Confused about this interview question

[iris11]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I've been practicing for my upcoming interviews, and I saw this question, and I'm a little stumped about how to answer it. What do you folks think?

"If you work for a hospital/practice that only allows 15 mins for office visits and you have a patient that requires additional time (~15 more mins), would you void the hospital's/practice's policy to address that person's needs or would you treat the illness as best you could and tell them to come back?"

 

[Goro]

We're not going to give you the answer for you. What would you do????

 

[iris11]

We're not going to give you the answer for you. What would you do????

I guess I'm just conflicted... I would want to spend more time with the patient since one of my biggest priorities as a doctor would be ensuring that every patient feels like they have my whole attention. I wouldn't want a patient to feel like I'm rushing him, don't have time for him, or don't even care about his problem since the doctor-patient relationship is important in giving the best possible care/treatment to the patient. However, by deciding to work at this hospital, I've also decided to adhere to its policy. If I decided to stay longer with the patient, then I would be acting in a dishonest manner. This decision could potentially not only affect the time I have left to spend with other patients after this visit which wouldn't be fair to them, but also affect my fellow colleagues' schedules. Thus, I think it would be best to explain the situation to the patient and ask them if they would like to come for another visit, so we can get a full picture or ask if I can refer them to a fellow colleague (who's been debriefed on the case).

I'm not sure if I'm answering the question properly. I know this is a problem that most doctors (especially those working in primary care) have.

 

[Michael_Scott]

I would for sure void the hospitals policy. patient care is important to me. my Hippocratic oath states to give the best treatment to patient for their benefit and no "hospital policy" will keep me from doing that.

hospital are greedy corporations that abuse both their workers and patients (I won't say that int he interview, obviously)

 

[Lawpy]

I would probably just double my efficiency.

 

[vendtex]

So I've been practicing for my upcoming interviews, and I saw this question, and I'm a little stumped about how to answer it. What do you folks think?

"If you work for a hospital/practice that only allows 15 mins for office visits and you have a patient that requires additional time (~15 more mins), would you void the hospital's/practice's policy to address that person's needs or would you treat the illness as best you could and tell them to come back?"
.

You should take the time needed to treat the patient but honestly it's something of a fake choice because you can bill for the additional time. Just because patients are scheduled on a 15 minute schedule doesn't mean that they all take that amount of time sometimes it's five sometimes 40 but again the coding can be varied based on time and that is what is billed and is the basis of the reimbursement not an arbitrary time limit.

 

[Michael_Scott]

And you have this position, and have moved your family to a new city to take it, and now you spend too much time with a patient, getting constantly dinged by yuor supervisor for it, and now threatened with dismissal, with a spouse, two kids, and a mortgage in hand, what do you do?

Ha, I just wanted to get you guys talking....Now OP has some perspective and points to think about...thanks for the help (42! was not helpful) 🙂

 

[iris11]

You should take the time needed to treat the patient but honestly it's something of a fake choice because you can bill for the additional time. Just because patients are scheduled on a 15 minute schedule doesn't mean that they all take that amount of time sometimes it's five sometimes 40 but again the coding can be varied based on time and that is what is billed and is the basis of the reimbursement not an arbitrary time limit. .

But the question specifically states the patient has been with you for 15 minutes... so in an interview situation, it would be alright to state I would just bill him for the additional time?

 

[theonlytycrane]

I would want to spend enough time with the patient to address their concerns. Depending on the situation, maybe just a few more minutes are needed. If much more time is needed, I would try to get to a point where a plan to address their needs is started and a follow-up is scheduled, making sure that the patient will be okay in the mean time.

In either case I would reach out to my supervisor and bring the situation up to him / her. I would advocate for an agreed-upon plan for dealing with similar situations in the future. I want to help the patient fully, but to also make the practice aware of how certain needs may take more time. I don't want to disregard either of my responsibilities to the patient or the practice.

 

[Kurk]

I would totally spend the additional time with them. Screw the quotas. If they fire me, they fire me. I'm not going to be some cog in a bureaucratic machine.

 

[vendtex]

But the question specifically states the patient has been with you for 15 minutes... so in an interview situation, it would be alright to state I would just bill him for the additional time?

Sorry, I meant that the right thing to do, in my opinion is to take the time. I know of many doctors who don't do that but make the patient come back, and it's not the best for the patient because sometimes the other thing they bring up is more important to deal with now.

What I meant was it shows the naiveté of the interviewer because in most situations the hospital wouldn't really lose money by your having spent the extra time. The other factor is that patient surveys are becoming increasingly important and one of the questions often asked is did the doctor take enough time so again I think the right answer is to take the time you think is required.

