So I don't fully comprehend this. But the attendings at my institute are very very worried about patient satisfaction scores.
I am totally happy being reasonable and letting patient's go and shop around for other physicians.
But I am concerned if this means that I am out a bonus or something...
i dunno either as I am free of the shackles of the hospital
My colleagues have just told me that for every antagonistic patient encounter that lowers satisfaction scores, this leads to some kind of penalty and the administrators are particularly peeved off because they are not getting some kind of bonus or award. whether that is monetary or based on reputation is unclear to me.
I was trying to convey that no administrator tells me what to do as I am my own administrator and I will tell off my patients (if utterly appropriate to do so... not my first move as that ruins the patient-doctor relationship) if the patient becomes unreasonable, antagonistic, and confrontational despite attempts to work things out amicably.
Usually these antagonistic attempts came about because of patients who wanted to receive concierge level of care from me and instant access while using managed medicaid insurance. I have quite a number of these entitled patients New Yorkers. I am born and raised in NYC but I deride new yorkers as "always in a rush to go no where in particular." They get angry when their PET/CT scan cannot be done on the same day in MY OFFICE.
If anyone tried to put a 1 star review with unintelligible twitter / X levels of stupidity amongst my sea of 5s, you bet I am creating a burner account and then 5 starring myself and doing a "community notes" stating (without PHI or anything) that the "above 1 star review was from a spoiled patient who did not get concierge level of care."
While this level of seemingly unprofessional behavior by myself seems to be something that will land most doctors in hot water, this is why I am independent from the hospital system. I do not have to answer to any administrators.
I operate by always do right by the patient and always go to bat for them. But I am not in the (expletive)-kissing and (expletive)-licking business. I will make my patients satisfied by treating them fully, properly, and completely with open communication. Heck, I even email and portal message people at odd hours of the night. As long as patients do things in good faith with me, I will respond in kind.
but if they want special VIP concierge treatment or get mad because they did not, they can find another doctor.
An administrator would be aghast at this from an employed doctor lol.
Addendum: just so no one thinks I am a miserable person who hates his patients...
yesterday I consulted on two patients with dyspnea and CT with definite UIP. I run PFTs in my office on the same as the visit (with modifier -25 this can be done and i get paid) moderate restriction and 6MWT shows reduced walking distance and desaturations to 80% or so.
oxygen ordered personally (I use this great online DME portal that connects to the local Community Surgical DME store in NYC)
oxygen concentrator and portable Inogen confirmed received this morning for both.
PA for Ofev done personally on CoverMymeds - approved right away
my front desk staff three way calls the patients with Optum specialty pharmacy (as the patients have a hard time navigating) and Ofev will be sent to their door overnight tomorrow for the Medi/Medi patient for $4 a month copay
one patient has Managed Medicare without medicaid - his out of pocket monthly copay is going to be nearly $1000.
my front desk coordinates via hipaa secure email to fill out the BI Cares financial assistance form. this is sent in. usually the company will find a way to get 1-2 years of free Ofev depending on his financial status
all this is done in record time. i do not expect any patients to give me flowers.
I expect patients not to complain about not getting concierge care ever again.
in PP my motto doing things this fast is get it done so the patient enters the follow up phase in 2-3 months and then get to the next new patient/consultation. keep the assembly line flowing but never cut corners or compromise care. I will always try to do the "full workup and management" as any academic doctor would do. I just speed the process up to Warp 9.99999 (in the old star trek canon, warp 10 is not reachable)