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How’s Your Reputation?
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Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Practice Perfect Editor
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Podiatric Medicine,
Surgery & Biomechanics
College of Podiatric Medicine
Western University of
Health Sciences,
St, Pomona, CA |
As a physician what is your most important asset? Is it your school, your residency, perhaps your fellowship? Maybe it’s the professional society in which you belong. In my short five years of practice working with many different physicians, I would say your most important asset is your reputation.
Very simply, if your rep’s bad, practice life becomes that much more difficult. Let’s face it, as much as many of us are trained to focus on the technical aspect of our careers, it’s the social aspect that makes or breaks us.
Very simply, if your rep’s bad, practice life becomes that much more difficult. Let’s face it, as much as many of us are trained to focus on the technical aspect of our careers, it’s the social aspect that makes or breaks us.
I see reputation from two sides: the patients and the medical community. In either case, we can foster that reputation and help it flourish or we can destroy it little by little. Let’s start with a fun little exercise.
How to Destroy Your Reputation — The Patients’ Aspect
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Be tardy. Show up late for work. Be late for appointments. Have your patients wait as long as they can.
- Be quick. Take as little time in the exam room as possible with your patient. Try to get out as fast as possible.
- Be superficial. Don’t explain the patient’s diagnosis to them. Make certain they leave not understanding their disease or what to do about it. Don’t educate your patients.
- Be rude. Don’t be patient with your patients’ ignorance. Cut them off as much as possible. If they say something upsetting to you, be sure to argue right back until you have them red in the face.
- Have a rude staff. This one’s especially effective. Train your staff to be rude, to argue, and to hang up on patients when they call.
- Have a disorganized and dirty office. Be sure NOT to change the chair liners or clean the floors and instruments between patients.
- Don’t be there when your patients need you. As soon as you’re done with that ankle fusion, go on vacation. Make sure you leave your patient with someone they don’t know and who doesn’t know them.
- And whatever you do – DON’T COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR PATIENTS!
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How to Destroy Your Reputation — The Physicians’ Aspect
- Be rude. Whenever your referring doctors pass you in the hallway, don’t say hi or strike up a conversation. Be aloof and unapproachable. Talk down to them and show that "holier than thou attitude" of yours.
- Be unavailable. If you’re consulted to see a patient in the hospital, arrive at least 24 hours late. When they call your office, don’t stop to talk to them about their patient on the phone. Who cares that referrals are a podiatrist’s life blood.
- Be late. When you see a referred patient, take a really long time to send back that consultation note. Better yet, don’t even send one back!
- Misdiagnose your patients. Be completely inaccurate, especially if it’s a potentially life threatening problem. Your referring doctors will love saving your butt when the complications hits.
- Insult them behind their backs. When you’re seeing a patient for a second opinion, tell them how incompetent the referring doctor is and how they should sue that doctor. This one will win you lots of friends in the medical community!
- Be an expert witness against your colleagues. Just like the last one, you’ll be loved by the medical community when you testify against them.
- And whatever you do - DON’T COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES!
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Isn’t it obvious– do everything opposite to what I wrote above. Be nice to your patients; treat them like family; educate them; communicate with them. Treat your physicians with respect; communicate with them. It’s a no-brainer isn’t it? So much of good practice building is common sense.
If it’s so obvious, then why do I see so many blatantly stupid examples of doctors doing exactly that? I’ve seen doctors shout at patients, forget about them, ignore them, show up late, and miscommunicate with them. Don’t even get me started on misdiagnosis! I’ve seen doctors treat each other with disrespect. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to personally call other doctors’ offices to get a report after I’ve consulted them. It’s not impossible for us to keep quiet and not bad-mouth one of our colleagues. Do it right and your reputation will build as a natural extension of who you are.
It’s a simple equation: Good Work + Respect for All + Time = Strong Reputation
Any questions?
Keep writing in with your thoughts and comments. Better yet, post them in our eTalk forum.
Best wishes.
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT Practice Perfect Editor
[email protected]
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