 

[Lawpy]

but 42 is the answer to everything

This is true:

Spoiler: Proofs

 

[freak7]

And you have this position, and have moved your family to a new city to take it, and now you spend too much time with a patient, getting constantly dinged by yuor supervisor for it, and now threatened with dismissal, with a spouse, two kids, and a mortgage in hand, what do you do?

Hey Gonnif, out of curiosity: if you were asking this question what would you hope to learn from the interviewee? I mean there's no clear cut "right" answer and for each side the interviewer can create more and more variables to make the interviewee's choice seem wrong (as you've just done). Is the point just to see if the applicant can argue a point and defend it? Is it better to be willing to concede that another viewpoint may be more correct?

 

[Goro]

No fair...... Insider knowledge!

You should take the time needed to treat the patient but honestly it's something of a fake choice because you can bill for the additional time. Just because patients are scheduled on a 15 minute schedule doesn't mean that they all take that amount of time sometimes it's five sometimes 40 but again the coding can be varied based on time and that is what is billed and is the basis of the reimbursement not an arbitrary time limit. .

 

[Cara Delevingne]

Spend the extra time with patients. They're looking to see that your focus is on putting the patients first.

Counter-argument could be "but that means someone else won't be getting seen by you"

 

[LizzyM]

If you are booked solid for the afternoon and this first patient is scheduled for 15 minutes of your time but takes 30, you are now 15 minutes late seeing every other patient that day. The last patient may finish with you too late to get to the lab for a blood draw or to conduct whatever other business needed to be taken care of at the facility before everyone goes home. It is okay to say you are going to take the time but how are you going to make it up... Will the next 8 patients each get 13 minutes of your time?

 

[aldol16]

Okay, you took the extra time to see the patient and answered all his/her questions. Now, you're 10 minutes behind schedule, meaning that you have to take time out of seeing the other patients. The next patient also requires more time because he brought a long list of questions to ask about his clinical trial - questions only you can answer. What do you do, realizing that taking more time with these patients will necessitate cancelling at least one appointment at the end of the day (assume the facility closes at a set time and you can't stay longer by choice).

 

[vendtex]

If you are booked solid for the afternoon and this first patient is scheduled for 15 minutes of your time but takes 30, you are now 15 minutes late seeing every other patient that day. The last patient may finish with you too late to get to the lab for a blood draw or to conduct whatever other business needed to be taken care of at the facility before everyone goes home. It is okay to say you are going to take the time but how are you going to make it up... Will the next 8 patients each get 13 minutes of your time?

Are you suggesting you think it's ok to not take the extra time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lawpy]

If you are booked solid for the afternoon and this first patient is scheduled for 15 minutes of your time but takes 30, you are now 15 minutes late seeing every other patient that day. The last patient may finish with you too late to get to the lab for a blood draw or to conduct whatever other business needed to be taken care of at the facility before everyone goes home. It is okay to say you are going to take the time but how are you going to make it up... Will the next 8 patients each get 13 minutes of your time?

Okay, you took the extra time to see the patient and answered all his/her questions. Now, you're 10 minutes behind schedule, meaning that you have to take time out of seeing the other patients. The next patient also requires more time because he brought a long list of questions to ask about his clinical trial - questions only you can answer. What do you do, realizing that taking more time with these patients will necessitate cancelling at least one appointment at the end of the day (assume the facility closes at a set time and you can't stay longer by choice).

You guys are assuming that:

1. There won't be any cancelled appointments that day

2. The following patients will each take 15 minutes or longer (why not 5 min? The patients could show up for a second opinion)

3. Patients aren't aware of facility closing times and will still show up nonetheless

There are a lot of assumptions and what-ifs hypotheticals involved here. Good for interview discussion yes, but these can quickly take an unrealistic route to assess how the interviewee will respond in such extreme instances

 

[vendtex]

You guys are assuming that:

1. There won't be any cancelled appointments that day

2. The following patients will each take 15 minutes or longer (why not 5 min? The patients could show up for a second opinion)

3. Patients aren't aware of facility closing times and will still show up nonetheless

And usually the schedule cuts off at 430 if you stop at 5 for example


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You guys are assuming that:

1. There won't be any cancelled appointments that day

2. The following patients will each take 15 minutes or longer (why not 5 min? The patients could show up for a second opinion)

3. Patients aren't aware of facility closing times and will still show up nonetheless

There are a lot of assumptions and what-ifs hypotheticals involved here. Good for interview discussion yes, but these can quickly take an unrealistic route to assess how the interviewee will respond in such extreme instances

@LizzyM is just trying to get OP to think.

