One more great medical office, Kathryn Fallon and Wendy Lit, Doctors of Optometry
MY FAVORITE DOCTOR’S OFFICE, by Susan Harris
Of all the doctors’ offices I have been to, (and there have been many), there is one that stands out as being “The Best”. It is the office of Kathryn Fallon and Wendy Lit, Doctors of Optometry. I found them in a rather unscientific way. At the time, I was wearing contact lenses, and was searching for an office in my vision plan which sold them at the lowest price. I started down the list, making phone calls. In some cases I was put on hold for way too long; in others, my call was answered by someone who sounded stressed and/or annoyed. And then I called Drs. Fallon and Lit’s office. The phone was answered by the office manager, Bonnie, whose voice was friendly, welcoming, and felt like a ray of sunshine. I knew instantly that I had found the office I had been looking for.
Having now been a patient for many years, I can tell you that I always feel welcome when I walk in the door and am greeted by name. Although I have been cared for primarily by Dr. Lit, who is charismatic and caring, I have the utmost confidence in the medical care given by both doctors. I rarely, if ever, have been made to wait to see the doctor, and when I do have to wait, it is always with apologies.
I always look forward to going to this office, and have even dropped by with a special treat just to say “thank you” to everyone in the office.
Whether or not this letter is accepted as a “winner”, the doctors and staff at this office are already “winners” in my book. I sing their praises regularly.
Another great medical office, Dr. Aaron Hertel from Hertel and Brown, Erie, PA
Submitted by Andrea Reynolds for her dad, Wesley Reynolds.
My 89 year old Dad’s DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy (Aaron Hertel) is willing to put in
a handicap parking spot at his front door so Dad can get in and out of the van more
easily. See the photo of the front door at Frontier Place: http://www.hertelandbrown.com/
Most of their patients are young athletes. We already have the Handicap Placard, just not
the place to park.
Hertel and Brown, Frontier Place, 1337 West 6th Street, Erie, PA 16505
Andrea Reynolds, THE CRISIS CLINIC
I champion for justice if you’ve been
cheated, mistreated, or swindled. Retain
me to restore your money, property, reputation.
http://www.AndreaReynolds.com/crisisbrainstorm
Winner of Best Office Story: Dr. William Lyons of Long Beach, California
Medical Office Winner: William Lyons, M.D., 4301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, California
From Randa, his patient:
I have several specialty doctors like many others. Thus, evaluating and determining impressive offices is an activity to engage in while waiting. The details of my impressive office begin before I get there. I know the parking will be simple and with no parking fee. The office is on the ground floor. This adds up to saved time and money. I know before arriving that I can treat myself to reading a book or writing notes while waiting. (and rarely is the wait long). It is a treat because the waiting room is comfortable, windows to see the outdoors, and NO TV blaring. Maybe there will be soft music playing and always an abundance of RECENT, quality periodicals to tempt me over the book I brought. The receptionist is like a welcoming friend. She takes the time for short conversation and always alerts me and the other patients if the doctor is delayed and how long it might be. It is a restful place.
The office is impressive because of the doctor. An internist with specialty in oncology and hematology with two offices. I see him in his internal medicine office. I can best describe him as “superb family doctor type” with specialties: asks about my family, knows my interests, refreshes himself on details of my chart, listens to me, answers all questions, and even more importantly teaches me on the recent medical/medication advances. Have you ever had the doctor assist you in taking off your jacket and hanging it up? Have you ever had the doctor jot down a reminder to himself to provide you with a resource for an interest of yours not related to exam? Have you ever had the doctor go over every details of your lab reports? Have you ever had the doctor alert you to some basic safety issues to protect you? Have you ever had a perceptive doctor who seemed to know you had other things on your mind and ask you about it? William Lyons, M.D., 4301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach provides me with an IMPRESSIVE doctor’s office.
Both Randa and Dr. Lyon’s office will be getting a cake from BakeAWish.com http://tinyurl.com/rylvyz
CONTEST!! Tell me about your favorite doctor’s office and how the staff have made a difference. I will send the person who submits the winning story and the winning doctor’s office a cake from BakeAWish.com. Ends Nov. 8, 2009
I have worked in a medical office and I know how difficult it can be to keep the doctor on schedule, deal with the patients that are suffering and to make sure the bills get sent to the insurance company on time. I would like to honor this month the great doctor office’s staff that go the extra mile to make sure that the patients get the care they need. I also know that this group of workers don’t always get the recognition they deserve. So here is what I would like to do this month.
