Navigating the Corporate Structure to Get What You Need: Part 4

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Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of The Dermatologist or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.

Rolling Out Your Project

When you want to introduce a change into your practice, something as small as adding a new piece of equipment or as large as switching to a new electronic medical record, take the extra effort to ensure the transition will be successful. Ask your team for their feedback before you propose this change to the “boss,” so they feel like they are part of the process. Change can be hard, so meet one on one with people who are essential to your project’s success, address their concerns, and ask for their support. Even after the project is approved, you should spend time with the people who will be affected. Dust off your “elevator pitch” to management and share it with your team. Explain why this change is needed, and what they should expect to happen for the first steps. Acknowledge any inconveniences others may experience and look for some early short-term wins to keep enthusiasm going.

Jason Reichenberg, MD | Austin, TX

Late Patients

While it is not always possible to accommodate late patients for one reason or another, turning the decision back on the patient is a winning move. When a patient is 15 to 20 minutes late, my response is typically, “We can accommodate you, but you will need to wait, and I cannot predict the timing as patients who come on time should not be impacted.” Either the patient will reschedule, and it is on them, or they are seen and typically rather appreciative that we accommodated them.

Adam Friedman, MD | Washington, DC

A Cure for No Shows

We all understand that some patients may miss an appointment, but patients who have missed 2 or more appointments need some reminder of the consequences of those no shows. Many offices may have a stated $50 or more office charge for missed appointments, but few staff like to collect those fees. Patients may have an excuse, which is often difficult to refute, and they may get upset or feel guilty. They may think the office is simply mercenary. I have an answer to these difficult situations that has worked over my entire career. Have this general policy for all patients to see: For a patient who has no showed 2 or more times, ask them to pay $50 for each no show, either by writing a check to a dermatology research organization or charitable fund of your choosing, or to one of their own favorite charities, and send you the cancelled check. They cannot accuse you of being mercenary and by contributing to a charity, they are making the world a better place.

Steve Shama, MD | Brookline, MA