 

[Lawpy]

And usually the schedule cuts off at 430 if you stop at 5 for example


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are you suggesting you think it's ok to not take the extra time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is the 15 min per patient really a hard rule or is it just a guide to help doctors cover a good amount of patients in a given day (this would be 28 patients in a 7-hour day plus an hour noon break)?

Insurance companies would care more about how many patients are being seen monthly. The 15-min rule just serves as a guide to meet that optimal amount in my opinion.

@LizzyM is just trying to get OP to think.

I know but the question/scenario seems incomplete and there's an opportunity to make lots of assumptions and hypotheticals. My prior post simply served to illustrate such assumptions made in followup questions that had been posed.

 

[vendtex]

Is the 15 min per patient really a hard rule or is it just a guide to help doctors cover a good amount of patients in a given day (this would be 28 patients in a 7-hour day plus an hour noon break)?

Insurance companies would care more about how many patients are being seen monthly. The 15-min rule just serves as a guide to meet that optimal amount in my opinion.

A quota per se would be more likely in a situation where the physician is paid a fixed salary but the employer wants to be sure that the doctor generates enough income to justify that salary. That is the disadvantage to salary vs. production based compensation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MDProspect]

So I've been practicing for my upcoming interviews, and I saw this question, and I'm a little stumped about how to answer it. What do you folks think?

"If you work for a hospital/practice that only allows 15 mins for office visits and you have a patient that requires additional time (~15 more mins), would you void the hospital's/practice's policy to address that person's needs or would you treat the illness as best you could and tell them to come back?"
.

Assuming that this question is part of an MMI, I would avoid the extreme answers. As other members mentioned, if you continually go against policy, you can be dismissed from the hospital/practice. You may disagree with the policy, but it is not for you to decide whether to follow it or not. This route shows lack of good morals. Following policy like an automaton, on the other hand, is not a good choice either as it goes against acting in your patients' best interests. If I was asked this question, I would come up with a compromise. As an example, during a busy day, I would address my patient's issues that need immediate attention. Chronic illnesses cannot be solved in one visit anyway, so these patients will need to come back anyway. Thus, I would first ask my patients what are the reasons for their visits and what are their chief complaints. Then I'd tell them that we have limited time, so I will address X, but I will need for them to schedule another appointment for issue Y. However, they should immediately call me if their health starts to wane before their next appointment. If the waiting room is empty, then I think it is acceptable to take longer than 15 min.

 

[vendtex]

Assuming that this question is part of an MMI, I would avoid the extreme answers. As other members mentioned, if you continually go against policy, you can be dismissed from the hospital/practice. You may disagree with the policy, but it is not for you to decide whether to follow it or not. This route shows lack of good morals. Following policy like an automaton, on the other hand, is not a good choice either as it goes against acting in your patients' best interests. If I was asked this question, I would come up with a compromise. As an example, during a busy day, I would address my patient's issues that need immediate attention. Chronic illnesses cannot be solved in one visit anyway, so these patients will need to come back anyway. Thus, I would first ask my patients what are the reasons for their visits and what are their chief complaints. Then I'd tell them that we have limited time, so I will address X, but I will need for them to schedule another appointment for issue Y. However, they should immediately call me if their health starts to wane before their next appointment. If the waiting room is empty, then I think it is acceptable to take longer than 15 min..

In real life though they may not mention a more important problem until 14 minutes into the visit and in real life you may not know who's in the waiting room. But also despite having multiple employed position none has ever imposed quotas. Perhaps some do but that's more likely I think when a salaried Doctor is a slacker.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MDProspect]

In real life though they may not mention a more important problem until 14 minutes into the visit and in real life you may not know who's in the waiting room. But also despite having multiple employed position none has ever imposed quotas. Perhaps some do but that's more likely I think when a salaried Doctor is a slacker.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

Anything is possible in real life, and what I'd say during the interview isn't necessarily what I'd do when I start practicing medicine. However, when it comes to interviews, especially for MMI, I will formulate a neutral response that addresses the prompt and nothing else. I don't see anything about quotas in the prompt. It just says visits should be limited to 15 min for whatever reason. Possibly, this practice caters to busy professionals and wants to avoid long waiting times so they can attract more patients/ avoid losing patients that want to come in during their lunch breaks. In my first MMI, I tried incorporating as much outside information in my answers as I could. Long story short, I FUBAR'd the interview.

