Doctors can be great. They help us when we’re in need of medical attention, and can truly impact our lives in incredibly positive ways. Just think about where we would be without them?
That being said….why do some of them offer such poor customer service?
Like I mentioned, some doctors can be great and have visited a few of them since childhood. Great, caring, bright people who can help you when you need their services. However I’ve visited a few others over the years who have clearly forgotten their people skills. These exceptions seem to think that they’re elite, ultra-important individuals whose time and energy are too valuable to worry about customer service.
I visited one of these physicians recently for a minor health issue, and was stunned by the level of service I received. Ok, maybe stunned isn’t the right word at all, since some (not all or even most, but some) other doctors are like this anyway. Rather, I was disappointed by the lack of attention I received as a paying patient.
There’s undoubtedly been infinitely worse customer service examples, but here’s the lowdown on my experience:
The Doctor Visit
First, I showed up to the appointment just a few minutes late. Now, I strive to be places on time but in this instance I was just a few minutes late. No big deal, right? Well, the receptionist made a big production out of it, saying that they’d let me in though if people are late past a certain amount of minutes they cancel appointments. I was within that acceptable window, but still – talk about strong-arming a patient!
Second, despite getting there within minutes of my appointment, I had to wait nearly 1 hour to see the doctor. Keep in mind this was an early morning appointment – could the doctor already be that far behind schedule? Come on.
Third, the diagnosis he offered me included no opportunity to ask questions. Just a brief statement, a comment that they’ll email the script to the pharmacy, and a brief comment to see him in 6 weeks.
Seriously?
The Pharmacy Visit
Then, as I went to the pharmacy to pick up the script, there were more issues. The pharmacist didn’t understand the dosing on the prescription that came through, as it was far greater than the normal dosing. He thought the doctor’s office made a mistake. Along those lines, he quite understandably wouldn’t issue the medicine to me without clarification. So, he called the office to get clarification, and was told that he’d get a call back, and it was implied that it would be the same day.
They never called him.
I followed up with my own call that same day, and they told me that the doctor was out for the weekend and actually won’t be back in until Tuesday. Thus, I would have to wait to get my prescription until the following Tuesday.
Hard to blame the pharmacist on this one. Rather, it was a continuation of a pattern seen in the doctor visit.
My Assessment
The doctor and his office have horrible customer service. And that’s the point which seems lost on them: customer service.
You see, in my view, a doctor is a service provider. Not necessarily any ordinary service provider, but a service provider nonetheless. Thus, customer service should be an important part of a doctor’s business.
Can you imagine if a restaurant made you wait 1 hour for a table, just because you showed up a couple of minutes late for a reservation? Or, could you imagine a car mechanic quickly telling you the problem with your car then ending conversation before you have any chance to discuss?
I wouldn’t go back to those places unless they were really, really good.
This doctor seems really good, I grudgingly admit. Very good. That’s why he can get away with this type of service for now.
Lesson: When you’re really, really good at something, you might be able to get away with more than someone who’s not as gifted.
However, you better believe that I would switch doctors immediately if I had a better one readily available.
Second Lesson: When you’re no longer the best or only option, you can’t get away with things anymore and might be “punished” by your customers through their decisions to move on.
This leaves me wondering: why don’t doctors see themselves as service providers just like anybody else? Surely, if one is bright enough to get through medical school and beyond, it should be apparent that they need to provide good service.
Sure, insurance companies play big role in determining where people go, but in many areas there are plenty of choices. Thus, the ultimate customer is still the patient.
Additionally, people can review their doctors online and share their stories much easier than in years gone by when a doctor’s reputation was based primarly on word of mouth. Now, search engines can help provide feedback on a doctor much easier. It’s tougher for bad service to hide these days.
Like I said, there are many great physicians out there. I’m not jumping on the whole profession here by any means. However, there are enough who find it perfectly acceptable to make patients wait forever and then give them scant attention when their time arrives. It just makes good business sense to treat your customers well if you want them to come back.
Let’s not forget an important word from the last sentence: business. Doctors don’t work for free, they want to be compensated for their work. If you’re compensated, you should provide service. That is, if you want your business to flourish. A physician’s practice, even if part of a large group practice, is still a business.
