Honor your patients’ trust

Issue: August 2006

ByMichael D. DePaolis, OD, FAAO

Michael D. DePaolis, OD, FAAO [photo]
Michael D. DePaolis

Every year, at Optometry’s Meeting, the professional editorial and industry advisory boards of Primary Care Optometry News convene. It’s a great opportunity for our boards to weigh in on PCON, discuss contemporary eye care issues and plan initiatives for the upcoming year.

One of the topics discussed at our meeting this year was that of assessing patient needs and desires. Certainly, this topic goes beyond the need for clear, comfortable vision. It really delves into just how patient “centric” our practices are.

Do you have a patient-friendly practice?

For instance, is it convenient for patients to only have the option to call during office hours to schedule an appointment or order contact lenses? Are we really responsive and accommodating for semi-emergent visits? Given the sometimes inevitable in-office delays, do we make every effort to make patients as comfortable as possible?

Interestingly enough, the next morning I read a New York Times article addressing this issue. The article featured a family practice physician exemplifying the trend of creating a more patient-friendly office. This Texas-based practitioner provides patients with Web-based appointment scheduling, blocks 1 hour each afternoon for “Quick-Sick” visits and makes every effort to provide quality care in a comfortable environment.

Later this same day, I headed to the airport for my flights home. The airline agent informed me that one of my flights was arbitrarily (read – no one could give me an exact reason) canceled and I was rescheduled for the following day. There was no courtesy call ahead of time, no asking me if the new itinerary was acceptable and absolutely no attempt to make my airport “stay” a comfortable one.

When I politely explained that the new itinerary would not work for me, the agent became defensive and indignant. She resisted my requests to be rerouted on another carrier or to a neighboring destination and she made no offer to provide a meal and night’s lodging.

As I spent that night in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, one thing was perfectly clear. Regardless of how indifferent the airline’s behavior, I really didn’t have any say in the matter. So much for customer service.

Your patients are a captive audience

As health care providers, it is critical we never become so callous and indifferent. While it’s true patients can always seek the opinion of another provider, many don’t. In matters of health care, patients are often confused, fearful and unsure of just what to do – so they put a lot of trust in us. This trust, in a way, makes our patients a captive audience, much like the air traveler is a captive audience for the airline industry.

The solution is really simple. Do all we can to meet our patients’ needs and desires, even if it means abandoning the status quo and implementing new patient-centric protocols.

Just what did I learn from my recent airline debacle? I will never, ever expect a patient to spend the night in my reception area.