Accessible Doctors

Yesterday we ventured around our neighborhood in order to get a clear picture of what other doctors are in the area. We took the morning and walked the city stopping by all the offices we had found through various searches on Google and insurance websites. As Doctors of Chiropractic we have the need to refer to a variety of other specialists from time to time, so we wanted to be aware of what might be convenient for our patients.

We visited several offices, found that others don't exist, and that some never existed. We had some good conversations and contacts with a few of the more "progressive" offices in town, but I was put off by the "conventional" ones. The following is a typical encounter, and I am blending some details of each experience upon walking into the offices.

As we enter we are not greeted by the receptionist or nurse until we are standing directly in front of them. "What do you need?" she asks.

We explain our situation, that we are new in town and were just passing by to get a better understanding of the other doctors in the area and what they do best for patients.

"Well...this is a doctors office...who did you say you were? Chiropractors? Alright." she says.

"Yes, and we just wanted to stop by to make sure you exist from all the listings, as we will need to refer patients to your specialty," we say.

"We have 5 doctors here, but they are not all here at the same time, but somebody is usually here Monday trough Friday," she replies.

We usually end by asking for some business cards, in which we are reluctantly given one to share.

I understand that the function of front desk people is to filter all visitors, especially those who just stop by, so the doctor doesn't have to worry about the trivial things. I would just think that if someone came in offering to give you free business, without you putting in any effort, there would be a cordial response, and a minimal amount of gratitude.

www.denovopittsburgh.com

A different Style

New and different isn't always better. In general chiropractic offices are designed to treat as many people as possible in as little time as possible. This is achieved by seeing multiple patients at the same time and the doctor moving from room to room seeing each patient for 1-5 minutes. This system works very well for many doctors and patients. The patient usually spends about 20 minutes in the office signing in, receiving treatment or information from the chiropractic assistants, and then getting treated by the doctor. Because of this method, many people are required to work the office to make it efficient. The doctor needs to worry about the patients in the rooms, the receptionist signs people in, answers phones, and collects payment, and the assistant takes people back to receive the "non-chiropractic" treatments.

This style doesn't resonate with me. Throughout chiropractic college we are conditioned to spend time with patients. Most of our encounters in our clinical experience are allotted 30 minutes per patient. Now, most patients do not require this type of time, and most patients don't want to be at the doctor for that amount of time. Patients want to get in, get what they need, and get on with their lives. This is why I decided to practice a different way.

The more time a patient spends with their health care provider the more personalized care they will receive. For this reason, there is no staff in my office other than the doctors. It works beautifully. We use readily available technology to eliminate a need for additional people in the office. With our easy EHR, and online scheduler we are paperless. All our patients sign up for their appointments online for when it is convenient for them, and then miraculously show up on time. It's wonderful, and they enjoy being greeted by the doctors when they walk in to the office. Thus far, each patient has walked into the office and straight into a treatment room. Very easy and convenient for both doctor and patient. Check it out.

www.denovopittsburgh.com