Thu. May 2nd, 2024

Here is a practice tip that may save you a ton of angst. Educate, educate, educate. What does that mean? Well, I have talked about using a newsletter or PDF to educate your prospective patients about DPC. That is critical to stave off questions later after they joined. But what about your active panel? They need education too. Why? Well, let’s use the cold and flu season as an example. I would send an email to EVERYONE when a wave of URIs were passing through. I also included the same info in my weekly newsletter, which my successor is still doing. I would explain what I was seeing in the community and how it is viral and how to treat it as best as possible (and how antibiotics don’t work). Patients loved the information and really felt I was looking out for them. And I was. But I was also looking out for me!

Why is this so?

During cold and flu season it seems like everyone wants to get in or get an antibiotic. Both are usually useless. That doesn’t mean patients won’t stop asking. Your first line of defense is the email/newsletter with the above information. I cannot tell you how many patients would email me back relieved to have my advice. What about those who still email you or call because they haven’t looked at what you sent them. You nicely listen to their complaints and refer them back to your email. Does it work every time? No. But you may cut down 75% of people asking for unnecessary appointments or antibiotics.

Trust me on this one. This practice tip is gold.

159850cookie-checkIt’s Cold Season. What Do You Do to Stop Patients From Clamoring To Get In Or Get Antibiotics?
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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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