Dead Fish and Dead Plants: What Message Are You Sending Your Patients?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Consultant360 or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, association, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

 

AUTHOR:
Neil Baum, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Urology, Tulane Medical School, New Orleans, LA

Author, Marketing Your Clinical Practice-Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, Jones Bartlett Publishers


 

Dead fish in the aquarium and dead plants in your waiting rooms and examination rooms don’t exude a message of confidence to your patients. All of the following are also red flags to patients: ancient magazines in the reception area; a doctor using paper charts instead of electronic medical records; old brochures and patient education materials; prolonged waiting to be seen by the doctor; carrying a paper prescription to the pharmacy; having to wait 30 to 45 minutes to have the prescription filled; long telephone hold times when calling the office; waiting 2 to 3 weeks to obtain the results of a test or study; and failure of the doctor to return calls about laboratory tests and hearing from the staff or doctor that no news is good news! These are all signs of a doctor using antiquated processes that probably do not reflect up-to-date, state-the-of-the-art skills in your practice.

Bottom line: Patients are making clinical decisions based on what they see, hear, and even smell—the non-clinical aspects of your practice. All of these non-clinical signs of being “old school” can easily be changed. So take a moment to look at your practice through your patients’ eyes. Start watering the plants and removing the dead fish from the aquarium!