"Medical patience"

On 2004-05-25 11:25:55 -0400, [email protected] (Mike) said:

> Medical patience Patients often think they are allowed too
> little time in the office — especially for a routine
> physical examination — and aren't given enough
> information about medicines or tests prescribed. Many
> physicians complain about patients showing up with a
> shopping list of talking points instead of focusing on
> their most important concerns. at http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20040524-094642-
> 2875r.htm

This is news? ;-)

As long as insurance reimbursements continue to decline,
physicians will continue to be forced to see larger numbers
of patients in order to maintain the financial viability of
their practices. Other variables such as payer mix, coding
accuracy, available office hours, and overhead are also in
play, but the most fundamental problem is that physicians
are increasingly paid too little, too late (or not at all)
for their services. It's challenging to be the doctor who
always gives patients the time they need, without being the
doctor who's running perpetually behind schedule. It's an
art, encompassing everything from appropriate scheduling,
availability, and office efficiency, to the physican's body
language, verbal tone and pacing, and how he/she utilizes
the time spent in the exam room. Some doctors are "rabbits",
while other are "turtles", and patients tend to gravitate to
physicians whose practice styles match up with their
expectations. If there's a mismatch, dissatisfaction
inevitably results.