Karen Appold is a medical writer in Pennsylvania.
Winning Strategies for the Waiting Game
When a rheumatologist is running late, it’s best to be up front with patients about it. “Communication is a valuable tool in patient satisfaction, even when the message is something they don’t want to hear,” says Charlene K. Mooney, consulting executive, Halley Consulting Group, Columbus, Ohio, who suggests presenting it as an unavoidable delay or emergency. “Keep the patient apprised of the situation and periodically update them. Offer the opportunity to reschedule. When patients are made to feel their time is valuable and the practice is extremely sorry to inconvenience them, typically they will be understanding.”
“We do our best to be very transparent with our patients because we want to maintain a positive relationship,” says Peter Zigfrid Zadvinskis, MD, rheumatologist, Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, Mich. “If an unexpected wait is likely, we are open about it right from the start. We have found that not telling patients what is going on is more likely to irritate them than being open and apologetic.”
Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR, director, Arthritis Treatment Center, Frederick, Md., says his receptionist overestimates the time of a delay, so patients are pleasantly surprised if they don’t have to wait as long as expected. Staff members and Dr. Wei apologize to patients when they have to wait.
Carlos A. Sesin, MD, chief, Division of Rheumatology, Mount Sinai Medical Center/Vanguard Rheumatology Partners, Miami Beach, Fla., says the practice strives to make the waiting area as comfortable as possible, and updates patients every 15 to 20 minutes on delays. “We offer them water or coffee and free Wi-Fi, try to keep an interesting mix of reading material available and play relaxing music,” he says.
For the occasional upset patient, Dr. Sesin will address the issue. “I apologize and explain what has happened,” he says. “I explain that I’m the type of doctor who will see patients without an appointment for an urgent visit, such as a gout attack. Unfortunately, this means that from time to time I run late. In the end, patients realize that they would prefer to have an accommodating doctor like me than one who would make them wait to be seen for a few weeks.”
Reference
- McCormack M. How to treat patient wait-time woes. Software Advice. Accessed 2015 Sep 21.
