The Problem with Healthcare

Who am I kidding? Healthcare is completely broken. Without a major overhaul, the fixes that the president presents and congress negotiates are merely band-aids on a fatally hemorrhaging wound. However, there is one healthcare problem which wouldn’t take an act of God to fix. It’s actually a rather simple issue to handle if anyone cared enough to do so.

What’s broken? Customer service.

Somewhere between seeing countless patients, running around a hospital, and haggling with insurance companies, medical office personnel have forgotten that every patient is also a customer.

We no longer have to fear being black listed in the medical community for stating our opinions a la Elaine from Seinfeld. Thanks to the internet and sites like Angie’s list, we can share our experiences anonymously and hopefully save other people from horrible encounters with difficult doctors and staff.

Due to a virus that circulated through my family this summer, I spent more time in doctors’ offices in the past two months for sick visits than I have over the past two decades. What we saw and experienced:

• Staff shopping on the internet
• Staff naming and discussing patient health issues in the patient’s absence
• Staff eating while speaking to patients over the phone and getting upset when they had to repeat themselves
• Staff speaking disrespectfully and rudely to patients
• Describing severe symptoms and being told the doctor’s earliest appointment is two days later
• Staff’s tone and choice of words were belittling.
• Doctors telling us what we’re feeling and not hearing what we’re saying
• Doctors not telling us our diagnosis, just prescribing medication without offering alternative options or discussing what we can do to ease our symptoms
• Being misdiagnosed
• Practices not having contingency plans to see sick patients when primary doctors are on vacation

I don’t care if the office staff is having a bad day or if the doctor is overbooked. Yes, they are real considerations, but when patients are seriously ill, they need attention. This is why we have doctors. It’s not like we’re at the doctor’s office every week. Most of us avoid the place like the plague. And, since our visits are so infrequent, if we happen to catch the medical staff on a bad day, chances are that impression will taint our overall opinion of the entire medical practice.

The repercussions? Word of mouth marketing spreads like wildfire. Most of us will likely vent about our bad experiences to our closest friends who will remember our stories. And, when they’re looking for new doctors, they’ll ask us about our “bad” doctors to make sure they don’t sign up with them. They in turn tell others. Based on personal experience, this is especially true when it comes to pediatrics.

I’m sure dealing with cranky people who are sick all day can wear on even the toughest employees in the medical field. However, showing an ounce of care and concern can go a long way and dial back the cranky scale on anyone. The fact is that medical practices are businesses. They provide services and care to their customers. The thing they often forget is the choice they make to be a Wal-Mart or Saks 5th Avenue in the medical field. What kind of quality healthcare do you want?

It’s important to note that not everyone we encountered was mean or inconsiderate. In fact, two bright spots were a nurse and lab technician whose bedside manners were thoughtful and kind despite the revolving door of patients circling around them.

A little professionalism and kindness can go a long way. Perhaps it’s something we should all keep in mind no matter where we work or what we do.

Check out what others are saying about your doctors:
http://www.doctor-report.net/
http://www.physicianreports.com/?yaid=pr
http://www.angieslist.com/angieslist/

Image: Stethoscope