MIEC has been receiving increasing calls from members who are concerned about patients who have not received a COVID vaccine. Members have expressed concerns regarding the safety of unvaccinated patients, other patients in the practice, and their staff. Some members have expressed an unwillingness to continue treating patients who are either vaccine-hesitant or who have refused to get vaccinated, or they are unwilling to see these patients in their offices. To address this question more broadly, MIEC turned to ECRI, which provided the following recommendations based on a review of clinical and gray literature and ECRI resources. ECRI answers questions...
The doctor-patient relationship is rooted in trust. Patients often present their most vulnerable selves to their physicians with the trust that they will remain respectful and professional at all times. An important part of establishing an atmosphere of trust is maintaining clear professional boundaries with patients. If this trust is compromised it can be damaging to the patient, your reputation, your practice, and the medical community. Not all cases are clear when it comes to avoiding boundary violations. Sure, it is easy to recognize blatant violations such as having sexual relations with a patient, but what about attending a wedding...
Text messaging or SMS (short message service) has become the virtual default method of direct communication in today’s society. As regular mail and even personal emails are increasingly as difficult to find as needles in virtual haystacks, and there is less and less time for telephone calls, individuals who want timely responses are using text messages to communicate- and this expectation is present in healthcare as well. Consider the following statistics: 95% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of being sent. (Forbes) 98% of text messages are read. (Physician Practice News) 91% of US adults 65+ own a...
Patient Complaints: How to Stop Them Before They Start
Studies show that the leading reasons for patient complaints include: delayed receipt of test results; excessive wait when scheduling an appointment or waiting to see the doctor; staff rudeness or a doctor’s poor “bedside manner;” and billing errors. Anticipating problems and responding promptly to com-plaints can prevent an unhappy patient from threatening to sue or hiring an attorney. How to avoid patient complaints: The best way to avoid patient complaints is to establish a positive physician-patient relationship and nurture the health of the relationship over time. Make a good first impression. Telephone triage, scheduling, and front office staff should communicate...