And unlike many a past vet experience, each professional affiliated with this practice called me by my name! I was at once more than just the pet owner and the check signer. I was addressed with respect, dignity, honesty and spoken to as if I were an intelligent human being.
If my eyes began to glaze over with the invoking of a medical phrase or procedure referenced in the conversation, the vet didn’t wait for me to ask questions nor did she assume I would ask a question about something I appeared not to understand. Rather, she provided a quick “medicine for dummies” explanation, further expediting my education and strengthening our clinician-pet owner alliance.
There were opportunities, too, for me to ask questions later on and before we concluded each visit or phone call.
Now I don’t intend to leave you with the impression that I was totally happy with everything. I wasn’t. The cost of surgery blew me away. But before the surgery was scheduled, the costs were discussed, itemized in print and the clinic intentionally “over-estimated” charges and the need for ancillary services, such as extended anesthesia, so that at check-out time, I might see a somewhat smaller “amount due” than what I was originally told.
And then there was the discussion to educate and prepare me that this “stony” situation may reoccur in the years ahead, necessitating additional surgical interventions. There had also been a pre-op informed discussion about both temporary and longer-lasting effects of the surgery that might precipitate accidents and pet-owner distress over same. For an example, Rover’s urinary discharge aim is a bit erratic temporarily, so my pant leg takes a hit every so often. All this to say: when the accidents occurred, I was armed with knowledge and expectation, and therefore already psychologically equipped to handle these occasional mishaps, without panic, impatience, alarm or disenchantment.
While it is unreasonable and unlikely that all patients are going to be 100% satisfied, investing time to address potential issues that may be the cause of dissatisfaction before these occur lessens the impact and “sting.” An informed consumer (patient) is a more contented consumer.
My objective in sharing this experience is to substantiate personally the benefit of effective patient communication, an ideal and a process that Princeton endorses and strongly advocates for its insureds. The actual communication by phone for each of the above instances took maybe 45 seconds to a little more than a minute. With human patients, understandably, this communication process may take a bit longer. But an educated patient who experiences your finely-honed communications skills becomes a much happier patient and the satisfaction from this encounter and experience increases dramatically. This is true even when the news is less-than-hoped-for, or the long-term prognosis is not as positive as was hoped, or there are obstacles that must be overcome (perhaps with medications, equipment needs, getting around, accessing community and other support services).
Supporting studies indicate that:
Communication training “improves the process and outcome of care without lengthening the visit.”
Communication can influence perceptions that the patient encounter is patient-centered and correlates positively to improved health status and increased efficiency of care.
Communication skills have a direct association with patient satisfaction.
Here to assist you in honing your communication skills are several members of the Princeton Healthcare Risk Services staff who are faculty members of the Institute for Healthcare Communication based in New Haven, CT. These staffers are certified to teach courses in communication that will also provide continuing education credits. Three such workshops are currently being offered to Princeton insured physicians, one of which is specifically geared to ED physicians and hospitalists.
And skillful communication should be more than part of just your arsenal of techniques for patient care. What about your staff? Since your support staff may be the first point of contact that your patient has with your practice, it is incumbent upon these folks to hone their communication skills as well.
Princeton Insurance is offering a seminar for office practice managers and administrators on October 15th, 2008 in East Windsor, NJ. The seminar focuses on risk management and patient safety issues, one of which is effective communication with patients and other members of the office practice.
Visit the Princeton Insurance website for additional information on these and other communication-based programs and services for our insureds.
To learn more about the October 15th workshop, Paving a Road to Success, A Patient Safety Seminar for Office Practice Managers, go to this web address.
And download the brochure here.