Getting the Max Help Out of Busy MD Offices?
 

Been wondering - I had to ask a lot of my docs lately 'cause of a disablity reivew (tons of paperwork etc) and just in general on-going to the docs offices we frequent.... do any of you (and bribe isnt the word), maybe let the appreciation of the staff known to them by bringing any kinds of treats or????? (of course drug reps do that all the time - but those are bribes!)

I know most offices are very busy, and for those of use with chronic health issues we're seen more often, want records, etc.... I try to always be sure thank people.... I want them to know their hard work is appreciated but at the same time - not be perceived as trying to manipulate a doc or along those lines....

Baking treats is out of the question for me cause of PN issues, but is that is appropriate anyway? (can always buy some yummy cookies or something) I do know that many of them are super stressed - couple of years ago I had to ask a nurse to go above and beyond when she was already having a bad day - she did it - but wasnt happy... send her a small thank you bouquet of flowers and the next day she called crying, saying no one ever thanked her...

So just wondering - is it appropriate to occasionally "treat" the office staff? OR???????? :confused:

My wife is an RN and supvsr/manager of 3 shifts of staff@ 20-25 per shift.
She finds that flowers and/or fruit baskets /goodie baskets are deeply appreciated and everybody can have some.
One basket per shift (albeit a moderately large one) is how she thanks her staff of RN's, LPN's, aides, secretaries, etc. She often shops around for things and collects tins of special imported cookies on sale, or crackers, cheeses & sausages like salami, different mustards, etc, are good too- and she makes them up herself.

Easy to do
 

One of the things I did while I was in the hospital recently was to have my husband bring wrapped snickers, mars, etc. minature candy in packages. I would then give one to each shift and they all shared and appreciated it. I had a chance on the rehab floor to see how hard all those nurses worked. And the aides...they were overworked. These gestures actually got me better care, I'm firmly convinced.

Billye

I have thought about at times...
 

Those dollar type gift certificates at the fast food places? That way, you can send a bunch to 'be 'shared' tho they mite not. Simple, thank-you notes to the staff w/a nice letter to the doc about that staff can work wonders as well. Starbucks type gift cards aren't bad either.

These days so few of us ever are able to say 'please' and 'thank you' the way we used to. Short notes that the staff can keep, I bet mean a lot..they no longer feel like another 'cog'-hey! She remembered my name! ...They will then remember YOU in the long-term. Honey vs vinegar. No-brainer! - j

I would tend to recommend...
 

Do not take cookies, treats, etc.

I attended a medical conference for 10 hrs a month ago. During the panel discussion (while we ate box lunches) it was brought up by the woman psychologist who ran the pain clinic where kids deal with huge issues...RSD, cancer pain... That the staff regards gifts/food/ parties, flowers as bribes, and evaluate the giver negatively. I was rather stunned at this, but they were adamant. They see it as some controlling issue, to mess the the doctor's heads. This is a nationally known place...a tertiary specialty place...so they get many types of people, at the end of their ropes.

I think handling a difficult/ or overly busy doctor's office as a nightmare task.
I guess being patient, pleasant, and intelligent with requests, is the only way to go. If you figure out a way to improve things, please tell me. This problem is enormous, and hard to deal with when one is ill, and hurting.

Mrs. D. Wow, that would have never entered my mind. You have no idea how many muffins I have brought to hospitals and shared them with nursing staff, physician assistant's, etc.

And my former primary care doctor, well at Christmas I brought a bottle of non-alcoholic wine. They appreciated that. I also made fat free brownies. They scooped them up. Now this is a very small practice. No big hospital setting here.

I never ever thought that nurses might think this is a control issue. In this doctor's office, whenever I was there, patients would be bringing in boxes of donuts, dropping them off, shaking the doc's hand, and scooting out the door. That always amazed me. Sometimes they would drop off bagels.

The office staff was extremely friendly and always appreciative. Of course, it didn't hurt that one of the office staff lived around the corner from me, or that the nurse Annie, loved when I taped shows for her on Turner Classic Movies. It was a very relaxed office. I guess it's different in a hospital setting.

So far I guess I've been lucky.

