They found out about our cunning marketing ploy!
Posted by Sonny Saggar on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 04:19 PM
Urgent Matters THE blog for 'The Non-Emergency Room'.
Have you ever tried to make an appointment with a doctor (family physician, OBGYN, internist) and been told that you can't get seen for a couple of months?
Did you notice what time you were actually seen by the doctor when you had an 11am appointment? Was it more like 1230pm?
Not that you ever went to an ER with a non-emergency problem, but if you did, can you remember how many hours you had to wait?
I'm just sayin', but is it possible that most physicians never got the memo about customer service, patient 
satisfaction and that kind of thing?
Can you get online and preregister seeing your physician, just like you were at ticketmaster.com or travelocity.com? Would it make life easier if you could do that? Hey, what if they put that dreaded clipboard online so you could fill out all that boring stuff in the comfort of your living room or office, and take as long as you like about it?
Instead of just an email confirmation that you booked your appointment, what if someone (a real live person) actually called you back as well, say within half an hour to say they got your registration and suggested a good time to walk on in?
What about that clipboard? Don't you just hate that long list of things you've got to check off in that waiting room before you're even allowed to tell anyone what the problem is today? And they always seem to want you to pick up a pen fill out your insurance card information (even though you could swear they got that the last time you went in), so you can add 'writer's cramp' to your symptoms that made you go there in the first place?
How long does your physician actually sit down with you (assuming he/she actually sits down) to really look into your eyes and find out what the problem might be? 60 seconds? 2 minutes? 10 minutes?
Does your physician summarize the diagnosis and plan and then ask if you understood it all and whether you have any questions? Does the nurse or staff-member who discharges you ask whether it's all clear?
Do they electronically transmit your medication to your pharmacy of choice, or do they still live in the 20th century and insist on those 'security prescription pads'?
What happens when you finish talking with someone who's contracted to give you a service, such as a plumber, lawyer or accountant? That's right - they give you their business card. They may even ask you to call them if you have any questions about something. Why should physicians be any different? I mean, we're talking about your health, and we all forget to ask half a dozen questions when we're right there in the exam room talking to the doctor. I know - what if he gave you his business card and asked you to text, call or email him if you had any more questions, or if you weren't getting better within 48 hours? Fantasy world, I hear you say......not quite. Do you have your doctor's cellphone? His real actual cellphone number? No, I'm not joking: do ya? Do you think you should have it, just in case you really need to call him?
Does your doctor's office call you (and I'm not just talking about the doc himself - even his staff) a day or so after your visit and ask how you're doing? Would you like that?If it ever happened, what would it say about your physician and his/her staff?
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All the above comments and rhetorical questions are examples of the many brainstorming issues we discuss at St. Louis Urgent Cares (Downtown and Eureka) every single day. Downtown Medical Internal Medicine too!
Perhaps it's time you stopped surrendering to the unfortunate fact that "doctors just don't get it" and tried us out for size. We have a feeling you'll have one of those 'aha moments' when you see how we do things differently.
When they played that snippet on KSDK and ABC the other day, they found out about our cunning marketing ploy. Shhhhh, it's a secret. OK fine, here it is: we're great because we care.
916 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63101 | 314.436.9300 | DowntownUrgentCareSTL.com
623 West 5th Street, Eureka, MO 63025 | 636.549.2100 | EurekaUrgentCare.com
Disclaimer
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