So, just like if we visit a restaurant, get a car fixed, get a haircut, have home repairs done, or other services – a visit to a doctor is no different. We’re paying for a service. A doctor who really treats patients like important customers can truly stand out these days.
Want any ideas on how to go the extra mile to provide great customer service? Read this story on the best customer service I’ve ever received.
Any good doctors reading this – no offense, I realize many of your are there:)
My Questions For You:
Have you ever received poor service from a doctor? What happened and how did you handle it?
Do you view this the way I do, that conceptually a doctor is a service provider just the same way a waiter, hair stylist, or plumber might be?
Yes. I have received poor service from doctors and their staff in the past. I also, know quite a few people that had poor experiences with doctors and other health care professionals. I once got into it with a dermatologist that I felt was being too agressive in his recommendation of treatments. He did not want to listen to any of my suggestions and came across rather arrogant. I felt like the guy was using me as a guinea pig, and I refused most of his treatments. I paid him for the service that I received on that day, but cancelled all subsequent appointments that I had at that office. I never went back.
I agree with you that doctors and other health care workers are service providers. I think that many of these doctors are in the profession for the wrong reasons or they simply lost their passion for dealing with patients and the medical field. It does take a special kind of person to be able to deal with the public, remain patient and know your stuff. At the same time, respect is due to the patients, no matter how difficult he or she may be.
Susan – well said, respect is due the patients. They are customers, and are paying for advice/help in terms of their health, which is very important as we all know. Most doctors I’ve been to have been fine (and some just fantastic), but there are definitely some that do not respect the patient’s time or intellect, as evidenced by poor “bedside manners”. When you think of a customer as a real person, as a “client”, it’s only going to help both parties and will be a win-win!
Is you doctor expensive? Maybe this is a cause you get what you pay for?
If you want really good customer service from your doctor, you’ll probably have to pay more? Doctor assistants aren’t free, and time is money, you want more of your Doctors time, you pay more money. Isn’t that just logical. If you take more of the doctors time, he has less time to spend with other patients therefore he would have to charge you more.
If you doctor is reasonable priced, maybe you should count you blessings.
Arshes –
Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure where you’re going with your comment, so maybe you can clarify?
The doctor I saw was a specialist and not cheap, but the amount of time that was given to me upon diagnosis, medication discussion, etc – was less than 2 minutes. Literally. I know the time the conversation started and the time it ended. That’s not enough, and I don’t think a patient should “pay more” to get a little more time than less than 2 minutes.
There’s no reason for a doctor to keep a patient waiting 1 hour past an appointment time, for an early morning appointment, and subseuently give little to no time for any discussion. The assumption here is that the doctor is an important, busy man, while the patient is a “common citizen” who should consider it a blessing to get a few minutes of the doctor’s time.
I don’t have that view. I think doctors are service providers, just like a plumber, waiter, etc. Since they get paid, they should at least offer some minimal level of courtesy and at least the most basic conversation – ESPECIALLY considering that the patient’s HEALTH is on the line. There’s nothing more important than that, so this should be a very basic part of any doctor’s visit.
Really, with any business, the customer should be treated with a basic level of respect. It would be so much more profitable for a business to do so. This applies to any business, medical or not. Treat the customers poorly, and they’ll look for alternatives. Treat them well, and you might have a long-term customer, which has real value. Also, they might refer others, which is even better!
You might be blaming the doctor for the office staff. I am not saying the doctor is not responsible, but he may not even be aware of it. Doctors are supposed to be business people, but many are not. Perhaps the people who are talented and skilled enough to become doctors are missing that gene. I am not trying to make excuses for doctors because I have a great one, but his staff is not quite as good as he is.
Krantcents – I agree with you that the staff could be a problem in some cases, though in this one the doctor most definitely played a major role.
“The assumption here is that the doctor is an important, busy man, while the patient is a “common citizen” who should consider it a blessing to get a few minutes of the doctor’s time.”
