Wed. May 1st, 2024

This is not my meme but it DOES relate to us as DPC Docs. Why? Because we are so close to our patients that sometimes we cross boundaries that we shouldn’t cross.

“But my patients would never turn on me?” you say.

You are probably right…….until you aren’t.

Here is a reality check. There are a lot of people with borderline personality disorders. The rate of anxiety diagnoses is exploding. You really aren’t as good of friends with your patients as you think. Lastly, if something goes wrong in your treatment plan, even if it isn’t your fault, patients will rationalize why they now don’t like you. All humans rationalize.

Confusing?

Well, let me explain. You’re tired and respond to a patient’s text with a bad joke.

Pt: “Hey doc, I got the new pills. This thing is too big to swallow.”

You: “That’s what she said.” (Michael Scott reference)

Result: Sexual harassment.

Or you email a patient, who has crossed boundaries herself, with something that can be read in a few different ways.

Pt: Why aren’t you answering my emails? I have a million questions and you aren’t answering in a timely manner. I could be dead by now!

You: I have read them and I wish I was dead by now. I will get to these as soon as I can.

All this is based on interpretation. Who will interpret it? Here are some possibilities:

  1. The newspaper.
  2. Social media – if the patient shares it.
  3. The state board of medicine, who is looking to punish doctors to meet their quota.
  4. A judge or jury in a malpractice case.

This post is not here to scare you. It is here to educate you and make sure you don’t fall into a trap due to fatigue or laziness.

Always think, “How can I get screwed if I send this email or text?”.

The obvious answer, “That’s what she said.”

I’m kidding.

You get my point. Now go enjoy your Friday.

167300cookie-checkHow Not to Get Screwed
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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.

One thought on “How Not to Get Screwed”
  1. Great reminder! Also double check to make sure Dictation software (i.e. Dragon) is working correctly. I look back at some of my notes and am embarrassed that I did not catch the mistakes which one word could make a big difference.

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