Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Getting the boot
Some docs in my town never discharge patients. Never never never. I’m not sure why this is, unless they figure their staff will serve as a shield to absorb the bulk of that patient’s obnoxiousness.
My favorite saying on this topic? “I don’t pay you enough to put up with that. Discharge.”
By far and away, obnoxiousness is the number one reason I discharge patients. I don’t care how nice a patient is to me; if he screams at one of my staff, uses abusive language, or threatens any one of us, we show him the door. Permanently.
I feel like a model for Playboy. Dislikes: rude people!!!
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Some folks consider receptionists fair game for their abuse. My billing person also takes her share of verbal battery. Most of the time, there’s a simple misunderstanding at play (many folks don’t understand what it means to “adjust off the bill”), but what can you do if the patient drowns out your explanations with profanity?
We also discharge for noncompliance, particularly if the patient’s noncompliance puts himself at risk and he has resisted my attempts at explanation. Also, if a parent repeatedly no-shows for their child’s appointment, the State requires us to report him or her to Child Protective Services. In my opinion, this permanently poisons the relationship between me and the patient’s parent. They haven’t left me much choice.
While I’m on that topic, anything that poisons the doctor-patient relationship is grounds for dismissal. I don’t take death threats too kindly. Sure, they’re usually crazy jackasses, but you never know if they are card-carrying-NRA-type crazy jackasses. Less extreme: lying to me will often lead to a discharge. If I can’t trust you, I can’t take care of you (or your child).Â
For the most part, simply driving me crazy and/or sucking my brains will not get you discharged. I might dread seeing you, which may not be such a good thing for the doctor-patient relationship, but I’ll still do my best by you.
Just had to get that off my chest. I hope I haven’t bored you!
D.
I live in France, with socialized medicine, so I imagine it must take a lot of stress away to know that the health care is free. I’ve been to the emergency ward, the doctor, the hospital – many times – and the only problem I ever saw came from someone who was Very intoxicated and obnoxious. Maybe the stress levels here are lower.
(doctors are paid far less too though.)
If I could work shorter hours and live with less stress, I’d take the pay cut. Oh, assuming I get to live in France, too 😉
You haven’t bored me, but after my posted topic and then popping in here, I’m ever so relieved I wasn’t rude or threatening to the wind-up merchants today ;o)
What kind of an idiot would piss of a doctor? I mean maybe if you were planning on leaving the doctor’s practice, it would make sense to slam the door on the way out. But giving shit to the dude who has the ways and means to shove tubes in various parts of your anatomy?
I don’t think so. It’s bad enough if you PO the staff that has the ability to make your billing life hell or give you rotten appointment times.
Speaking of billing and stuff, come to my blog and give me some money.
“piss off”. Not piss of or piss on.
If only EMTs could do that, I’d still be roaming the midnight streets of LA. *Sigh.*
Funny, my experience with my doctor is usually the other way around. He’s always pissing me off. He gets this snarky attitude with me whenever I question him about his suggested treatments or new medication he wants to put me on. I just want to know why he’s doing what he’s doing. Not that I have no confidence in his abilities.
Doug, I think I would like having you for my doctor, because I know that you at least have a sense of humor.
Rudeness used to drive me nuts, too. Then something weird happened to my brain, and now I want to understand why they’re being rude, and try to alleviate whatever is causing it. I’ve been infected by some kind of peacemaking bug, and I can’t help myself.
I used to roll my eyes at the ‘bleeding hearts,’ and now I am one. Who ever said God doesn’t have a sense of humor?
Of course, you have every right to discharge patients, even if it’s just because they smell bad or clean their ears every day with a pocket knife.
I choose my doctors very carefully. Like Anduin, I want someone I can discuss my medical condition with and any proposed treatments or tests.
If you can’t have an aimiable relationship with your doctor and be proactive in your own health, then the two of you are not a good fit, and the patient should look for a more compatible situation.
I generally make an appointment to talk with a doctor before I go into treatment to make sure that it is someone knowledgeable about my lovely medical conditions, and someone who will discuss them with me. If I think we can work well together, I stay for an examination. If not, I thank him for his time, pay him, and leave.
I don’t think abuse helps anyone in any situation. You abuse someone all it does is make you look like a jackass. You don’t make your point either. All mistreating someone gets you is defensiveness, and defensivness doesn’t listen.
As for a doctor’s staff, they are just doing their jobs. I have always found them to be kind and professional. They should be treated well no matter what the doctor does.
I had a job before I got too sick with my MS to work,with an employer whose existance invited abuse. This then spilled over onto me, simply because I was the first face the public saw. I know how that goes and I try not to do it to anyone else.
Jona, I see these as different relationships, merchant-customer vs. doctor-patient. Very different. The doctor-patient relationship is far more intimate, which makes rudeness (on either party’s part) all the more inexcusable.
Kate, the plastic is in the mail.
Sheila, I hear you. In training, we didn’t get the option of discharging patients. This led to some mighty discouraging situations.
Anduin, you’re welcome up here anytime 😉 And my wife and I could share many stories of extraordinarily offensive physicians.
Shelbi, I have the best office workers in town. Exhausting their patience requires a phenomenal burst of bad behavior. By the time I’ve come to the decision to boot, my worker has already tried the, “Here, let me explain this to you,” routine, usually multiple times. You cannot reason with some folks.
You know what? I take it back. Rudeness still drives me nuts. I just experienced some of it, and it still pisses me off.
What a relief!
Congrats, Shelbi. I was starting to worry about you.
Platypus, I’m not sure why your comment came up for moderation, since I thought you’d been through that already. Hmmm.
Doug,
I think it has to be because my Kharma got bent at some point.
But that should relieve everyone else who writes to you. If I’m here whatever happens will happen to me, and they’ll be fine.
It is known.
Hedgehog
I feel like a model for Playboy.
You know, I’ll bet that if I could feel you, you wouldn’t feel a bit like a Playboy model.
I’m just saying…
Hmm. Depends upon where you get me in my lean-fat cycle. You’re right — at the moment, I wouldn’t feel a bit like a Playboy model.
It will be fascinating to see what sxKitten thinks of this conversation.
Jeez, you sleep in for half an hour, and look what you miss …
Now I’m trying to rid my brain of the image of the two of you feeling each other up.
And Dean? I didn’t realize you knew what a Playboy model feels like. Is there something you’d like to share with me?
sxKitten, I think he was trying to give you a compliment.
(Got your back, Dean.)
Nice try, Walnut. Sadly, even when I was a nubile 19-year-old, I don’t think anyone would have mistaken me for a Playboy model.
(eyeing the exit with mildly panicked eyes)
Uh… a Playboy model feels like you except… siliconier.