LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: I am writing in response to your admonition that it is important to be friendly and courteous with customers, clients and friends. You have mentioned bad experiences with nurses, technicians and office staff being rude or standoffish to patients. (Heloise: My comment was that readers have expressed this opinion, not me.)
As a licensed medical professional, I am in total agreement with your recommendations, although there are two sides to this coin. If you are having patient care services, please be on time and have your doctor’s orders, insurance card and authorization.
If we are running behind and you have to wait, it may be because others have arrived late, without an order or insurance card or authorization, and are demanding to be seen. We have to call the doctor or insurance carrier, which delays service for all.
Please do not take it out on those providing your service; take your complaints to a manager or supervisor. Sometimes things “come up” in the course of providing service.
We know you may be frightened, in pain and generally stressed out. We are trained to deal with these things, but you needn’t take this out on us. I am willing to bet that most of us understand that we are there to help you and realize our service to you pays our wages. Kindness usually begets kindness.
- Susan Upson, via e-mail
A HEALTH HINT FROM HELOISE: Be prepared when you go to the doctor, have all paperwork and cards at hand, write down the questions you may have, and don’t be shy about telling the doctor what’s wrong or asking questions. Don’t make them guess what you need to know.
Readers, patients and health-care professionals, I’d love to hear from you on this “touchy” subject.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Style, Pages 28 on 08/17/2010