a change in plans should not throw a monkey wrench into the works

[Guest guest]

my assistant was sick yesterday, so i was in the office by myself.i saw all my patients who were scheduled, and an additional one urgently first thing in the morning, which put me behind. i put myself more behind schedule because i tried to do a blood draw. all of my patients were understanding, no one got irritated, and everyone got seen. one patient seen had actually followed my recommendations for therapeutic lifestyle change, had lost weight, was more fit, and felt better.i felt perfectly comfortable in the exam room seeing a patient with others waiting in the reception area; i didn't feel anyone was going to steal anything or otherwise harm my business.the phone was not ringing off the hook. i did talk to a few patients who were sick and needed some explanation and reassurance by telephone, and one with a new diagnosis of cancer. there were only a couple of faxed prescription refill requests which i took care of at the end

of the day.as i've said before, i want things to work like a quiet, well-oiled machine. the test comes when a key element of that machine is not there-- does everything fall apart?the answer should be no, whether one's assistant is not there, one is sick, or has to reschedule patients, or is at a conference. organization and procedure are the keys to that, and i would definitely include screening patients through meet'n'greets.i got through the day and finished my work, and although late, without any feeling of being hassled or irritated.LL

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[Guest guest]

When this has happened to me, my office manager has mad a sign to put out front that says " The doctor is busy. Please sit down and she'll be out shortly. " I usually change the answering machine to say something like 'I'm running the ship by myself today. Please leave a message and I will get back to you between patients.I have openings at these times and will see folks on a first come first serve basis starting at ------. If you want one of the openings, please tell me which one you want. Thank you and have a nice day. " My patients laugh and seem to be very happy to go with the flow!

Lynette I Iles MD 214 South Iowa Ste 3 Washington IA 52353 Flexible Family Care'Modern medicine the old-fashioned way' This e-mail and attachments may contain information which is confidential and is only for the named addressee. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete it from your computer.