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For a serious health problem, PRESS 1
If you have a serious health problem, PRESS 1.
Having spent the morning dealing with two large businesses - the phone company and the utility company - I have had it with the serpiginous dance that we must go through on the phone in order to access a live human being. For English, press 1....if your problem is an emergency, press 2....if this is something that can wait for later.....press 3, and so on. And finally after frustrating minutes of intense listening to those Interactive Voice Response menus (none of which are really appropriate for the reason you are calling), and you are not inadvertently disconnected, you may finally get to talk to a human being. Hopefully, this person is not the notorious "Answering Service" that puts you on hold again, only to come to inform you that the office is now closed for lunch and to call back again at 1 PM. However, finding an individual with ANY COMPANY that is (a) knowledgeable, (b) courteous, (c) efficient, and (d) helpful is becoming very, very rare. What has happened to customer service?
A medical office is really no different. Our phone response states, "If you have an emergency, hang up and call 911". Nearly ALL of the patients who call our office think they have an emergency, so paramedics are going to be dispatched to take care of pinkeye, diarrhea, toes that may be broken, and any number of self-declared emergencies. But, most people are dutifully put on hold until a live receptionist can get to their call. Granted, we have a very busy pediatric office and have a half-dozen people on the phones in the morning, the wait can still be quite long. For a parent with a pooping and/or screaming child (usually NOT an emergency, but clearly an URGENT problem), this is eternity. Of course, our music on-hold will calm them down. Right! Personally, if I hear "Spanish Eyes" on hold one more time, I think I will have a nervous breakdown.
Once you get the receptionist, only half of the battle has been won. Now, you have to get an appointment. In our office, we recently initiated an "open access" policy....anyone that calls, for any reason, can be seen today. That is really wonderful news for the consumer, but less desirable for the overworked medical provider. I have always had a policy that no matter how busy I was, I could always see one more patient. However, that policy is certainly being strained lately. Maybe I am a softy, because I rarely turn away anyone, and I would never turn away a sick child. One time, I waited over an hour for a child that needed a few stitches. The mother begged me to see her child. They were only ten minutes away. As I was getting in my car, I saw them pull up...kids eating McDonald food! "I had to feed them first; they were hungry!" After a 12-hour, non-stop shift, so was I. I sent them to the ER. I can see it now...three kids in a busy ER, one with a cut lip, and the rest jumping around, hyped up on junk food, and playing with the wheelchairs. They should be in and out of there in six or seven hours. That will teach her!
The WebMD boards are really like "Press 1". We have health experts and moderators monitoring those boards 24/7, but like a busy waiting room, not all postings are addressed in a timely fashion. The General Health board is an incredibly busy site since it is the "catch all" when members cannot find (or don't look for) a disease-specific board to post. Our mission is to help people help themselves to find answers, support from others and to help them learn to navigate the extremely complex and chaotic healthcare system that we have created. For many people, a posting on WebMD is just the first stop - the Press 1 - of a long, and often frustrating road to finding a solution to their health problem.
Dealing with today's health system is really no different than me pushing a dozen or so numbers trying to get my electricity and phone back on after a storm. It is not an emergency per se...I have a back-up generator and a fireplace, as well as a cell phone. Is it urgent? Yes. Would I like to have it fixed now? Yes. Would I like to talk to a human? More than you'll ever know. There is nothing like some good 'ol human kindness that can soothe many of the frustrations of life.
If you are tired of reading this, PRESS "Control...Alt...Delete".
Related Topics: Surfing the Web: Does Your Doctor Know Where You Are?
Having spent the morning dealing with two large businesses - the phone company and the utility company - I have had it with the serpiginous dance that we must go through on the phone in order to access a live human being. For English, press 1....if your problem is an emergency, press 2....if this is something that can wait for later.....press 3, and so on. And finally after frustrating minutes of intense listening to those Interactive Voice Response menus (none of which are really appropriate for the reason you are calling), and you are not inadvertently disconnected, you may finally get to talk to a human being. Hopefully, this person is not the notorious "Answering Service" that puts you on hold again, only to come to inform you that the office is now closed for lunch and to call back again at 1 PM. However, finding an individual with ANY COMPANY that is (a) knowledgeable, (b) courteous, (c) efficient, and (d) helpful is becoming very, very rare. What has happened to customer service?
A medical office is really no different. Our phone response states, "If you have an emergency, hang up and call 911". Nearly ALL of the patients who call our office think they have an emergency, so paramedics are going to be dispatched to take care of pinkeye, diarrhea, toes that may be broken, and any number of self-declared emergencies. But, most people are dutifully put on hold until a live receptionist can get to their call. Granted, we have a very busy pediatric office and have a half-dozen people on the phones in the morning, the wait can still be quite long. For a parent with a pooping and/or screaming child (usually NOT an emergency, but clearly an URGENT problem), this is eternity. Of course, our music on-hold will calm them down. Right! Personally, if I hear "Spanish Eyes" on hold one more time, I think I will have a nervous breakdown.
Once you get the receptionist, only half of the battle has been won. Now, you have to get an appointment. In our office, we recently initiated an "open access" policy....anyone that calls, for any reason, can be seen today. That is really wonderful news for the consumer, but less desirable for the overworked medical provider. I have always had a policy that no matter how busy I was, I could always see one more patient. However, that policy is certainly being strained lately. Maybe I am a softy, because I rarely turn away anyone, and I would never turn away a sick child. One time, I waited over an hour for a child that needed a few stitches. The mother begged me to see her child. They were only ten minutes away. As I was getting in my car, I saw them pull up...kids eating McDonald food! "I had to feed them first; they were hungry!" After a 12-hour, non-stop shift, so was I. I sent them to the ER. I can see it now...three kids in a busy ER, one with a cut lip, and the rest jumping around, hyped up on junk food, and playing with the wheelchairs. They should be in and out of there in six or seven hours. That will teach her!
The WebMD boards are really like "Press 1". We have health experts and moderators monitoring those boards 24/7, but like a busy waiting room, not all postings are addressed in a timely fashion. The General Health board is an incredibly busy site since it is the "catch all" when members cannot find (or don't look for) a disease-specific board to post. Our mission is to help people help themselves to find answers, support from others and to help them learn to navigate the extremely complex and chaotic healthcare system that we have created. For many people, a posting on WebMD is just the first stop - the Press 1 - of a long, and often frustrating road to finding a solution to their health problem.
Dealing with today's health system is really no different than me pushing a dozen or so numbers trying to get my electricity and phone back on after a storm. It is not an emergency per se...I have a back-up generator and a fireplace, as well as a cell phone. Is it urgent? Yes. Would I like to have it fixed now? Yes. Would I like to talk to a human? More than you'll ever know. There is nothing like some good 'ol human kindness that can soothe many of the frustrations of life.
If you are tired of reading this, PRESS "Control...Alt...Delete".
Related Topics: Surfing the Web: Does Your Doctor Know Where You Are?
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