This post will be a continuation of a discussion on the role of Customer Care (Service) in healthcare delivery.  The experience of a friend prompted me to begin talking about this a few posts ago in Does Customer Care Trump Technical Skill in Health Care Quality?  My last post, How Does Customer Care Fit in Health Care Quality? began to explore the role of Customer Care.  Now we’ll get more practical.

So how do you make sure your care is the best, both from a clinical and personal or customer service perspective?  Depending on the medical issue and urgency of getting treatment, you may have a chance to do some investigation before the procedure.  Over the next 3 posts, I will discuss activities to be done during each of these 3 time periods:.

1. Before your procedure
2. During your stay in the healthcare facility
3. After you go home

Let’s start with what you can do before the procedure.

Clinical Quality

Since many healthcare needs occur suddenly and their treatment can be critical, you may think it is impossible to know which doctor to choose or where to get the care.  If it is an emergency and you’re in the Emergency Room (ER), unless you know of a specific specialist for your problem, you will get the specialist appropriate for your condition who is on-call for the ER.  These on-call physicians have had their credentials reviewed and approved by the hospital, though customer service or what is sometimes called “bedside manner” is not usually a quality that gets reviewed.  If you already have a primary care physician (PCP), you can always ask the ER physician to contact your PCP to get the PCP’s recommendation for a specialist.  So even if an emergency occurs, you don’t have to go it alone.  It’s another good reason to establish yourself with a PCP while you’re well.

If you will be having an elective procedure, like a thyroidectomy or hysterectomy for non-urgent reasons, ask the surgeon about the number of procedures they do per month as well as their success & complication rates.  The more experience, the better.  Also, make sure they are Board Certified in the appropriate area of specialization.  In most states you can also look at an individual physician’s information on the state’s Board of Medicine website.  The exact name of the board varies from state to state but a search for board of medicine and your state’s name should help you find it.  This information gives you an indication of the clinical competence of the physician.

Customer Service (Bedside Manner)

Judging bedside manner is a little more difficult.  Some websites, such as ones provided by health insurers, give patient reviews of physicians and their practices.  If you know someone who has the same medical issue, ask them about the specialist and the care they’ve received.  Ask if they’d recommend getting treatment from that physician and facility.

Finally, if you happen to know a nurse or another health professional, ask them if they know about the specialist you are planning to see.  Perhaps, they’ve worked with the physician and know firsthand the kind of care he or she provides.

In the next post I’ll talk about some of the steps you can take while you’re in the healthcare facility during your treatment or while having your procedure.  I welcome your comments.

For Your Health – Dr. Bob