other side

OTHER SIDE
have gone to the other side
no have not had a religious experience
have not become a buddist, moslem, hindu, or changed my
religious perspective
have not changed my political perspective
have not had a near death experience

have gone to the other side
am now a patient

a new world on this side
especially like to be seen as a patient when they dont know
im a physician

so this is what it is like

have been a practicing family physician for 30 years and have
rarely had to see a physician for care
probably why i have been so healthy all these years
(was a joke)

so this is what its like to sit in a waiting room and wait to be seen
i have enjoyed it as i like to watch and observe people in the office
and even at the airport or mall

i especially enjoy watching the kids in the waiting room
they can sure be busy
my waiting room must have been a real busy one as i saw a lot of
kids in my practice over the years
so thats why the waiting room was such a mess at the end of the day

it is interesting to watch the whole process now from the other side
from calling in and making an appointment, checking in on arrival,
sitting and waiting in the waiting room, checking into the exam room
by the nurse, then to observing the doctor as he does what i use to do

these are some observations

that some phone music while waiting sucks
that whoever answers the phone needs to be a pleasant person
that a friendly unrushed check in person is so important as they
   are the first impression of the office
that am glad i have insurance and a flex card to cover uncovered
   items
that would not like to stand and have to discuss financial stuff at the
   check in window where everyone can hear about how broke a
   person may be
that a comfortable clean waiting room is important
that feed back if the doctor or provider is running late is important
that walls need to be insulated-can hear phone conversations with
   patients about things i dont want to know about
that  the bathrooms need to be put where you cant hear some one
   flush or ...
that physicians need to make the use of technology we/i use
   everyday to make it easier to get appointments, get refills, get
   lab results, ask questions,etc
that doesnt hipaa laws cover phone conversations that can be
   overheard
that patients not have to walk around with urine cups in their hands
that follow up on labs and xrays via phone call, mail is important
   why not use texting/email like we all do
that those dam insurance companies and what they cover and how
   much they pay before hand is impossible to figure out
that a friendly person is fun to deal with
that a grumpy person makes the visit a bad one
that at the end it is nice to have a compassionate unrushed
   physician taking care of your health

overall though
my experiences have been good
now could do some consulting on what clinics could do to make
this side a more pleasant experience

the organicgreen doctor