Everyone these days seems interested in improving quality of care, a major focus of both government and private pay-for-performance initiatives. But, as physicians know all too well, quality improvement is a collaborative effort, a partnership between patient and provider. Here’s a brief news story that talks about what patients can do to help make that concept work.
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
While patients want a doctor whom they like and can talk to easily, what’s most critical to them—especially if they’re very ill—is the doctor’s medical competence, according to a recent study of almost 1,200 patients. Patients were willing to pay more for a thorough physical examination and continuity of care than they were for simply a friendly physician and reduced waiting time.
What Patients Want From Primary Care Consultations: A Discrete Choice Experiment to Identify Patients’ Priorities [Via Annals of Family Medicine]
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Phyllis Hollenbeck, author of Sacred Trust: The Ten Rules of Life, Death and Medicine (Book Publishers Network), has long maintained that medical consumers need to be more discriminating about who they chose to handle their health. She points out, “Many patients feel they have no power in a doctor’s office, but in fact they hold all the power. They are employing the doctor, and have every right to, in effect, fire them if they’re not satisfied with the service being provided.” continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
In California, some doctors are objecting to a request by Blue Cross that asks doctors to look for conditions that new patients haven’t disclosed in their insurance application forms. The insurer says this helps combat fraud, and is nothing new; the request is voluntary for physicians. Some doctors feel it violates the doctor-patient relationship. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Word-of-mouth and recommendations are the best ways to get new patients. And patients are seeking those person-to-person reports, but not always from folks they know. Public websites that report on doctors are getting more and more traffic.
And patients don’t only comment on the physician. Everything that happens in your office is fair game for comment, from your selection of magazines to the interaction of your staff. And while consumers may look primarily for qualities like trust and compassion, those may not always be the best factors for rating a doctor. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Are patients more likely to listen to your admonitions to lose weight or stop smoking if you tell them you exercise? Do their chronic health problems have a better chance to improve if they visit doctors who jog a few days a week or hit the gym regularly? continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Poll after poll shows that patients want an online relationship with doctors, but that doctors aren’t obliging. The latest one from Harris Interactive is no exception. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on e-mail ...
A recently published study in the journal Annals of Family Medicine found that even low-income families who have health insurance are having problems getting care as well as paying for it.
The study was designed to identify barriers low-income parents face when accessing health care for their children and how insurance status affects their reporting of these barriers. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Can Google be too much of a good thing when it comes to the doctor/patient relationship?
Time magazine has a story by Dr. Scott Haig, assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Haig tells about one of his patinets who not only looked up information about her condition online, but also looked up as much personal information about the doctor as possible during their initial phone conversation. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
Have you apologized to a patient after making a medical error? Would you be less likely to apologize and admit responsibility if it was a serious medical error?
The Memphis Commercial Appeal has an article Dr. Manoj Jain, chairman of the Healthy Memphis Common Table Community Partners Council and an infectious-disease physician, looking at this issue. Jain believes that disclosing errors is a must to maintain the long-term trust of a patient. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
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