I’m not assuming this at all, but you have to remember just because you think that he’s getting paid “good” money for his services that actually may not be the case.
He may be just covering his expenses. Maybe if he charges too much he doesn’t get enough clients, he charges too little he has to work harder to earn his money?
Or what about Supply and Demand? If he’s an in demand Doctor, he certainly doesn’t need to maintain a strong customer service for his office, because he may not have much competition.
And I certainly don’t think that better customer service and referrals would make the office more profitable. Why would the doctor want more patients if he’s probably seeing as much as he already can? It may be most profitable to charge more, but see fewer patients. The patients get better attention, the doctor gets compensated for his time, and he can be happy knowing he’s providing really good care.
Your assuming more volume equals more money and profit but that’s not always the case.
And I definitely disagree with the whole idea that doctors should treat patients like clients. Clients you want them to return and spend more money or refer they’re friends. But with doctors their main concern should be the patient’s health, first and foremost, and in some cases customer service may not be important because it wouldn’t affect the patient’s health.
And you should also remember good customer service doesn’t always equate good “product” I’m pretty sure there are many doctors that kind, nice, and have great bedside manners, but their skills are totally lacking. And there are probably even more doctors that provide fantastic customer service but would charge 10x as much for the same product and results.
Arshes –
To your point that doctors may not be getting paid “good” money – I agree that this can be the case sometimes. It’s not as profitable as many people think, from what I’ve been told, depending on a variety of factors. True, some doctors may not be pulling in the net income that they’re peceived to be doing. Some certainly are, but some aren’t. I suspect this one is, but I don’t know for sure.
As far as supply and demand – this one seems to be in demand. Perhaps this plays a role in the minimal (nearly nonexistent) services. Sure, the doctor might not want more patients – perhaps he has more than enough demand as it is.
Sure, patient’s health comes first as a priority over bedside manners. Doesn’t excuse having none, though.
All that being said, however, it doesn’t excuse making a patient wait over an hour for an visit where there was an early morning appointment scheduled. This wasn’t the first time I’ve had a very long wait with this doctor. Also, it doesn’t excuse providing a completely insufficient opportunity to ask any questions or obtain any information. Nor does it justify issues with filling scripts.
Just because a physician is busy or successful in his or her practice, and in demand, doesn’t justify horrendous customer service. Because, the patient is the customer.
The consequence? They’ll lose a customer. And they may not care. But, over the long run, I think it behooves any service provider to treat a customer with at least a bare minimum level of respect. There are no excuses for doctors because they’re busy, currently in demand, etc. Especially when dealing with people’s health.
I agree with you, but i think the point your trying to make is that the Doctor’s office is like a business, and patients are customers.
But with businesses there are factors like supply and demand, profitability, etc…. And with businesses you always have the option to leave and take you business and go somewhere else, doctors that’s not always the case, esp in emergencies.
My point is Doctors should provide the services in a manner that is respectable because they’re professionals, not because patients are customers. They are not like waitresses, plumbers, etc.
I do agree with you that it’s not always possible, when needing the services of a doctor, to pick up and take your business elsewhere. Sometimes you just have to take whatver service you get, as long as you’re being helped with your health. That is the bottom line after all, of course.
Sometimes we do have choices, however. In those cases, the doctors who think that their time is more valuable than yours and make you wait 1 hour even though you had an appointment, or don’t answer questions and totally brush you off and disengage quickly are the ones who will not see you the next time around. In this era of professionals being reviewed online (doctors, teachers, etc), it doesn’t make sense to be rude to customers. From a business sense, and from a sense of courtesy.
We’ll have to disagree on the patients being customers concept. My personal viewpoint is that a doctor is a service provider like a waitress, plumber, etc in that I’m the customer and I’m paying them to provide me with a service. Accordingly, they should treat me as a customer by at least offering the bare minimum courtesies. If they don’t, I’ll take my business elsewhere as best I can, if possible.
