As a young and ambitious physician, Rebecca Stacie was constantly looking for ways to improve office efficiency. She had recently decided to work as a sole practitioner in her own medical clinic specializing in internal medicine. Within a few months, word had gotten around about how helpful and thorough she was—she seemed to be more caring and more willing to take time with patients.
But her popularity had a downside. As her patient load increased, she began to hear grumbling from her patients about the long wait times. One rather outspoken elderly patient had told her point blank that she was fed up with all the waiting. "You schedule me for 9 a.m. and I get here a few minutes early. Then I sit in the waiting room for 20 minutes or more. Then your nurse calls me into an exam room and I get to sit there for another half hour. I show you the courtesy of being here on time and I'd appreciate it if you'd show similar respect for my time, doctor."
Dr. Stacie apologized and said she would work on being more punctual, although it was very difficult to judge how long each patient visit would take. When she asked her office staff if they were hearing more complaints they said they were. "And the problem is taking on a new look," said her office nurse. "Patients are showing up later and later. They don't even apologize. They typically say they know they'll be waiting and the doc will be late, so why should they try to get to their appointment on time." Of course, the tardy patients tie up everyone else and the problem gets worse for everyone.
Probes
1. If you were managing Dr. Stacie's office, what actions would you take to try to A-plus patients with timely services? Be specific.
2. How might you manage the patient's expectations more effectively?
3. Could Dr. Stacie use any other techniques discussed in this chapter? How?