The only place I have never brought anything is to my dentist in NYC because he has a fridge packed with fresh juices and fresh fruit (right in the waiting room), Then there's a table with a big coffee making thing that you take a coffee pod and you make your own flavored coffees and teas. There are plates of fresh muffins. Never saw such an office waiting room in all my life.

You should have seen me the first time I went there (my inlaws had shown up for moral support), and there in the waiting room was Alan, my sister in law and my brother in law drinking gourmet coffee, teas and fruit. They were having a ball and I was scared out of my mind. But he's a phobia guy and treated me very well.

They could have left me in that chair the whole day, they were eating Very Well!!!! LOL

I will remember (fur future reference) what you said about bringing food and that the nurses might see it as a control thing. That never would have crossed my mind.

Thanks for this info.

Melody

Well
 

I always fix a littls candy bar basket for the staff in my room and
like Billye i felt like i got better care. i have done this for years
and plan on keep on doing it. I'm known as the candy lady. :) Sue

That the staff regards gifts/food/ parties, flowers as bribes, and evaluate the giver negatively.I find this remark ridiculous. I think it would depend on the giver, at any rate. We have a wonderful person, she is always bubbly, happy go lucky and she brings in cookies for the staff in gratitude for our kindness. I do feel it is not necessary, a thank you is all I need. Some of the staff grows to expect treats and I feel that is wrong too. When a person makes an appointment, they will say, "Mrs......... is coming in next week and she always brings goodies." Maybe I would feel differently if the goodies were ever anything I could have, yet I doubt it. Being courtious to the person helping you out is all I ask. Just as when I go to another doc office, I treat them as I want to be treated.

I found a credit card in the parking lot one day and did my best to find the person's phone#. When she came in to get the card, she brought me a small plant and that was really nice, but certainly not necessary. It's sad in this world that people feel it's a bribe, some kind of trick when another is kind.

I didn't like listening to it either...
 

Those in control of the clinics... are the ones who view this generous behavior as negative. The lower nurses, they are not in control of your case, so they probably appreciate something. Remember, drug reps have started this habit, of bribing doctors to prescribe. I think this plays into their feelings as well.

Its never nice listening to doctors like I did, complain about their patients.
How those patients "abuse" them, call them at all hours, demand pain meds...I heard it all. It was not nice.:( But that is what is going on behind the patients' backs!

When I had my son, and was in the hospital for 6 days, I bought goodies for the nurses, when I LEFT... that type of gift is a gift, since you are not hinting at a future payoff. Many people do this... and I think that is different upon discharge.

My son was injured less than a year ago, and spent months
in hospitals, and we always brought him goodies.
(He still is in a manged care facility)
He would often share these with the staff that helped him,
and they appreciated it. It wasn't a gift from us to them,
just an invitation to share- with him.
I think that they kinda give him a little bit of extra attention because of it.

Forgot
 

I forgot to mention in my post about the small bags of candy. I always opened them and kept a few pieces and then gave them to the staff, tellling them that I didn't need all the pounds, (the truth) and would they please share the bag among themselves. AND...when I went home from the hospital, I took time to write a nice thank you note to the nursing staff and one to the phy therapy dept telling them how much I appreciated their care of me while I was there. AND...I took the time in the form of a short letter to express my graditude to the young emergency room doctor for his correct diagnosis of the fractures. I told him we were extremely lucky to have a doctor of his caliber in this small town. And I do feel that way.

Billye

I'm on the side of the goodies, but not going overboard with them. More than that, if a nurse or receptionist treats you particularly well, a thank you note to the DOCTOR, commending his nurse, means a huge amount.

A good thank you note is also quite sufficient and really appreciated.

Hard either way then?
 

Does it depend on the circumstances or the office or hospital situation?
The times I've brought gifts of food and the like it's always been readily at times greedily received...So I thought. Now does that mean I have to re-think how I can show simple appreciation for a good support staff? Not just the docs but the staff that are the ones that often times are the ones making the doc more accessabile and any billing/records/appointment issues soo much easier? Those staff people are MY heroes at times, often important times...How can I be PC and thank them appropriately? IF not food, How then? I mean, it's OK for drug reps to come to offices and 'bring lunch' for the whole office...we certainly can't do that.....nor should that be solicitated of patients...but...