Obviously doctors are highly trained, extremely well educated individuals compared to the average citizen. It takes a very bright, hard working person to get the right grades, MCAT scores, etc to get admitted to med school. From there, I’m sure it’s even harder work. Then there’s residency. It’s a long, arduous journey for doctors to get to where they are, and I don’t blame any of them one bit for being proud of what they’ve accomplished professionally. But they’re still in business like anyone else, and it only makes sense that if one doctor treats customers with more basic respect than a peer does, the patient-oriented doctor will do better for himself – monetarily or otherwise.
Anyway, thanks for the spirited discussion and alternate viewpoint.
My boyfriend had a pretty crappy experience with a doctor in a walk-in clinic. He had swollen glands in his neck and some other symptoms (that didn’t really sound like it was mono according to what we read about it, but we’re not doctors). He told the doctor about the swollen glands, and the doctor started feeling them. He tried to explain the other symptoms, but the doctor wouldn’t really listen because he was too busy complaining that he had gotten a parking ticket for parking in a handicapped space for ‘only a few minutes’.
He sent him off with paperwork for a blood test for mono in another lab, without really listening to any of his other symptoms, and made and appointment for a few days later. Fair enough, the doctor is likely to know best and it may have seemed like mono to him (but it would be kinda hard for him to tell without listening to any other symptoms). The test came back negative for mono and the doctor said he would order a few more tests, but the paperwork he gave us for the lab was just for another mono test, nothing else. At this point he was getting better on his own, so just ignored he test and never went back to that clinic again.
Jenny –
At least he got better on his own! Still, that’s quite odd what happened.
Ok, this might not be the best anaolgy, but here’s how I see this:
Just imagine if you ordered food from a waiter, and instead of paying attention to your order, he complained about a parking ticket he had gotten. Then, when you got your food, you didn’t like how it was prepared and sent it back. Then, you find out that your waiter sent it back to be reprepared in the same exact way as the first time. Would you think the waiter was paying attention, or was a good waiter? No, probably not.
Same goes for the doctor. Yet, for some reason, such poor service and inattention (talking about ticket and not listening to customer, ordering duplicate test after inital test was negative) happens with less fanfare or ramifications for the doctor. They seem to get some kind of free pass for this type of service. It’s really quite puzzling, especially when the service is related to our health.
I’m absolutely not trying to rant on all doctors, as most I’ve had have been somewhere between accpetable and outstanding. But there are more than just a few that are like the doctor I described and the one you described.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
You got the analogy bang on. That’s just what happened. But you forgot to mention that he lied to us and told us that the dish was ordered differently even though the paper in our hand had the same order on it. I’m dumbfounded that this happened as well. It was just such a strange series of events. And yes, we are quite lucky that it wasn’t anything too serious and that he got better on his own. I’ve never had an actual waiter screw up my food order this badly either.
He had a coroner’s certificate on his wall (maybe that was his specialty in med school or an extra course he had taken?? We didn’t make a wrong turn into the morgue) so we joke that he must have been just waiting for him to die so he could cut him open and then he’d be able to figure out what was wrong.
And one more note that we are in Canada, so we are under a fairly different medical system, at least in terms of insurance and billing, etc issues. However, this experience is not reflective of the system in general here.
I think I’ve had an equal number of good doctors as bad doctors over the years. I recall waiting more than 2 hours to see a doctor when I was a sick child and my parents had recently started using an HMO. I also recall get scolded by a doctor because I had a panic attack when I was about 12. That’s right: he told me I had to straighten up and fly right instead of trying to help me in any way! I had a good dermatologist as a child, though; he was compassionate and a very good doctor.
As an adult I had a doctor that kept wanting to dose me with SSRIs instead of helping me figure out why I was feeling so awful physically and having problems concentrating. Two years later I finally found a doctor that diagnosed hypothyroidism and got me on medication that made me feel normal again. I’m sticking with this doc even though I have to pay her out of my pocket and deal with the insurance company myself.
I think health insurance plays a big role in some of the most common complaints people have about doctors. The docs just can’t spend very much time with patients due to the number they have to take on to remain profitable and the restrictions of the insurance companies. I’m sure many docs find it frustrating to be treated essentially like big prescription pads by many patients and the insurance companies.
