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Lately in my office, I have had a rash of irritated patients.
There seems to be a periodic cyclical complaint.
This common complaint is that many doctor’s offices have ordered
and received records of exams and medical testing and have been reporting
these results abruptly to their patients – nothing has found this to be
okay. Many of our medical reports, such as x-ray, MRI, and lab
work, come back with all the pertinent information such as reasons, the
what, when and why, at the end of the report.
It usually has several “impressions.”
That is where the nuts and bolts of the condition lie. With the doctor’s haste in explaining test results and
further care, the patient is becoming irritated and leaves the office
confused about his or her health and well-being.
A classic example was brought to my attention this
evening. A patient requested
his x-rays from his doctor and was denied.
He was told that he did not own his x-rays even though he paid for
them. The rule of thumb is that
the cellulous of the x-ray material is indeed owned by the clinic and a part
of the patient’s permanent record; however, the patient owns the image and
the doctor is obligated to comply, copy, or release the x-rays.
There has been a trend in the past few years of
hospitals buying doctor’s practices.
Years ago, doctors owned hospitals, not hospitals owned doctors. I noticed, after several years of practice, in any kind of
business that once the compassion for your profession gets disconnected so
does the patient. Of course
this does not hold true in all cases, but it is getting more identified.
Learning how to like your patient, and having your
patient like you, raises the professional bar.
The patient can feel very confident and comfortable saying anything
to you, which lends you the ability to find something valuable and find a
diagnosis that you would have missed by being too hasty.
When a practice becomes too business-like it becomes too easy to
break the patient/doctor bond – faith, trust, loyalty, honor.
We as physicians, after all, are hired by the patient for our skills
and for all purposes we work for the patient until we elect not to.
Dear Doctor:
there should be no offense taken if the patient simply wants to know
what the exams and testing show. Answer
them; give them a copy of the report. With
a rushed and hurried office visit, the patient leaves the office more
confused and worried. Remember,
you are accepting a fee for your time and knowledge within. Patients have questions and concerns about their care and it
is our responsibility, as physicians, to take our time, answer all
questions, and put the patient’s mind at ease.
We must also take the necessary steps to heal all ailments and treat
the whole patient.
Chiropractically
Yours,
Robert
R. Zinser, D.C., C.C.S.P., P.C.
www.zinserchiropractic.com
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