Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Everyone always takes it personally when they get that email or call that a family is leaving the practice. It drove me nuts. I had to write a book about it. Here is a snippet that may help you from staying up all night:

After five years, as of this writing, I have to tell you that the most common reason people leave is money.  I think it is very hard for them to admit that they can’t afford you or that they just don’t want to pay you anymore. To defend their own egos, they tend to highlight or make up other reasons and state that is why they left.   You need to be aware of this before you read into some feedback and beat yourself up about it.  Also, human nature will dictate that you will focus on the meanest and most unappreciative patient.  Or the worst part of their feedback. I was guilty of that.  Please don’t fall into that trap.  To be honest, most patients are sad and apologetic when they decide to leave our office and commend us on how great we are.  Don’t let the very few change your perspective and then doubt this model.  The DPC model has so many great advantages over the fee-for-service model that there is no way the unhappy ones will be getting that type of service anywhere else. Even any weak spots we have, that we should still work on, are small compared to any other model out there. 

So, to be clear, we don’t ignore what people tell us, but we have to keep it in perspective in order to feel good about what we’re doing. Honestly, our intentions are always good and we truly try to help people.  All DPC docs I have met have great hearts and are altruistic.  If you pay attention to just the ill-fitting patients, then they may sway you into doing things you don’t need to really do. And you know who those patients are. It’s the ones who you thought were happy, who now complain on the way out, that throws us all for a loop and give us pause.  We should, and do, pay attention to their complaints and feedback. 

For much more on this you can check out Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity).

Remember, most of the time it is them and not you.

Happy Friday!

12280cookie-checkWhy Patients Leave Your DPC Practice (Churn)
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By Douglas Farrago, MD

Douglas Farrago MD is board certified in the specialty of Family Practice. He is the inventor of a product called the Knee Saver which is currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Knee Saver and its knock-offs are worn by many major league baseball catchers. He is also the inventor of the CryoHelmet used by athletes for head injuries as well as migraine sufferers. From 2001 – 2011, Dr. Farrago was the editor and creator of the Placebo Journal which ran for 10 full years. Described as the Mad Magazine for doctors, he and the Placebo Journal were featured in the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the AP, and the NY Times. Douglas Farrago, MD received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in 1987, his Masters of Education degree in the area of Exercise Science from the University of Houston in 1990, and his Medical Degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. His residency training occurred way up north at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. In his final year, he was elected Chief Resident by his peers. Dr. Farrago has practiced family medicine for twenty-three years, first in Auburn, Maine and now in Forest, Virginia. He founded Forest Direct Primary Care in 2014, which quickly filled in 18 months. Dr. Farrago still blogs every day on his website Authenticmedicine.com and lectures worldwide about the present crisis in our healthcare system and the effect it has on the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Farrago’s has written three books on direct primary care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice, The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal and Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) are all best sellers in this genre. He is a leading expert in direct primary care model and lectures medical students, residents, and doctors on how to start their own DPC practice. He retired from clinical medicine in October, 2020.

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