Linda –
There are factors involved as you mention, I agree. Insurance companies have become a big part of the equation, both for patients as well as physicians. Doctors don’t all have the massive net income that many perceive they do. In my view, this makes it even more important for doctors to remember that they’re service providers (albeit incredibly well educated ones) and keep their customers happy. Or, a more accurate statement might be, keeping their customers satisfied to a bare minimum standard. If all doctors were like this, we’d have no choice. But since most aren’t like this, we often have the opportunity to switch. It’s good for business to provide at least the minimum service to customers!
What struck me about your comment is how you’re sticking with the doc despite having to pay out of pocket and deal with the insurance company yourself. I guess that does speak to how important it is to find a really effective doctor. This might not be directly correlated to customer service, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
I grew up in a town that has a huge medical school. Many of my friends ended up to be doctors. Some of them were and still are the worst at interacting with people! One doctor/professor friend teaches classes on how to listen to your patient. According to him it’s a huge problem.
Molly – yes, some folks have people skills and some don’t. That’s for sure!
Part of the reason could be that since you’re not paying for the service (your insurance company is), you’re not really the customer. Buying anything through a middleman or broker *always* dilutes the buyer/seller relationship.
We like our family doctor OK, but sometimes I think he rushes through. Perhaps he has to, GPs are in high demand.
101Centavos – there’s a dilution effect here, I can see that. Insurance companies play a big role. I still think that the ultimate customer is the patient. Without patient demand, nobody will make money.
Squirrelers — Even though patients is the ultimate consumers, I don’t think they can be considered customers in the usual definition of a free market place.
Customers needs and demands drive changes and innovation (and reduced costs) as businesses compete for their trade.
I don’t think medical groups, hospitals or HMOs have to compete very hard to stay busy.
Sure, we’d all like to be treated like valued customers, myself included. But the medical profession doesn’t have to.
101 Centavos –
I see a theme in some of the responses I’ve gotten to this post: some agree, others (except one) partially agree while esssentially stating that it’s a marketplace issue.
The buying process in this market is different than many others, I have to agree. It’s not like a customer/service provider market is pure – rather, it’s muddled with a variety of factors, insurance companies being a big part of it for bot physician and consumer. Consumers have pressures to go to approved/in-network physicians, and physicians have a whole different set of pressures from insurance companies.
Ultimately, it’s a bit of a different market, but I still think that any business person that shows little or no concern about it’s customers is short-sighted. In this case, the patient may not be the only customer, as there are clearly other stakeholders in the process. Namely, insurance companies. That being said, without patient demand, there is no business for anyone. Additionally, in many cases patients actually do have some choices, even if limited by insurance factors. If a patient has 3 or 4 choices within a particular physician specialty that are local, a physician that provides horrendous service effectively puts him/her self at a competitive disadvantage unnecessarily compared to the others who might offer acceptable service.
Now, the physician might be so busy and demand may be so high that they might not care. Perhaps that’s checkmate, right there, for the patient. If the patient doesn’t like the service, tough luck because the physician won’t feel the loss. However, market conditions change, and it’s just not good business sense to be a boor as a physician. It costs very little to be considerate, and the potential benefits are worth the minimal effort.
Plus, there’s a certain amount of professionalism and courtesy that any service provider should give customers. By should, I’m talking talking in this context about be fair or you lose a customer. Rather, I mean just out of being someone with pride and integrity, treating others how you would want to be treated yourself. There’s a bunch of idealism in that statement I just made, but I personally think it’s a good overall, big picture approach for any business to treat customers well and take pride in having integrity.
I think I’ve probably said enough to everyone on this topic, so it’s probably clear how strongly I feel about this:)
Interesting experience to say the least. You have only briefly touched on many of the issues facing our health care system in the United States which are complex. One of the biggest problems is true lack of choice and market competition. With insurance companies or government paying most of the bills, there is little incentive to make the patient happy. They often have little choice. The good doctors who understand the value of customer service are opting out of the insurance equation and setting up concierge type services for cash offering more service at a lower overall cost by taking out the middle man (insurance).
You mention that you have had issues with this physician before but have not taken your business elsewhere. Why is that? Obviously enough others go to this physician that customer service is low on the priority list. So there is little incentive to change.
