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How to Become Your Own Healthcare Advocate

February 19, 2015 by procourtesy

Doctor with female patient

There are a lot of frustrated and unhappy people out there when it comes to their perception of healthcare today. The contemporary practice of medicine is changing, rapidly, and those changes have been a challenge for patients and physicians alike. The list of reasons for this is lengthy. Certainly physicians and hospitals are finding it difficult at times,to meet all the changes and demands put on them, by insurance companies and the government. And there is a loss of autonomy that a physician used to feel in his or her own practice. Many physicians and their practices are owned by hospitals or other business entities which makes physicians worker bees, of sorts.

However, just because things are changing and medical groups are getting larger doesn’t mean a patient can’t have a meaningful and effective relationship with his or her physician and get excellent medical care. It does mean, though, a patient may have to shift his or her thinking and adjust their approach when it comes to their own health. Patients who take more responsibility for their health and learn to work the system and their physician’s practice effectively, can reduce the frustration and miscommunication that is a common complaint today.

Some tips to help navigate a modern medical system with more effectiveness are:

*Be proactive about your health before you get sick, if possible.

*Know the routine of your physician’s office.

*Try to see the same physician at every appointment for continuity and to establish a relationship.

*Learn the names of the medical staff you deal with, in person and on the phone.

*Learn the best times to place a call to the office. Avoid Monday mornings at 9 a.m., before lunch and minutes before the office closes.

*Plan ahead for prescription refills. Don’t wait until you only have one day’s worth of medicine left or until the weekend to try and get your medications refilled. Most physicians will not refill narcotics over the phone, especially the physician on call who doesn’t know the patient.

*Learn how to navigate the telephone system. Ask for the extension number of the nurse and how to get a “live” person.

*Understand the protocol for emergencies. Do you go directly to the hospital? If so, which one. Or do you go to an urgent care facility or to your physician’s office, if it is during office hours.

*Find out what hospital your physician goes to. Many large medical groups split the hospitals for efficiency. Your physician may not make rounds or have privileges in your preferred hospital.

*Be sure you get the name of the people providing your care. If the staff or physician does not introduce themselves, ask for their name and position at the start of your visit. Be sure to introduce yourself, how you’d like to be addressed and any family members with you.

*Turn off your cellphone! Taking calls during your appointment is rude and disruptive. Many physician offices today have no-cellphone signs in their waiting areas and exam rooms.

*Find out how your physician handles test results. Some offices call patients with test results only if there is a problem. If in doubt, or if you are anxious about test results, call. If you are tech savvy, your electronic medical records can be accessed without even picking up the phone.

*Call ahead and see if your physician is running way behind, if timely appointments are a concern. Ask again when you arrive and check periodically during your wait if it is getting lengthy. If you can no longer wait, reschedule, but let the front desk know this has been an inconvenience for you. Your time is valuable too.

*Be familiar with the patient privacy guidelines and be sure to document the family members who are privy to your medical information.

*Consider taking a family member or trusted friend to your appointments. If you are elderly or have serious medical issues, another person can act as an advocate and help prevent errors in information transmission.

*When making an appointment, find out if it is essential to arrive 15 minutes ahead of your appointment time to fill out paperwork.

*Courtesy is important on all sides. Make sure you are considerate. If you encounter rudeness from a staff member or physician, respond kindly. This can often defuse the behavior. We all have a bad day, but if it is one individual, and the behavior is persistent, let the physician or management know. They can’t fix a problem if they don’t know about it.

*Change practices if the personalities and attitudes of a particular office are something you can’t live with. Be sure to let the office know why you are leaving. Health care is very competitive today, and there are many other groups waiting for your business.

*Document serious glitches. For instance, if you call multiple times and no one returns your calls, let management know. Waiting for long periods of time without a response can hold up treatment and/or progress.

*The Dr. Welbys, who used to make house calls and who seemed to have all the time in the world to spend with their patients, may be passe, but there are many fine caregivers who have replaced them. On the surface, their style, accompanied by advanced technology, may make things seem very different, but the ultimate goal of most physicians is to care for people and make them better. Be sure you are doing your part in this process. And remember, change is not always a bad thing. Without it, there wouldn’t be many of the good things that modern medicine has provided.

However, courtesy and good manners are never out of style and are always important. Letting your physicians know they could ramp up the courtesy and professionalism in their practice may help them and your relationship with them.

Holiday Gifting for Your Medical Staff

December 18, 2014 by procourtesy

medical doctor holding gifts in hands isolated on white

A Medical Manners Moment…

Holiday Gifting for Your Medical Staff

I am always disappointed when I hear health care workers in larger medical groups say that they don’t think their physicians even know their names. A sad commentary I think, since a physician’s staff has a lot to do with the over all patient experience. Also, it has been shown that the feeling of being valued in a job is very important to all of us. So, if health care workers feel they are invisible to their physicians they are certainly not feeling valued.

