How To Be Your Doctors Favorite Patient

First of all, let me explain something in case you don’t already
know The more your doctor and his staff like you, the better
service you will receive It’s just a plain fact and human
nature Most doctors are swamped with patients and have to make
choices when appointing patients to their schedule So how do
you get the only appointment left on next Tuesday, you day off?
Asking for an appointment: Make or break the relationship
Depending upon how large the practice is, there is probably one
person designated to make appointments and is most likely a
woman or young adult This position is one of the lowest paid in
the practice, so keep that in mind when talking to them and
boost their ego at every chance
· Don’t tell them you have to get in this week because you are
going on a cruise or exotic trip next week and just have to be
seen now This will not induce sympathy with a person
financially incapable of affording such luxury Just say you’re
going out of town
· Don’t tell them it ‘has to be next Tuesday between 2 and 4′
Ask nicely if ‘that time’ is available, but do not insist on it
If you consistently follow the suggestions laid out here,
chances are the appointment coordinator will move patients
around to accommodate your schedule just because you are the
favorite But it is not a good idea to demand a specific time
unless they ask you first In case you don’t know, the
appointment coordinator is taught to run the schedule, and to
not let the patients do it for them
· Keep in mind it is the appointment coordinator’s job to FILL
the schedule for the doctor Most doctors want to see a full
schedule for tomorrow when they leave for the day “Emergency
time” is seldom available, unless the practice has a consistent
need for it I know of no doctor that likes to sit around with
no patients and therefore no income Even the most caring of
doctors still has their income in mind After all, they have a
staff and bills to pay
· Which brings up the next point: do not ask the appointment
coordinator for a discount or a payment plan Trust me, they
will not have the authority to grant one In most practices,
only the doctor can grant lower fees Sometimes the office
manager can suggest payment plans However, keep in mind, you
will never be the doctor’s favorite patient if you consistently
ask for lower fees or special treatment in the payment
department If you truly need help with financing, do it with
the greatest tact
· And please, please if you remember nothing else I’ve said
here, remember that your insurance is a contract between you and
your insurance company Your doctor files your insurance for you
as a courtesy It is not a requirement It is not their duty It
is not their fault if your insurance does not pay, (most times
anyway) You may be responsible for any balances left by your
insurance Just because your insurance does not pay all of your
doctor’s charges, does not mean your doctor charges too much If
there is a question about your insurance, offer to call the
insurance company yourself It is so time consuming for the
office personnel to do this Sometimes they will need to, but
you’ll gain points with them if you do it yourself
· And please know your insurance information If you are going
to a medical doctor, have your medical card with you for them to
copy If you are going to a dental office, know the difference
between your medical and dental insurance and have the proper
card available Most dental policies are separate from the
medical policy Some vision policies are separate, also If you
work for a large corporation or a large group, such as State or
Federal employees, the office will probably know who is your
insurance carrier, but have your card available for them for ID
numbers, etc, from the card If you do not know who handles
your insurance, contact your Human Resources department for the
information before your appointment Or, if your doctor is
referring you to a specialist, you can obtain your insurance
information from your regular doctor to take to the specialist’s
office They will love you for this
· Which brings up the next point: reward any special favors
Bring goodies with you for the doctor and staff I’ve had
patients bring the doctor a bottle of wine and a box of cookies
for the staff Most people are watching their weight, so fresh
fruit is nice, too One patient brought fresh strawberries,
another fresh peaches in season Bake them a cake Bring a
potted plant Trust me, they’ll love you for it because it so
rarely happens If you do not have a chance to bring them
anything, a written card to the doctor and staff with specific
comments about how wonderful everyone was, is a great favorite,
too Praise the staff to the doctor if they do a good job and
they’ll be your friends forever
· Do not wear strong perfume I’m constantly amazed how often
patients do this Remember you are at a doctor’s office People
there are sick, hurting, or have some kind of malady A vast
majority of people gets headache from smelling strong perfume
You are never going to be a favorite patient nor are you going
to get the most compassionate service if all the staff can think
about is getting your smelly self out of their office as soon as
humanly possible Do you want to be a rush job? What if your
doctor is allergic to your perfume? Mine is! And so are members
of our staff It will be noted in your chart because a nurse or
assistant that can tolerate your smelly self will be assigned to
you while those you make sick will avoid you The doctor may
deliberately anger you just to get rid of you You will not be
treated well and may never know why because it is hard to tell a
patient that they stink! Enough said
· Do not cry Yeah you’re hurting, or deathly sick, but please
try not to cry Doctors and staff will feel helpless and sad for
you, but they’ll also be relieved when you leave Raw emotion is
hard for any human to deal with and doctors and staff are no
different
· Do not whine, or complain about another doctor you’ve already
seen It could be the doctor’s best friend Or a staff member’s
friend If you’ve been ‘doctor shopping’ and have seen several
doctors in a short period of time, don’t tell the new doctor
that you’ve seen ‘5 different doctors and can’t find a good
one’ You’ll be pegged as a ‘problem patient’ in a heartbeat and
won’t be taken as seriously Be professional when talking about
other doctors, not complaining
· Keep religion and politics out of your conversations in the
doctor’s office Period Unless you know the affiliation of your
doctor and/or staff matches yours from something they’ve said
I’ve seen a Baptist patient bring our Catholic doctor literature
that conflicted with his beliefs It created an uncomfortable
situation And don’t think just because you and everyone you
know is fed up with your country’s leaders, your doctor is also
He may be in a different financial situation than you are and
has differing opinions
With a little forethought and tact and lots of kindness, you can
be one of your doctor’s favorite patients Now, to find that
perfect doctor

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