Patient Payments Blog

Questions rightly asked are powerful. They can help another person know they are welcomed. That their opinions are valued. That their experiences are valid.

Learning is a never-ending exercise, especially in a medical practice. Things are always changing and demanding we update our knowledge. Learning requires that we be willing to gather more information and put it to use. Learning is as necessary as showing up for work. But willingness to learn is not exactly what I mean when I say someone is ‘teachable’.

Last week’s post addressed our fears of taking action. In four steps, we shared how to identify and explore the fear, the need to know the benefits of overcoming the fear, and the need to plan your next moves. Once you’ve got a firm grasp on why you are afraid to tackle a certain issue (what and who may be causing the fear) and what the benefits and consequences will be when you tackle it, you are ready to start making a plan.

Are you tied down to month-end reports? Do you find yourself dreading them? Does your family know that the end of the month means ordering pizza for dinner for three or four nights as you work late? Does your staff fear the month-end monster you become behind your locked office door as you toil in silent aggravation? Ready to put a stop to the month-end madness? 

So the election just blew up any chance for continuity in the way government looks at and regulates healthcare - what’s new with that? How many changes, mandates, regulations, and dubious upgrades have you endured the past few years? Is there any industry other than perhaps, nuclear power, that is subject to more pressures, more incoming fire, than healthcare?

Now another administration is perched on the brink of grabbing the spinning ship’s wheel of healthcare and jerking it once again in an unknown direction. The temptation is to throw up our hands or throw in the towel. Waving the white flag might be an appealing option faced with more upheaval. Don’t be so hasty! Think of all the things you’ve already conquered. Think of how many times the outside forces had you pinned down and weary from the merciless onslaught of new demands and changes.

I’m convinced that communication is the most neglected necessity in the workplace. It’s the most taken-for-granted essential of human interaction. Done well, it creates productive, low stress, emotionally enjoyable relationships. Done poorly, it creates, avoidance, animosity, and sometimes hostility, to name just a few negative outcomes.

Think about it. We have two major party candidates asking us to trust them with the leadership of our country. How would you grade their ability to communicate their virtues and platforms? Have they been forthright? Have they been clear? Have they been mistake-free? Have they thought through the issues and their answers? Have they insulted each other, or the public, or our intelligence? Do they say one thing in public and another in private? Do you trust them?