Quote Originally Posted by freshstart View Post
Did the docs have any say in who was hired or fired from the front desk? To me, they are important, the first impression when you call or come in. [...]
How is it now with the GP gone?
This clinic is one of maybe two or three dozen across the metro, all belonging to the same medical group, which also owns hospitals, medical-equipment firms, a few opticians, etc. What I understand from people who are in the know is that things are very centralized and the process-improvement bug has bitten this place hard. A doctor friend of mine at another clinic in the same group complains of constantly being dinged for spending "too much" time with patients -- a concern echoed by the GP at my new clinic. I have heard that hiring and firing is done at the pleasure of corporate. The atmosphere really reminds me of a franchised fast-food joint: the product and policies are delivered from corporate and merely distributed by the practitioners.

I've only had to be back to my "new" clinic once since my GP left. This clinic is part of a much smaller "chain" and they use that lack of size as a selling point. It works, though the doctor I had to see on my post-knee-surgery visit just borders on being a jerk.

It may sound like I'm coming down really hard on medical staff, especially the front-office people. But I actually was a front-office person, years ago. I was a receptionist at a doctor's office and an orderly at a local hospital. I know it's possible to do the job without being an automaton. I get that the world of work is different than it was those many years ago. But it doesn't cost a dime extra for someone dealing with sick/fearful/irritated people to be nice rather than robotic. And I'm a firm believer that empathy and sympathy and care definitely can be as much a part of the treatment mix as the latest statin or pacemaker.