I really want to show appreciation, as does Kmeb, to the folks, all the right folks who really do GOOD by/to us, the patients. Any and all perspectives/input is really appreciated! I for one, feel more confused now than before! Is it a hospital, therapy, testing, professional office/site thing that determines the protocol? - j

Depends
 

In my case I beleive that any doctor who treated me with respect & courtesy and didn't dismiss me as a head case because I have a "difficult to diagnose illness", deserves the biggest milk chocolate chip cookie I can get my hands on.

But I know it's not always appropriate to give or receive. Administrators,regulators,and policy makers generally tend to be more cautious because they have to. Lower level staff are in the trenches and probably would take a small offering at face value.

Though I must say I had an auntie who used food and gifts as a way to manipulate doctors and nurses. She was a known "doctor shopper", and lived off of free samples of just about everything. She became a major pill addict well into her 70's as a result. Doctor's could not resist her,and nobody could imagine that this sweet little old lady was a major pill popper.

She used to show us the pills she "scored", with such pride like she was showing you her wedding photos.

Needless to say it was really weird!

hi
 

kmeb I was wondering the same exact thing as I am also in the middle of a SSDI case I was going to send my rheumy a thank you card for Father's Day, maybe I will wait till after the fact as see if he really helps! My pysch doc has already agreed to fill out papers with me together at our next appt....she works out of a huge beautiful home on a river...she is one of a kind...but i was thinking maybe best to do the card thing, and or depending on your relationship with the office and staff go from your heart. I don't want to appear bribing either...it is a tough time....good luck to you! I am in Md. I heard parts of California had new guidelines for ssdi they are testing in areas as well as some other states...hope your'e not in that group! I always do want to thank people who help me....and lately its been the medical profession. They know me by name at our local xray/mri place!:eek:

When i was a nurse the candy kept me awake and moving. (Nightshift)
ER got very busy at night,i promise we never had the time to eat over
your sweet Aunty. But it helped when we didn't have time to eat.energy.
I wouldn't ant anyone to drop a candybar in or :eek: on me. Sue

It works the other way too!
 

My doctor knows what I do for a living,and my parents. As a result he charges me the "long" consultation fees even if I have been there just 10 minutes.

I turn a blind eye because he's a really good doctor,but I know he thinks I make money.

I only need show him my mortgages,and I'm sure that would correct his behaviour.

Thanks
 

for all the responses and ideas everone... I'm getting it does seem to make a difference on the circumstance... I notice a difference in my docs offices staff and the "climate" - some staffs are very loyal and have no turnover - others super high turnover and when you see that - usually mean not getting motivation they need to continue in the jobs...

The review I'm going thru I received very short notice (on purpose) - and I've had to contact every doc I have - and I've made sure to thank every person verbally that handled my records and got them to me so quickly..... and they know I appreciate it.... and I dont want to seem to try to influence the doc statements in any way (they are separate forms that have to be filled out only by doc) so its a tight line..... and right now I'm being very careful to not do anything like that.... going forward though will think of maybe little occasional "treat" and t-u note to doc when someone does go above and beyond.....

As for hospital situations - I've had frends show up to visit me in the hospital with food for the whole staff (their idea) and it was gobbled up asap.... but thats a different type atmosphere and in my case anyway, was well received (I'm sure the docs never knew about it)......

Sounds to me therefore like the circunstances really can dictate the gratitutdes extended.... :)

I never regarded any one who brought treats or gifts negatively. I didn't regard people who did not bring treats or gifts negatively.

If it makes YOU feel better, I think that is what is important....hungry staffers snarf up any treats; and cards and balloons or however you choose to show your appreciation, is appreciated too.

A simple thank you on a bad day can make a huge difference!

....and cyclelops said: ...which is virtually what I said six replies back.

Yes of course, a simple thank you is worth more than a million bucks to those you deserve it.

I know when a doc or staff takes the time to explain things to me or go out of there way I explain and thank a million times for going out of there way. It helps to feel less alone and cared about and goes a huge way. I know at my work we always liked baked goods. If you can't bake there are those cookies and brownies that you break off and heat that are good. I have brought baked goods from Panera that everyone loved or speciality bagels. I gave my therapist specialty coffees as she was always drinking them when I came. I love gift giving and baked goods. I would love to open my own cafe. One can dream.
Anyhow good luck with your benefits issue. I know how hard that is and dealing with companies.