Scenario 1
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week, but are told they are fully booked and do not have anything for the next 3 months. You are patient and figure that you will wait. Months later, the day comes and you show up for your reservation. You arrive a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. After waiting 30 minutes, you check in again and are told that you are next in line to be seated. You have waited this long so what’s another a few minutes.
You are finally called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. You wait. Your server finally shows up, looks frazzled, and immediately asks what you would like to order. You ask your questions and your server is rather short with you and you ultimately feel dismissed. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. It takes longer than expected for your food to come out, but when it does, it is good. Throughout the evening your server does not check in on you and you are not sure what the next step is after the meal—do I wait for the check or do I go to the cashier to pay? The check finally comes, you pay, and you leave. You are completely dissatisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Scenario 2
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week and they say they just had a cancellation and have something for that Saturday evening. You show up for your reservation arriving a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. The hostess recognizes that you have been waiting and informs you that you are next in line to be seated and apologizes for the wait. You appreciate the notification.
You are called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. Your server arrives, greets you warmly, and apologizes for the wait. You ask your questions, and your server answers them and having listened intently asks you questions about your personal tastes. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. The food arrives in a timely fashion and it is good. Throughout the evening your server checks in periodically and asks is there anything else they can get you. You say no and the server lets you know that they will bring the check right away. You pay and your server and hostess wish you a good evening. You are completely satisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Lessons Learned
Many of us can relate to situations such as these. Now although a patient’s experience in our clinics is not completely analogous to a guest’s experience at a restaurant, there are a few lessons we can draw upon from these 2 scenarios. It could be argued that in the end the guest in both situations received what they came for—the filet mignon and glass of wine. The major difference lies in the delivery of service the guest received, how they were made to feel, and their overall experience from making their reservation to leaving the restaurant.
Our patients face similar challenges navigating their appointment working with a variety of patient service representatives, nursing staff, and providers and each can have a significant impact on the patient’s overall experience.
In the end a patient may receive similar care in different offices but their experience can vary widely based on other nonclinical aspects of their visit. The focus of this new recurring column looking specifically at doctor-patient communication and relationships will hone in on issues dermatologists face every day in clinics. My hope is that we can delve deeper into the complexities of the patient experience and provide simple and impactful suggestions to make each visit a success.
Dr Huang is an associate professor and residency program director in the department of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
Scenario 1
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week, but are told they are fully booked and do not have anything for the next 3 months. You are patient and figure that you will wait. Months later, the day comes and you show up for your reservation. You arrive a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. After waiting 30 minutes, you check in again and are told that you are next in line to be seated. You have waited this long so what’s another a few minutes.
You are finally called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. You wait. Your server finally shows up, looks frazzled, and immediately asks what you would like to order. You ask your questions and your server is rather short with you and you ultimately feel dismissed. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. It takes longer than expected for your food to come out, but when it does, it is good. Throughout the evening your server does not check in on you and you are not sure what the next step is after the meal—do I wait for the check or do I go to the cashier to pay? The check finally comes, you pay, and you leave. You are completely dissatisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Scenario 2
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week and they say they just had a cancellation and have something for that Saturday evening. You show up for your reservation arriving a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. The hostess recognizes that you have been waiting and informs you that you are next in line to be seated and apologizes for the wait. You appreciate the notification.
You are called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. Your server arrives, greets you warmly, and apologizes for the wait. You ask your questions, and your server answers them and having listened intently asks you questions about your personal tastes. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. The food arrives in a timely fashion and it is good. Throughout the evening your server checks in periodically and asks is there anything else they can get you. You say no and the server lets you know that they will bring the check right away. You pay and your server and hostess wish you a good evening. You are completely satisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Lessons Learned
Many of us can relate to situations such as these. Now although a patient’s experience in our clinics is not completely analogous to a guest’s experience at a restaurant, there are a few lessons we can draw upon from these 2 scenarios. It could be argued that in the end the guest in both situations received what they came for—the filet mignon and glass of wine. The major difference lies in the delivery of service the guest received, how they were made to feel, and their overall experience from making their reservation to leaving the restaurant.
Our patients face similar challenges navigating their appointment working with a variety of patient service representatives, nursing staff, and providers and each can have a significant impact on the patient’s overall experience.
In the end a patient may receive similar care in different offices but their experience can vary widely based on other nonclinical aspects of their visit. The focus of this new recurring column looking specifically at doctor-patient communication and relationships will hone in on issues dermatologists face every day in clinics. My hope is that we can delve deeper into the complexities of the patient experience and provide simple and impactful suggestions to make each visit a success.
Dr Huang is an associate professor and residency program director in the department of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
Scenario 1
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week, but are told they are fully booked and do not have anything for the next 3 months. You are patient and figure that you will wait. Months later, the day comes and you show up for your reservation. You arrive a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. After waiting 30 minutes, you check in again and are told that you are next in line to be seated. You have waited this long so what’s another a few minutes.
You are finally called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. You wait. Your server finally shows up, looks frazzled, and immediately asks what you would like to order. You ask your questions and your server is rather short with you and you ultimately feel dismissed. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. It takes longer than expected for your food to come out, but when it does, it is good. Throughout the evening your server does not check in on you and you are not sure what the next step is after the meal—do I wait for the check or do I go to the cashier to pay? The check finally comes, you pay, and you leave. You are completely dissatisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Scenario 2
You hear about a wonderful restaurant with great reviews online and personal recommendations from your friends. You call to make a reservation for later that week and they say they just had a cancellation and have something for that Saturday evening. You show up for your reservation arriving a few moments early as directed when you made your reservation. You are told that the restaurant has been exceptionally busy that day, but they will call you back when your table is ready. The hostess recognizes that you have been waiting and informs you that you are next in line to be seated and apologizes for the wait. You appreciate the notification.
You are called back and led to your table. After settling in, you look through the menu and have a few questions. Your server arrives, greets you warmly, and apologizes for the wait. You ask your questions, and your server answers them and having listened intently asks you questions about your personal tastes. You settle on the filet mignon and a glass of wine. The food arrives in a timely fashion and it is good. Throughout the evening your server checks in periodically and asks is there anything else they can get you. You say no and the server lets you know that they will bring the check right away. You pay and your server and hostess wish you a good evening. You are completely satisfied. Thinking on your experience that evening, you go online and fill out a review—to say the least, you have a lot to say.
Lessons Learned
Many of us can relate to situations such as these. Now although a patient’s experience in our clinics is not completely analogous to a guest’s experience at a restaurant, there are a few lessons we can draw upon from these 2 scenarios. It could be argued that in the end the guest in both situations received what they came for—the filet mignon and glass of wine. The major difference lies in the delivery of service the guest received, how they were made to feel, and their overall experience from making their reservation to leaving the restaurant.
Our patients face similar challenges navigating their appointment working with a variety of patient service representatives, nursing staff, and providers and each can have a significant impact on the patient’s overall experience.
In the end a patient may receive similar care in different offices but their experience can vary widely based on other nonclinical aspects of their visit. The focus of this new recurring column looking specifically at doctor-patient communication and relationships will hone in on issues dermatologists face every day in clinics. My hope is that we can delve deeper into the complexities of the patient experience and provide simple and impactful suggestions to make each visit a success.
Dr Huang is an associate professor and residency program director in the department of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