Since this is the holiday season, now, is the perfect time for physicians and administrative people to show their appreciation to their staff members.

Here are some ideas on how to do that:

Attend the office Christmas party. If you are the boss and you don’t attend the practice party, the message you are giving is one of indifference or that you don’t care about your staff.

Gift your staff. Offering a monetary bonus if it is in your budget, or a thoughtful gift, is always appreciated at the holiday time. Focus on the word thoughtful.

Acknowledge everyone. Get to know all the staff people, from the scheduler to the people in your billing department by name. There all no small jobs in any organization.

Feed your staff. If the size of your staff is small enough, take them out for lunch occasionally. If it is too large for that, order in.

Remember your staff all year long. You don’t have to wait until the holidays to show your appreciation. Consider doing something nice for your staff throughout the year. For instance, acknowledging birthdays is another way to make them feel special.

Physicians Need Good Table Manners

April 14, 2014 by procourtesy

Physicians Need Good Table Manners
A few years ago I was engaged by the director of a medical residency program in my community to teach the program residents table manners. Now, you may wonder why medical residents need to know how to navigate a dining table gracefully. But good table manners are a must for professionals in any arena.

The director of the program stated that she felt some of the residents were lacking in good table manners and that this could be a huge turn off for potential candidates considering the program. The senior residents did a lot of interviewing and answering questions of the medical students considering this program, over a meal. If a certain level of sophistication wasn’t displayed she was concerned that the program would lose people to more metropolitan areas that were perceived to be more sophisticated and have more to offer.

I couldn’t agree more with her line of thinking, but not only interviewing potential people for a residency program…consider the residents who are being interviewed for jobs in medical groups after they finish their training. Many of those interviews are conducted over a meal. Poor social skills may be a liability, in spite of technical skills.

Also, physicians participate in lots of board and committee meetings that involve meals. Being the guy who is splayed all over the table acting like it is his last meal is a real turn off.

So, along with knowing how to handle a scalpel, knowing how to manage a knife and fork gracefully, will be to any physician’s advantage.

Here are some of my top dining tips:

Assess the table and pause before picking up any silver. Wait for your host or hostess or senior person at the table to start the meal.

Open your hands, palms up. Place the knife and fork on the open hands. Let half of the handle rest on the palm of each hand; turn the implements over and leverage the knife and fork with your index fingers.

Eating in the American or Continental fashion is acceptable in America today.

Don’t gesture with your knife and fork.

Cut one bite at a time.

Put napkin on lap to unfold. When leaving the table temporarily, place the napkin on the chair. At the end of the meal, place napkin to the left of plate.

The soup spoon is held like a pencil.

Soup is spooned away from you toward the center of the soup plate. Sip off the side of the spoon.
The soup plate may be tipped away from you in order to fill the spoon with the last sips of soup.

Do not blow on soup or stir it if it is too hot. Skim off the top or wait until soup cools.

Refrain from putting crackers in your soup when out or at a formal meal.

The soup spoon may rest in the soup plate when finished or in between bites. The spoon rests on the saucer when it comes in a cup.

When encountering a multi-course meal with multiple pieces of flat ware and you are questioning what fork to use first, start from the outside and work in toward the plate.

Solids are on the left of your dinner plate, such as, bread and butter plate and liquids are on the right.

Break bread in bite size pieces and butter one bite at a time over the bread and butter plate.

Pass food to the right. If you start the food, take your portion when it comes back around to you.

Taste your food before seasoning it.

When someone asks for the salt, pass both the salt and pepper in anticipation of their need. Set it on the table in front of them and let them pick it up.

Keep personal items such as; purses, glasses, cell telephones, etc. off the table. Purses should stay on your lap or under the chair.

Refrain from putting on make-up, combing hair, picking teeth, blowing nose vigorously at the table. “If you do it the bathroom, don’t do it at the table.”

If someone offers a toast to you do not drink to yourself.

When offering a toast, remember to be appropriate for the audience and be brief. It’s a toast not a roast.

If in doubt about what to do, watch someone at the table who knows. It can prevent an embarrassing situation.

When leaving the table temporarily do not announce where you are going; just say, “Excuse me.”

Chew with your mouth closed. Take small bites to avoid talking with food in your mouth.

Try a little of everything presented unless you are allergic to a certain food.

Don’t talk about food likes and dislikes at the table.

Maintain good posture at the table. Keep arms and elbows off the table.

Don’t push your plate away from you when finished eating and wait for everyone to finish before plates are cleared.

