Ever wonder what patients really want from doctors?
Is it the fancy buildings with marble fountains?
Is it the board certifications and diplomas on the wall?
Is it the expert medical jargon and starched white coats?
Nope. None of the above.
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Ever wonder what patients really want from doctors?
Is it the fancy buildings with marble fountains?
Is it the board certifications and diplomas on the wall?
Is it the expert medical jargon and starched white coats?
Nope. None of the above.
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Loyal patients are the lifeblood of a medical clinic. And devoted patients are worth their weight in gold. It’s a lot easier to care for an established patient that lots of one-timers who never return. Beyond ease of workflow, the economic benefits are fabulous. A loyal patient panel will stay with you (and pay you) through sickness and in health even if you don’t take their insurance—even if you choose to go cash only.
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I love my patients. And I love surprises. Most patients fear unexpected medical events, but medical surprises don’t always have to be bad news.
I’m a neighborhood family doc. My patients are friends. They celebrate my milestones and I celebrate theirs. A few like to surprise me for my birthday.
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If you’re a doctor, I bet you speak doctorly. You act doctorly. And dress doctorly. And spend your days in clinic with other doctorly doctors.
But life is what happens while you’re busy staring at computerized flow sheets, algorithms, and billing codes.
Real life happens outside of man-made medical institutions.
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I’ve never been a small-talk doc. My therapist calls me “the Dr. Kevorkian of medical taboos.” I’m most comfortable discussing the uncomfortable—topics that scare most physicians. In my TED talk, I bust through three taboos: human sexuality, physician-patient intimacy, and doctor suicides.
Taboo #1: Sexuality. Americans are oversexualized and sexually repressed.
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Health insurance is complex. Eating out is easy—unless you were to involve your health insurance company.
If you hired a third party to pay your restaurant bill, you’d pay twice as much, wait 2 weeks for a table, and have 7 minutes to eat.
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Just for the record: I am happy to see you—irrespective of your insurance.
I accept most insurance plans. And if I don’t accept your insurance, I have a very good reason.
I will not sign a contract with a health insurer that:
Abuses and bullies me and/or my patients.
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Doctors spend their 20s and 30s studying while most of their friends are at parties and enjoying their youth.
Doctors may amass up to 500K debt for the honor of one day caring for you and your family.
Doctors delay childbearing and starting their own families so they can care for your family.
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I started kissing patients in med school. And I haven’t stopped.
During my third-year pediatric rotation, I would stay up late at night in the hospital, holding sick and dying children. I’d lift them from their cribs, kiss them, and sing to them, rocking them back and forth until they fell asleep.
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