Waiting for Doctor to call with test results

August 24, 2004

Just a little insight into this situation straight from the *horse's mouth*, so to speak.

When we owned our RV park, we had a doctor and his wife as customers who had their own practice. Here's how they explained their SOP to us.

They had to schedule - and see - a patient every 15 minutes in order to make what they needed to make, or wanted to make, to pay their bills (salaries, overhead, insurance, etc..). In order to do this, most patients just became names on file folders for them.

If they scheduled any type of test that needed a follow-up explanation to the patient, they would schedule a follow-up appointment for the patient on a future date when they knew the test results would be back.

When they got the test results back, one of three things would happen:

(1) If the test result news was *good* and didn't require any follow-up treatment by the doctor, they would call the patient and give them the *good news* and cancel the appointment - which they could always fill with another patient.

(2) If the test result news was *bad* but didn't require immediate action, they would let the appointment stand and discuss the matter with the patient at the scheduled appointment time.

(3) If the test result news was *bad* and required immediate action (more tests or treatment), they would call the patient and set up an appointment immediately as soon as the patient could get to the office. They always had several unbooked time slots each day for such appointments or emergencies.

The doctor's wife (who was Head Nurse and Office Manager) and the nurses were actually the ones who knew more about the patients than the doctor - and he would readily admit this. He left those details up to the office staff. He just dealt with seeing the patients.

And here is an interesting tidbit that they told us. The doctor doesn't come into the office in the morning and go over his schedule for the day, reviewing patient files and such. What happens is this. You get called into the exam room and wait and wait. For what? Well, this is the time when the doctor goes into his office and reviews your file that the nurse just gave him. Then he comes in to see you. After that he goes back to his office and adds any notes to your file that he didn't put in during your exam. Then he picks up the file for the next patient and reviews it. The reasoning for this is that there are many more *no show* patients during a day's time than you would think. It is a wait of their time to review all the files first thing in the morning and then have a patient or two not show up. Better to wait until the patient is in the exam room, review the file and it is all fresh in the doctor's mind.

Not that I am happy at all with this procedure or the explanation, but it is just a fact of life that we patients are treated like that. It has become our responsibility to follow-up on our health care and call the doctors if we don't hear from them and can't wait for the appointment. And to ask questions when we see them face to face no matter how long it takes or how far behind it puts them on their appointment schedule. If we don't, we'll just be rushed in and out and come away with more unanswered questions.

Debbie Bohnsack

---Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).Version: 6.0.740 / Virus Database: 494 - Release Date: 8/16/2004

August 24, 2004

thanks for that reply. and all the others. i guess from the docs point of

view that is the best way to run things....but for someone who has to sit

and wait, it sucks. i think i will cancel my appt this friday.

>

>Reply-To: breastcancer2

>To: <breastcancer2 >

>Subject: Waiting for Doctor to call with test results

>Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 21:18:20 -0500

>

>Just a little insight into this situation straight from the *horse's

>mouth*, so to speak.

>

>When we owned our RV park, we had a doctor and his wife as customers who

>had their own practice. Here's how they explained their SOP to us.

>

>They had to schedule - and see - a patient every 15 minutes in order to

>make what they needed to make, or wanted to make, to pay their bills

>(salaries, overhead, insurance, etc..). In order to do this, most patients

>just became names on file folders for them.

>

>If they scheduled any type of test that needed a follow-up explanation to

>the patient, they would schedule a follow-up appointment for the patient on

>a future date when they knew the test results would be back.

>

>When they got the test results back, one of three things would happen:

>

>(1) If the test result news was *good* and didn't require any follow-up

>treatment by the doctor, they would call the patient and give them the

>*good news* and cancel the appointment - which they could always fill with

>another patient.

>

>(2) If the test result news was *bad* but didn't require immediate action,

>they would let the appointment stand and discuss the matter with the

>patient at the scheduled appointment time.

>

>(3) If the test result news was *bad* and required immediate action (more

>tests or treatment), they would call the patient and set up an appointment

>immediately as soon as the patient could get to the office. They always had

>several unbooked time slots each day for such appointments or emergencies.

>

>The doctor's wife (who was Head Nurse and Office Manager) and the nurses

>were actually the ones who knew more about the patients than the doctor -

>and he would readily admit this. He left those details up to the office

>staff. He just dealt with seeing the patients.

>

>And here is an interesting tidbit that they told us. The doctor doesn't

>come into the office in the morning and go over his schedule for the day,

>reviewing patient files and such. What happens is this. You get called into

>the exam room and wait and wait. For what? Well, this is the time when the

>doctor goes into his office and reviews your file that the nurse just gave

>him. Then he comes in to see you. After that he goes back to his office and

>adds any notes to your file that he didn't put in during your exam. Then he

>picks up the file for the next patient and reviews it. The reasoning for

>this is that there are many more *no show* patients during a day's time

>than you would think. It is a wait of their time to review all the files

>first thing in the morning and then have a patient or two not show up.

>Better to wait until the patient is in the exam room, review the file and

>it is all fresh in the doctor's mind.

>

>Not that I am happy at all with this procedure or the explanation, but it

>is just a fact of life that we patients are treated like that. It has

>become our responsibility to follow-up on our health care and call the

>doctors if we don't hear from them and can't wait for the appointment. And

>to ask questions when we see them face to face no matter how long it takes

>or how far behind it puts them on their appointment schedule. If we don't,

>we'll just be rushed in and out and come away with more unanswered

>questions.

>

>Debbie Bohnsack

>

>---

>Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

>Version: 6.0.740 / Virus Database: 494 - Release Date: 8/16/2004

_________________________________________________________________

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!

http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/

August 24, 2004