| Best
of 2007 Reprint:
Mr.
and Mrs. Jones
Patient
management, regardless of the type of case is elementally
very simple, and stress free, BUT only if you start
out exactly right with the Mrs. Joneses, from day
1.
I had a patient show up yesterday,
in agony, who just stopped treatment ten days ago
(chronic post op LBP) "to see what would happen."
The real reason she stopped of course, is that even
though she had initially agreed to pay beyond her
twelve visit coverage, and she agreed to be compliant,
she did not want to pay anything out of pocket.
Of course I did what I could to alleviate
her suffering, helped her up, and said "Mrs.
Jones, as we discussed initially, if you fail to follow
my advice, I am forced to discharge you from care."
She looked absolutely aghast. I proceeded
to reiterate that not only do non-compliant patients
not get better, they become a professional liability.
I think she finally got it. She knows
it’s not about the money, but her in her own best
interest. It remains to be seen whether she will follow
up or not.
In any event, this is practice today.
Hold your ground, be polite but firm, and ever vigilant
for patient encounters that potentially create trouble
for you and your team.
Practice by design, on your terms,
earn the respect and income you deserve, and above
all get patients back to health who want it.
Remember what I say to patients, "Mrs.
Jones, I can only be about your health, not your insurance."
To be truly successful in private
practice now, financial barriers must stay down.
Perceived value and your level of
service must remain high at all times. Your intent
as a doctor must be unshakeable.
This is exactly what prompted Mrs.
Jones to bring her husband in to meet me, and tell
me she wants to continue long term care, now gladly
self-paying.
Mr. Jones is now very happy as well.
Remember, our Mrs. Jones is a post-op,
chronic LB patient. Numerous other approaches just
have not given her adequate results. Axial distraction
(manual), SOT, and intersegmental traction are working
great. I added more TLC, nutrition and exercise personalization
as well. I am working with her PCP to help reduce
her meds too.
Nothing fancy, but solid results,
reasonable cost and confidence in her doctors ability.
Doctors, sometimes we make practice
so hard.
It really is this simple. Be a good
doctor first, have excellent support systems in place
(and today there are many you need), and be only about
your patients health.
A phenomenally rewarding life awaits
you, but only if you take all the right steps, by
design.
Learn to fully Practice by Design,
not default. |
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