Honesty -- The Best Policy
BY MARTY HUDSON
Once again, we continue to see “Honesty” vs. “Denial” as the trend when things go wrong in healthcare. “I’m sorry”, works in building a caring relationship between the patient and provider. Patients want to know their provider cares and are listening to their concerns.
The importance of listening to, and acting on patient feedback continues to be a hot topic in healthcare as disclosed in the article:
"'Sorry' laws build on slow shift to honesty"
Business First of Columbus - by Carrie Ghose (November 2007)
| ""People want to know that you care," (Dr. Chris) Copeland, (an obstetrician and gynecologist for 29 years in Columbus) said. "They don't want you to shrug your shoulders and say, "That's too bad.' "
Medical, legal and even malpractice insurance professionals are coming around to the idea that openness can actually head off claims. The University of Michigan Health System in 2001 dropped the traditional "deny and defend" model in favor of honest disclosure and early offers of compensation. The number of active malpractice cases and the time and expense to resolve them dropped dramatically over the next five years. As it turns out, the top motivating factor for injured patients to sue is anger - and that anger is stoked by silence, Ranum said. "Most people come to us not because they want to sue somebody, but because they want to find out what happened," said Gerald Leeseberg, a Columbus attorney who has represented patients in malpractice lawsuits." |
We welcome you to read the article in its entirety at: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/....
The patient-provider relationship is a key factor in determining whether or not the patient is likely to pursue litigation. Listening to patients and taking action based on their feedback will assist you and your organization in developing a caring relationship with your patients. Using MedicalGPS’ M3-Patient Experience real-time patient feedback system, will equip you and your staff with the tools you need in “listening to” your patients, acting upon patient feedback, and developing a relationship that let’s your patients know you care.
Click here for more information about MedicalGPS’ M3-Patient Experience.
MedicalGPS can help you and your organization effectively and efficiently obtain real-time patient feedback. Please feel free to contact us on-line at http://www.medicalgps.com/, or if you would like to talk with us, please feel free to call us direct at (615) 467-6338.