my story revisited 20-ive gone to the other side

MY STORY REVISITED 20-IVE GONE TO THE OTHER SIDE

before i was diagnosed at the age of 60 i had rarely sat in a doctors waiting room
well
over the last 9 years i have had plenty of experience sitting there
waiting

now
what i say is
this is all pay back
so
i just sit and wait and never get mad about my appointment being late

ive been on the other side so i understand how doctors schedules get behind
emergencies happen
an important complaint appears in the middle of a simple appointment
severe depression or suicidal thoughts or abuse or chest pain etc can be mentioned
as a provider you have to stop and care for these issues
ignore a depressed person and something bad can happen

if this happens early in the day the rest of the schedule can be slowed

so
i just sit and wait for my time

now some folks are just chronically slow in seeing patients
thats the way they operate
they rarely change
what ive noticed is while you are in the room they are giving the time you need
as their schedule gets behinder and behinder

now if you have a squirming child or an elderly dementia patient in the waiting room
i can see how impatience can be a factor

me
i understand both sides

in my blog below written almost 9 years ago i made observations after my first few months of being a patient
as
i was now
on the other side


02-25-2011
OTHER SIDE
i have gone to the other side
no i have not had a religious experience
i have not become a buddhist, muslim, hindu, or changed my religious perspective
i have not changed my political perspective
i have not had a near death experience

i have gone to the other side
i am now a patient

its a new world on this side
i especially like to be seen as a patient when they dont know
im a physician

so this is what it is like

i have been a practicing family physician for 30 years and have
rarely had to see a physician for care
its probably why i have been so healthy all these years
(that was a joke)

so this is what its like to sit in a waiting room and wait to be seen
i have enjoyed it as i like to watch and observe people in the office
and even at the airport or mall

i especially enjoy watching the kids in the waiting room
they can sure be busy
my waiting room must have been a real busy one as i saw a lot of
kids in my practice over the years
so thats why the waiting room was such a mess at the end of the day

it is interesting to watch the whole process now from the other side
from calling in and making an appointment, checking in on arrival,
sitting and waiting in the waiting room, checking into the exam room
by the nurse, then to observing the doctor as they do what i use to do

these are some observations

that some waiting room music while waiting sucks
that whoever answers the phone needs to be a pleasant person
that a friendly unrushed check in person is so important as they
are the first impression of the office
that i am glad i have insurance and a flex card to cover uncovered items
that i would not like to stand and have to discuss financial stuff at the
check in window where everyone can hear about how broke a person may be
that a comfortable clean waiting room is important
that feed back if the doctor or provider is running late is important
that walls need to be insulated-i can hear phone conversations with patients about things i dont want to know about
that  the bathrooms need to be put where you cant hear someone flush or ...
that physicians need to make the use of technology we/i all use everyday to make it easier to get appointments, get refills, get lab results, ask questions,etc
that doesnt hipaa laws cover phone conversations that can be overheard
that patients not have to walk around with urine cups in their hands
that follow up on labs and xrays via phone call, mail is important
why not use texting/email like we all do
that those damn insurance companies and what they cover and how much they pay before hand is impossible to figure out
that a friendly person is fun to deal with
that a grumpy person makes the visit a bad one
that at the end it is nice to have a compassionate unrushed physician taking care of your health

overall though
my experiences have been good
now i could do some consulting on what clinics could do to make this side a more pleasant experience

the organicgreen doctor