Reproduction of this material without prior authorization from Professional Courtesy, LLC is strictly prohibited.1/20/2014

Modern Medical Attire

March 17, 2014 by procourtesy

It has been said, that the way we are dressed can influence the way we work and how we are perceived by others. This point was made when my colleague and fellow medical etiquette trainer, Darlene Das in Hendersonville, N.C. took her husband’s office staff from looking unremarkable to looking great with some changes in the way the entire office dressed.

She and the staff shared their before and after photos. Looking good, Darlene. Darlene can be found at www.today’setiquette.com.

Before…..

After…..

Just as in any other arena, the dress for medical people has changed dramatically over the years. The traditional white uniform with white hose and a nursing cap is rarely seen anymore. Those crisp white uniforms have given way to “scrubs.”

While scrubs may be more comfortable than uniforms of the past, they make it more difficult to look tidy and to identify your position in a hospital or office. So, a good way for the public to know if you are nursing staff or cleaning or dietary staff is to color code each department and post the color key in patient’s rooms and in patient info material.

One of the most important ideas of uniforms is to let the public know who you are, that you are at work, not at play, that you are not some stranger off the street who comes into a patient room in the middle of the night. In short, you should look like what you do and who you are.

Here are some basic tips for dressing in the medical arena today:

Establish well-defined dress codes and enforce them.
Be clean and well-groomed. Shorter fingernails are more professional and more hygienic. Save nail art and dramatic nail color for social situations.
Keep hair up and out-of-the-way. And keep make-up subtle.
Keep fragrances to a minimum.
Make sure your clothes fit well. Well fitting clothes are a benefit to everyone, no matter the size.
Keep clothes well maintained and pressed.
Panty hose should be worn with skirts, bare legs are unprofessional.
Invest in, and use a full length mirror before leaving the house.
Wearing pants may not be flattering to all women. If that is the case, consider a uniform with a skirt.
Avoid quirky and cartoon prints. Solid colors are often more flattering than prints.
Adding Jackets and blazers give an air of authority and professionalism to men and women.
Wear identification badges on right shoulder so they are easily seen (first names only may be necessary for security reasons). Reinforce identification with a verbal introduction.
Save athletic shoes for athletics. Wear clean, polished, professional shoes. No sandals or Crocs.
Keep jewelry to a minimum.
Avoid chewing gum…it isn’t professional in any setting.

Individuals in administrative positions or positions that do not require a uniform, including physicians, should use care to look professional and well-groomed. It is just as important as those requiring a uniform.

What is your office or hospital doing to make staff look more professional?

Calling Patients to the Exam Room Politely

November 14, 2013 by procourtesy

Calling Patients to the Exam Room Politely

I am often taken aback when I am in a physician’s office waiting area and hear the staff call back their patients to the exam rooms. Many times there is this abrupt voice that comes from a half opened door announcing loudly, HARRY! Nothing else is said and the poor patient gathers themselves up following the nurse or medical assistant down the hall to their designated exam room in silence…no smile, no warm greeting or introduction. Then, if you are lucky, you get to stop in the hall to get weighed on the community scale. One office that I was in recently, even took blood pressures in the hall before directing the patient to the actual exam room. Not too private, at a time when there is so much emphasis on HIPAA privacy guidelines.

I appreciate that practices may want to cut down on expenses by having one or two communal scales instead of one in every room, but getting weighed in public can be pretty humbling. Surely, there is a better way to do this. Gathering patient information should be done in the privacy of the exam room with a closed door, not in the hall leading to the exam rooms.

So, here are some suggestions on how to call a patient back to the exam room politely:

To assure you can be seen,walk out into the waiting area as close to the patient as possible to call them back.
Smile and greet the patient warmly.
Address the patient formally by Mr. Mrs. or Ms. (this is not a privacy violation)
Direct the patient as to what room they will be going to. For instance, “third door on the right or room 6.”
Don’t ask any medical questions in the hall where answers can be over heard by others.
Don’t weigh people in the hall unless the scales are set up for privacy. And take into consideration as to how coats, purses and other extra clothing will get in the way of an accurate weight.
Consider taking blood pressures in the exam room, only
To identify patients in the waiting area try having the receptionist put a sticky note on the front of the chart using some sort of identifying comment as to who is who. For instance, “red sweater or blue coat.” This then allows you to walk right up to the patient and let them know you are ready to take them back to the exam room.
Be prepared to assist older patients or patients who have limitations or obvious injuries back to the room by taking their coats or other personal items.
Once the patient is in the room, close the door and keep them apprised of their waiting time.
Keep conversations in the hall to a minimum so patients don’t over hear private or inappropriate information.

Trying all of these simple suggestions will leave a much better impression on your patients.

How to Become Your Own Healthcare Advocate

Holiday Gifting for Your Medical Staff

Physicians Need Good Table Manners

Modern Medical Attire

Calling Patients to the Exam Room Politely

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