An 82-year-old man with heart failure was presented with a difficult decision: undergo the high-risk surgery his doctors recommended, or die. As Kaiser Health News (KHN) reported, the patient’s daughter felt there was no choice but to go ahead with the surgery. Read More
Is gifting patients stress balls branded with your name an effective way to build loyalty? Do giveaways on your Facebook page influence patients to promote your practice? It can be hard to know what strategies are worth your time and expense. Before you order a case of eyeball lollipops for your eye care practice, let’s take a look at the psychology behind patient loyalty and practice marketing. In a few simple steps, you’ll be on your way to more engaged patients and hopefully new-patient referrals as well. Read More
Why is it that you can now scan and pay for your groceries while you shop, schedule a massage online, and deposit a check via smartphone, but in many doctors’ offices patients are still handed a clipboard to fill out paper forms and a stack of dull pamphlets to read? Health care is notorious for being behind the times when it comes to technology. And yet, there are proven benefits to adopting the right tools and software, for your patients and your practice.Read More
In a previous post, we discussed the Enneagram, a popular self-assessment tool along the lines of the Myers-Briggs test. By answering questions related to your behavior in certain situations and the motivations behind it, the Enneagram classifies you as one of nine “types.” Check out our last post or The Enneagram Institute web site for descriptions of each type. Read More
Chances are, the term “Enneagram” has popped up in your Twitter feed, on a podcast you listened to, or around your dinner table or water cooler at work. Some consider it the new Myers-Briggs. Some embrace it as a spiritual tool. One doctor suggests it as an approach to avoiding burnout. And some people are simply curious about whether the newly popular personality test can help them live better lives. Let’s break down what the Enneagram is and how it can benefit you. Read More
It’s a harsh fact in the U.S. that people who live in poor rural or urban communities are more likely to have health problems and experience limited access to health care. Hospital closures have increased throughout the country, and the communities with the greatest shortage of doctors also tend to be the areas with the highest poverty. Patients there struggle to afford and access health care, while doctors face challenges related to reimbursement and patient communication. But there is hope. Read on to find out the best practices and tools that benefit not only low-income patients, but all patients, as well as the doctors who serve them. Read More