Tell me about your favorite doctor’s office and why they have made a difference in your life. I will pick one story to feature on my blog and the person who submitted the winning story and the winning doctor’s office will each receive a cake from BakeAWish. (Of course, I can change your name if you don’t want to be mentioned on my site.) The last date to send in your story is Nov. 8, 2009. I will announce the winner on my blog on Nov. 12th.
Send your story to me at Viki@KindEthics.com
Bake Me A Wish: http://tinyurl.com/rylvyz
Have a kind and respectful day.
No regrets. Spend quality time with loved ones today.
It is important to spend time with our loved ones. It is especially important that we spend time with those who have lost their ability to drive. Tell your loved one that you have saved the afternoon for them and you are willing to drive them where they want to go. We lose so much of our freedom as we get older and more dependent. Instead of you choosing the activity or the restaurant, let them be in charge. So, if they want to go to the local hardware store and wander around like they used to when they were young, go with them. If they like to get out in nature, even if they have physical limitations, find a local park that is disability friendly.
And of course bring your attention. If you are busy on your cell phone or distracted, it won’t count as quality time. We have to stop and truly be present with our loved ones. And that means turning down the technology and turning up our caring attitude.
One thing I regret is that I didn’t take the time to take my dad to the places he wanted to go. I took him where he needed to go like the doctor’s office, but then I would run out of time to do the little extras. I wish he was still here so we could just stop for an ice cream or take a drive around the old neighborhood. The time we spend counts and is remembered forever.
Have a kind and respectful day.
I thought we were all past this. Why are we still keeping gay and lesbian couples from visiting each other in the hospital?
I thought we were past this. I thought this issue was resolved but apparently it isn’t. This week in Fresno - California, a lesbian partner was not allowed in to see her partner of 3 1/2 years in the hospital. If she had said she was the woman’s sister, aunt, or friend she would have been allowed to visit. But because she is in a relationship with the patient, it was not okay. Please, we all have to get over this. It is stressful and scary enough to be in the hospital when you are in a medical crisis. This is when we all need the love and support of the people we love. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want a healthcare professional keeping you from seeing your sick loved one? Would you want to wait outside while your loved one dies? No you wouldn’t. It is none of healthcare professional’s business who visits you in the hospital. If you believe in the Golden Rule, then please respect that others would want their loved ones to visit them just like you would and don’t let this happen at your hospital.
(FYI: The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen to you is if you write out your advance directive for healthcare decisions. You can write on this document who you would want and not want to visit you. Click on my resouce page for more information about your state’s advance directive form.)
Have a kind and respectful day.
Most people on their death bed will ask, “Did I matter?” Here is a dying ritual to help you with this question.
One of the universal questions that people ask themselves when they are dying is, “Did I matter.” It doesn’t matter what religion you are or if you have no religion, we all hope that our life has made a difference. Whether you are interacting with your loved one or if you are a healthcare professional caring for a patient, this is something that you can help the dying with. Let them know directly how they have made a difference in your life. Tell them if you have learned something from them, if they have made you laugh or if they taught you how to be a better person. The person will have a more peaceful death knowing that their life had a positive effect on this world.
A wonderful ritual you can do with the dying is the rock ceremony. Even if the person is unconscious, you can still do this ritual. Here is how it works. Each person who cares about the dying person gets a rock. Any rock. It can be a special rock they pick out or just a rock from the garden. One by one, each person walks into the bedroom or hospital room of the patient and lays the rock on the person’s chest or lap. As they do this, they should say, “This rock represents what you have taught me, done for me, helped me with… You have made a difference in my life. Thank you.” Or words like that. You will know what to say. Young children can do this ritual as well. They might just say, “I like it when you read to me or take me to get ice cream.” It doesn’t matter how small or big, just that the person matters. As each person places the rock on the patient, the patient can literally feel the weight of their effect on the world. It is a powerful way to say thank you and goodbye. I hope that on the day you die, you will know that you have mattered too.
Have a kind and respectful day.
Are you the patient’s advocate or a bully?
This might be painful to read, but you may be making things worse for your loved one. Now I am a big believer in advocating for what you need in healthcare but there is a line which shouldn’t be crossed. And the line is when you start bullying the members of the healthcare team. Here is what this might look like. The doctor says, “What you are requesting won’t work for this condition. That treatment isn’t an option.” And you say, “You have to do it anyway or I will sue you.” You will probably get your way because doctors are afraid of the “l” word, lawsuit. But what you really just got is a medical treatment that will not work for your loved one and will only give them toxic side effects. Are you sure that’s what you meant to do?
