facebook about someone else's brother and they can't mess with them--the drama!).
When I was escorting them out after the visit, pt and mom stated MD was very rude, had no bedside manner, and was horrible. This is our best MD, one of the founding partners of the practice, and the most popular one. Pt was still jabbing away at her phone and snapping at me about the Facebook post.
When they left (after I apologized), I asked MD what happened. He'd asked pt and mom 3 different times to put the phones down so he could get the H&P and do the exam--and pt refused. Now, she'll get a survey and we'll get dinged for low scores for pt's own behavior.
I HATE those surveys. We had one survey give us horrible reviews and said Dr. Smith was incompetent, and we don't have a Dr. Smith in our practice (it was that pt's cardio!). Can we make those surveys disappear, or at least be able to defend ourselves against the horrible ones? Grrr.

Weeeellllll.....I hate long posts with no paragraphs, ha ha...honest just joking. :happy:

Are you most upset about survey's? This is a legitimate complaint with no easy solution.

Are you most upset about patients using cell phones during a nurse or doctor encounter? That is easily fixed. Simply, politely, smile and state cell phones must be turned off during the visit. Stand there doing nothing for 30 - 60 seconds. If the patient does not put the phone away or turn it off say you are going to attend to the next patient and will return later.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 18, 2018

The surveys themselves are not the problem. Data itself can change nothing. It's all in the expertise and wisdom of the people who receive the data, interpret it, and make decisions on what to do about it. It's a "people problem," not a "data problem." If your employer is truly using the survey data unwisely, then your problem is with them -- not the survey. Start a discussion about the proper use of such data if you want to improve the situation.

CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2018

Chin up, she will probably be too busy texting to take the time to fill our and return the survey.

JKL33 · Sep 18, 2018

I think the surveys have collectively left disaster in their wake, but I doubt that was unforeseen.

JKL33 · Sep 18, 2018

When they left (after I apologized), I asked MD what happened. He'd asked pt and mom 3 different times to put the phones down so he could get the H&P and do the exam--and pt refused.

Mistake #1, 2, and 3.

AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN · Sep 18, 2018

Many moons ago, before I started my own clinic, I inherited a patient from an NP that was fired from the clinic I worked at. Smack in the middle of the visit, her phone rang and she answered it. I stood and told her I'd be back when she finished the call, then exited the room.

It wasn't 30 seconds before she came boiling out of the room demanding to see another provider and when refused, she stomped out and began screaming to the receptionist and the lobby at large about being refused care. At which point I calmly walked up and contradicted her story, which was that the call was an emergency and that we were supposed to be aware of that fact that it might occur. No one had knowledge of this fact.

When she saw she wasn't getting anywhere and was getting no sympathy, in addition to looking like a first class fool, she decided to go for broke and pointed to her skin while stating 'I know what your problem is. You obviously have a problem with this.' Because she was Black and I was white. I was completely speechless, which for me is almost unheard of.

And that was when my office manager threw her out and told her to call the clinic owner if she had anything else to say.

In my clinic, it's no phones and nobody takes issue with it.

Daisy4RN · Sep 18, 2018

I don't know who came up with attaching surveys to payment but it is just another nail in the coffin to good healthcare. I would do what others have also stated, ask once nicely, give it a few seconds and if the phone is not put away walk out while stating I will return after the next patient. I am sooo sick of this entitled mentality. And yes, shame on the mom for not enforcing good manners.

MunoRN, RN · Sep 18, 2018

Our bonus at work is based on the lovely patient surveys that new pts get (formulated through CMS, blah blah blah). We had a very entitled older teenage pt and mother in the office recently who would NOT get off the phone. Pt just stared at me when I asked for name and DOB, and I had to ask mom to verify pharmacy, meds, and allergies because pt was too busy texting. (Someone had texted pt about what so-and-so had posted on Facebook about someone else's brother and they can't mess with them--the drama!). When I was escorting them out after the visit, pt and mom stated MD was very rude, had no bedside manner, and was horrible. This is our best MD, one of the founding partners of the practice, and the most popular one. Pt was still jabbing away at her phone and snapping at me about the Facebook post. When they left (after I apologized), I asked MD what happened. He'd asked pt and mom 3 different times to put the phones down so he could get the H&P and do the exam--and pt refused. Now, she'll get a survey and we'll get dinged for low scores for pt's own behavior. I HATE those surveys. We had one survey give us horrible reviews and said Dr. Smith was incompetent, and we don't have a Dr. Smith in our practice (it was that pt's cardio!). Can we make those surveys disappear, or at least be able to defend ourselves against the horrible ones? Grrr.

CMS doesn't do satisfaction surveys for clinics, and reimbursement isn't tied to it.

There are private companies such as Press-Gainey that offer customer satisfaction surveys as a service, these aren't required for reimbursement or regulatory compliance.