Do your TC and New Patient have to wait for you, too much of the time? Does your clinical team have to wait for you to get to their chair after an exam? It doesn’t have to be that way!
Getting the doctor into the exam: DR-TC exam timing is critical; the doctor shouldn’t just barge into the exam—it’s rude. If the doctor is needed, say, 20 minutes after the TC starts the exam, then the doctor should not be needed in the clinic. Before the TC greets the family in the waiting room she tells the doctor and clinical team that she is starting her exam. The doctor and clinic team then decide who they must complete in the next 20 minutes, so that the doctor can leave when the TC comes out to get him/her. It also helps to have a schedule that doesn’t require big chunks of doctor time in the clinic before and after an exam.
Getting the doctor out of the exam: Some doctors prefer to sit while explaining their findings; unfortunately, this makes it difficult for them to stay on schedule in the clinic. The doctor should explain the findings at the exam chair—the doctor should never sit to explain the findings; sitting tells the family that he has plenty of time to spend with them. After explaining his/her findings at the chair, the doctor asks the patient/family to be seated, while positioning himself between them and the door, as he/she says his/her final statements and leaves. It also helps to have a “traffic cop” in the clinic to tell the doctor which chairs to go to when he/she comes out of an exam.
If your scheduling system isn’t smooth and productive, your “Ultimate Scheduling Design Kit” may help.
If your TC program isn’t as effective as it could be, your “Ultimate New Pt. Experience Kit” may help.
