icnmgrjill
07-07-2008, 01:52 PM
(Reprint - January 2004)
Advice from a urology patient service representative who also IS an IC patient!
(Editors Note: This was such good advice, we had to reprint this as a self help tip of the month thanks to Victoria A, who works in a major urology clinic on the west coast. She's also on IC patient and has excellent suggestions for us all!)
(1) Be courteous at all times, even when you don't to be.
"There's nothing more frustrating than to have a patient who calls back every hour asking why the doctor hasn't called yet. My urologist receives atleast 30 messages a day. He then prioritizes his time for the most urgent cases. If you're not one of the first calls, don't get upset. He may be working with a terminally ill patient who needs his time more urgently. Don't yell or take out your frustration on your doctor or other staff. Be compassionate. Ask the receptionist for an estimated time to expect a call back. Be courteous at all times, even when you don't want to be."
(2) If you ask to be seen immediately, please take the appt. that we can schedule for you.
"If someone calls and then begs for an appointment, please don't refuse the times we offer you. If we're willing to rearrange our schedule to accommodate you, then we hope that you will rearrange yours to help us. If you're in that much pain and discomfort, take the first available appointment and rearrange your schedule if needed."
(3) Keep records of your medical numbers, medications and exams to refer to during your phone calls and appointments.
"I have a real issue with patients who have to run to their bathroom to tell me what prescription they are taking or have to find their wallet to give their medical record number. Be prepared before you call! Trying to 'remember' the name of your medication, your last test results or the doctor you saw wastes everyones time, especially yours. Worse, if you don't have the information, we are required to order/review your medical file before we can act. This could take an hour or so, especially in larger clinics. Use the ICN Medical Records File to log your appointments, medications and tests so that you can refer to it in a quick and easy way. BE PREPARED!!!!"
(4) Be specific with your doctor.
"We often see patients who just say 'It hurts or it burns.' This doesn't help us. You have to be more specific and descriptive. Does it hurt as you urinate or after you urinate. Does it hurt in your belly or on your vulva or penis. Does it hurt all the time, or does it come and go. Do you have pain with sex. Don't be embarassed about talking about your bladder symptoms. The more specific you are, the better your doctor will be able to help you. It seems that men are much more comfortable talking about their symptoms than many women. It's very sad when we see any patient (man or woman) who has suffered for years because they were too embarassed to talk about it."
(5) Don't wait until the end of the day or the end of the week to call with a problem.
"If you call after 3pm, there's a good chance that your doctor is doing rounds, in the OR or is working on another emergency. Worse, if you call on Friday at 3pm, there's little chance that you can be seen and you may end up making a trip to the emergency room. The best time to call doctors offices or clinics is early in the week and early in the day."
(6) Be on time to your appointments and be flexible if we're running late.
"We wish that we could see every patient exactly at their appointment time but that doesn't always happen. When our doctors run late, that usually means that they've had to spend time with another patient who needed extra help. For example, a patient may think that they have a simple UTI only to discover that they have kidney stones. Thus, a ten minute appointment can become a 60 minute odyssey. Be grateful that your doctor is willing to spend extra time with any patient. Remember, that patient could be you on another day.
Advice from a urology patient service representative who also IS an IC patient!
(Editors Note: This was such good advice, we had to reprint this as a self help tip of the month thanks to Victoria A, who works in a major urology clinic on the west coast. She's also on IC patient and has excellent suggestions for us all!)
(1) Be courteous at all times, even when you don't to be.
"There's nothing more frustrating than to have a patient who calls back every hour asking why the doctor hasn't called yet. My urologist receives atleast 30 messages a day. He then prioritizes his time for the most urgent cases. If you're not one of the first calls, don't get upset. He may be working with a terminally ill patient who needs his time more urgently. Don't yell or take out your frustration on your doctor or other staff. Be compassionate. Ask the receptionist for an estimated time to expect a call back. Be courteous at all times, even when you don't want to be."
(2) If you ask to be seen immediately, please take the appt. that we can schedule for you.
"If someone calls and then begs for an appointment, please don't refuse the times we offer you. If we're willing to rearrange our schedule to accommodate you, then we hope that you will rearrange yours to help us. If you're in that much pain and discomfort, take the first available appointment and rearrange your schedule if needed."
(3) Keep records of your medical numbers, medications and exams to refer to during your phone calls and appointments.
"I have a real issue with patients who have to run to their bathroom to tell me what prescription they are taking or have to find their wallet to give their medical record number. Be prepared before you call! Trying to 'remember' the name of your medication, your last test results or the doctor you saw wastes everyones time, especially yours. Worse, if you don't have the information, we are required to order/review your medical file before we can act. This could take an hour or so, especially in larger clinics. Use the ICN Medical Records File to log your appointments, medications and tests so that you can refer to it in a quick and easy way. BE PREPARED!!!!"
(4) Be specific with your doctor.
"We often see patients who just say 'It hurts or it burns.' This doesn't help us. You have to be more specific and descriptive. Does it hurt as you urinate or after you urinate. Does it hurt in your belly or on your vulva or penis. Does it hurt all the time, or does it come and go. Do you have pain with sex. Don't be embarassed about talking about your bladder symptoms. The more specific you are, the better your doctor will be able to help you. It seems that men are much more comfortable talking about their symptoms than many women. It's very sad when we see any patient (man or woman) who has suffered for years because they were too embarassed to talk about it."
(5) Don't wait until the end of the day or the end of the week to call with a problem.
"If you call after 3pm, there's a good chance that your doctor is doing rounds, in the OR or is working on another emergency. Worse, if you call on Friday at 3pm, there's little chance that you can be seen and you may end up making a trip to the emergency room. The best time to call doctors offices or clinics is early in the week and early in the day."
(6) Be on time to your appointments and be flexible if we're running late.
"We wish that we could see every patient exactly at their appointment time but that doesn't always happen. When our doctors run late, that usually means that they've had to spend time with another patient who needed extra help. For example, a patient may think that they have a simple UTI only to discover that they have kidney stones. Thus, a ten minute appointment can become a 60 minute odyssey. Be grateful that your doctor is willing to spend extra time with any patient. Remember, that patient could be you on another day.