Your Voice: Balancing rules empathy and apologies
Thank you for the James Sweeney article “Balancing egos and errors” (November 10, 2016). These are critical skills for physicians to maintain their objectivity and humility in treating patients. Patients reveal their utmost secrets that nobody else may know, to their physician and their staff, with high expectations, and even some that are unrealistic.
It is important to have some guidelines and rules by which to operate. Here are some general ideas I present as standard physician equipment:
If it is an office policy or generally excepted issue, let the staff handle it matter-of-factly. The physician or clinical staff will only get embroiled, frustrated and accomplish nothing.
If it is a financial issue, let the staff handle it in a matter-of-fact way. Use collections judiciously after multiple failed attempts to communicate and receive payment. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. A patient will generally stick with you if you empathize and work with them.
For minor clerical issues, office staff can hear the patient out, empathize, apologize (if there is an office error) and get to the bottom line for the patient.
For clinical issues, the physician must understand both sides of the story from the staff and patient before proceeding.
If there is a clinical error, such as patient getting the wrong medication or child getting wrong immunization:
1. The physician must hear the patient or parent out to allow them to get it off their chest.
2. Respectfully empathize with the patient or parent.
3. Apologize if wrongdoing and potential harm may have taken place.
4. Discuss what health risks to the patient may have occurred, if any.
5. Don’t forget to discuss any financial risks if the patient or insurance company may have paid inappropriately for a product or service. You will likely have to “eat” the cost of the service and any other care that stems from it. Be magnanimous and offer to fix it on the spot.
6. Create and describe a new process that you will institute to prevent the problem from happening to the patient or any patient in similar circumstance.
7. Lastly, make sure that the patient or parent understands all of the above and that you care.
If you follow these rules, patients will generally endure the bumps and bruises of an every day relationship with a physician and medical practice. If they get easily frustrated, inappropriate or abusive, let them go elsewhere.
Craig M. Wax, DO
Mullica Hill, New Jersey