If you truly want to know if a treatment is appropriate, ask for a second or third opinion. If you can find a doctor that will give you what you want, then change to that doctor. But if after you have asked 2 or 3 other doctors and they all tell you no, then you need to realize what you are getting is good medical advice. If everyone around you reacts negatively to you, it is not everyone being the problem, it is you. So if all the doctors and nurses are a “problem”, then perhaps the problem is you. You may be a bully.
You may think that if you become loud and demanding then you will get what you want. It doesn’t work that way in hospitals. You may get what you want but you will destroy the relationship between the patient and the doctor. And did you know that if the patient trusts the doctor, they will actually heal faster? It’s true. So when you damage the relationship, you are damaging the recovery process. And again, your good intentions will cause harm.
The doctors and nurses will start avoiding the patient’s room and spend less time interacting with you and the patient. And you and your loved one will become known as the “problem in room 321.” Every nurse that comes on shift will be warned about you. And again, that doesn’t get you what you want.
If you want to get more, be kinder and more appreciative. I always tell people that if you want to get better care, bring snacks to the nurses. Say thank you to the doctor. Make them want to spend more time thinking about your loved ones health and more time talking to you and the patient. Be a part of the healthcare solution.
Have a kind and respectful day.
Are Mixed Messages Harming Your Health?
When you are in the hospital, you are vulnerable to the problem of “Mixed Messages.” What this means is that each of the specialists come in and give you information about the part of the body they take care of. So the pulmonary doctor will say, “Your lungs are doing better.” The cardiologist will say, “Your heart is failing.” And the internist will say, “Your infection is getting under control.” But nobody is giving you the big picture. Nobody is telling you how to interpret all of these pieces of information about your health situation. So here is what happens next. The next day your internist comes in to talk to you about end of life issues. You are shocked and ask, “How can I be dying when my lungs are doing better?” You have just done what most people do. You latch onto the best news and forget to take into account the worst part of the news. Yes, your lungs might be better, but you can’t live without your heart and your heart is failing. But nobody is explaining this to you.
Nurses do the same thing. Each day, different nurses are assigned to you. And each nurse has a slightly different view of how you are doing. Or they say, “You are doing better.” What does “better” mean? It doesn’t mean better and you are going home, it means you are doing better than the worst moment you have had in the hospital. Lots of people die in hospitals that are doing “better.” Better doesn’t tell you the whole story.
So what can you do? You can ask the main doctor, called the attending, to give you an overall update about how you are doing. Not just a part by part explanation, but a “big picture” explanation. And if you are getting mixed messages, make sure you listen to the good and the bad. I know that this can be difficult but it is necessary so you can make appropriate decisions about your health. The only way you can have informed consent is if you understand all of the information, not just the news you want to hear.
Have a kind and respectful day.
Don’t Tell Grandmother She Has Cancer
Dear Viki,
The other day, I had a family tell me to not tell their grandmother that she had cancer and was going to die soon. I am not sure what to do. I want to be culturally respectful but I also have to make sure that I am doing right by the patient. It is her life, not the families. What should I do?
Great question. If it was 40 years ago, a doctor could keep information from a patient. Now the rules are different. Here is what you need to do to respect the patient and the culture.
1. Speak directly to the grandmother, hopefully without her family in the room. Ask her, “Do you want the results from the tests we are doing or should I be talking to somebody else? Do you want to make your own decisions or would you prefer that someone else make those decisions for you?”
2. If she says, “Yes, I want to know the results and make my own decisions”, then you will know what to do. Tell her the information. You may also want to check with her if she would prefer to have these conversations in private or with her family present. Sometimes it is just as important to the patient to protect their loved ones as well. Respect the patient’s wishes while you show respect for this family’s culture.
If she says, “No, I would rather focus on getting better and let someone else deal with all of the decisions”, you also know what to do. You now must ask her, “Who should I talk to?” Once she tells you who is in charge, and it might be a 2-3 people, then talk to them. This is called a waiver of informed consent. Patients can act autonomously and waive their right to information. You may want to have her to fill out an advance directive or living will ahead of time and check the box on the form that says, “Starting now, I want _____ to make my decisions for me even though I still have capacity.” If she changes her mind later on, then you can follow her new instructions and begin having her give her own informed consent.
Have a kind and respectful day.