There is a mnemonic for better customer service that can be used by anyone who is a service provider from waitress to physician.
A-acknowledge the customer (Welcome to our establishment, make eye contact)
I-introduce yourself (Hi, my name is Jenny and I will be your waitress)
D-duration (I think I can have your air conditioning running in 2 days after I order this part)
E-explain/expectations (Your diagnosis is a rare skin condition called…, your AC compressor is bad. I can fix it for $2500 or replace the whole unit for $4000)
T-Thank the customer for their time and business (Thank you for using ABC plumbing. We appreciate your business and hope to serve all your future plumbing needs.)
I think you get the idea. If you implement these ideas in whatever service you provide (blogging for example), you will find that you have happier customers that will recommend you.
Cashflow Mantra – good mnemonic! Worth remembering when providing customer service.
I showed up for a doctor appointment at 1pm. I was the first to get in, but didn’t get in until 1:45.
Why?
My doctor was having lunch with a drug rep. This was, to me, a major slap in the face. To schedule an appointment at 1PM and then not let me in until 1:45 is a total **** move! Seriously! He just told me with his actions that his 45 minutes are worth more than the collective 3 hours (I wasn’t the only one) of his patients’ wasted time.
There’s so much rigidity in the market for health care that doctors know they can waste your time and get rid of it. Even with a PPO, I don’t have that many choices. And changing doctors is a total pain in the rear.
JT – his 45 minutes probably included a free lunch, which motivates many people! Unfortunately, when that is worth it to him in terms of delaying customers, it tells you all you need to know about that doctor. Time to find another one. Maybe the loss of a patient will mean very little to him….but maybe it will actually matter. Perhaps one of the other choices in your PPO can be better? Once you find a good doctor, the pain of switching stops!
When demand exceeds supply or when you have no other choice, service suffers. DMV and Comcase are other examples.
If the doctor gets enough patients, I don’t think he’ll mind losing a few. You are not alone Squirrelers. I’ve seen quite a few. There was one who was more interested to know if my RSI was related to the work I did – his brother-in-law as it happens is an injury lawyer!
MoneyCone –
This is the theme of some comments here, that it’s a supply/demand issue. I agree with that, and it makes sense. Just like anything else, when you’re in demand and there are few alternatives, you can get away with less catering to the customer. This applies to many facets of life, actually. I would say that in the long run, it makes good business sense to offer at least the bare minimum in customer service though!
That’s an interesting story you shared. Have to just shake your head at such situations sometimes! 🙂
I love my primary care doctor. However, I have plenty of other bad doctor’s experiences to draw from. One idiot at the urgent care made me take my doctor to the hospital because of her high fever (104.8). I begged him to do a strep test, but he said there was no way it was strep. So, we went to the hospital because we had no choice, and 500 dollars later, it was strep.
I was ready to slap the pediatrician when my son got sick with C diff earlier this year. She totally dismissed my concerns, even when he had multiple relapses.
You are so right that it would be so much easier to switch doctors if there were good alternatives available. Not that all doctors are bad, but quite often, the administrative staff is so awful that it makes the doctor look bad. (As you know.)
Everyday Tips – those are perfect example of what I’m talking about! Sorry you had to go through those situations. With alternatives, switching is possible and supplier (doctor in this case) power gets diluted. Sometimes, there actually are alternatives and the doctor still gives poor customer service. Of course, as we know, this probably doesn’t reflect most doctors, and there are some absolutely fantastic ones out there.
Just as an aside to the discussion, remember when doctors used to make house calls?
If I had to wait an hour for a doctor I would have left. I would have notified my insurance that I was not seen and asked for my co-pay back. If they refused I would request my credit card to stop payment. Granted I would have been 15 minutes early but still. I do not care how good they are, making me wait that long is not ok. And quite frankly, he did not give good treatment, you still do not have your medication.
Ginger – I like your approach! Now THAT is an assertive way to handle horrible customer service from a physician’s office! Side note: I did ultimately get my medication, though it took a long weekend of waiting before I got it.