 

[theonlytycrane]

Anything is possible in real life, and what I'd say during the interview isn't necessarily what I'd do when I start practicing medicine. However, when it comes to interviews, especially for MMI, I will formulate a neutral response that addresses the prompt and nothing else. I don't see anything about quotas in the prompt. It just says visits should be limited to 15 min for whatever reason. Possibly, this practice caters to busy professionals and wants to avoid long waiting times so they can attract more patients/ avoid losing patients that want to come in during their lunch breaks. In my first MMI, I tried incorporating as much outside information in my answers as I could. Long story short, I FUBAR'd the interview. .

Did you get any sense or hint that you were including too much outside hypotheticals from that first experience? Or was this just your feeling after the interview day?

 

[vendtex]

Anything is possible in real life, and what I'd say during the interview isn't necessarily what I'd do when I start practicing medicine. However, when it comes to interviews, especially for MMI, I will formulate a neutral response that addresses the prompt and nothing else. I don't see anything about quotas in the prompt. It just says visits should be limited to 15 min for whatever reason. Possibly, this practice caters to busy professionals and wants to avoid long waiting times so they can attract more patients/ avoid losing patients that want to come in during their lunch breaks. In my first MMI, I tried incorporating as much outside information in my answers as I could. Long story short, I FUBAR'd the interview. .

The question as asked stated that the patient's need "required additional time" so your answer wouldn't really be responsive to that scenario. If I were interviewing and you tried to sit on the fence I would follow up with an attempt to push you to commit to a position and be able to give a good reason.

If you up front have decided you only have X amount of time to deal with a problem that takes longer to address than you may come across as not being compassionate or able to accommodate to the patient's needs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MDProspect]

Did you get any sense or hint that you were including too much outside hypotheticals from that first experience? Or was this just your feeling after the interview day?

It was both. I had one prompt where the ethical issue was about patient autonomy. The patient was not comfortable with me being her doctor (Because I am a white doctor and she is an African American patient) and wanted another doctor. I started out by mentioning laws and how the patient has the right to see another doctor; however, all doctors undergo the same training and I assume that cross-cultural issues were part of my training. Therefore, I'd ask her to give me a chance. The interviewer was not satisfied with this response and hinted that I should just respect her wishes. Then there was a follow-up question about what would happen if the patient becomes too uncomfortable. I vaguely remember that I replied with something like the patient might be turned off from seeking help and may resort to complementary medicine instead. This response really pissed off the interviewer and he said that my answers were too extreme. Not surprisingly, I was promptly rejected a week later.

 

[MDProspect]

The question as asked stated that the patient's need "required additional time" so your answer wouldn't really be responsive to that scenario. If I were interviewing and you tried to sit on the fence I would follow up with an attempt to push you to commit to a position and be able to give a good reason.

If you up front have decided you only have X amount of time to deal with a problem that takes longer to address than you may come across as not being compassionate or able to accommodate to the patient's needs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

If I was being pushed to pick a side, then I would still answer that it depends on why the patient needs additional time. If it's for discussing a diagnosis that I disclosed in the first 15 minutes then I would accommodate them. If I was doing some sort of procedure and I needed the additional time to finish then I would finish the procedure before moving on to the next patient. I'd imagine that there are other doctors in the practice, so I'd ask them if they can take the next patient. If the patient has an another issue and it can wait, then I would ask them to schedule another appointment with me. I would say something like, "I am sorry Mr/Ms X, I know you want me to address this additional concern, but my schedule is full today. We can schedule another appointment, where I'll gladly address your other issues. If this issue starts bothering you and you start to feel discomfort/pain, please feel free to come back to our office and someone will help you."

 

[Mr Terrific]

The moment meeting quotas becomes more important than treating patients, you become a production line worker in a white coat. Might as well have patients come into your office on a conveyor belt.

 

[aldol16]

You guys are assuming that:

1. There won't be any cancelled appointments that day

2. The following patients will each take 15 minutes or longer (why not 5 min? The patients could show up for a second opinion)

3. Patients aren't aware of facility closing times and will still show up nonetheless

There are a lot of assumptions and what-ifs hypotheticals involved here. Good for interview discussion yes, but these can quickly take an unrealistic route to assess how the interviewee will respond in such extreme instances

Yes, but the interviewer controls the situation completely and can make it as arbitrary as he/she wants. These completely unrealistic situations can come up in the context of challenging ethical questions - especially if the applicant tries to work their way out of it without giving a clear answer.

 

[vendtex]

I still think the best answer is take the time needed. It's similar to the questions about preferring an AA Doctor. Best to err on the side of the patient, IMO. I would try not to bring up nuances like other doctors seeing your patient or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MDProspect]

I still think the best answer is take the time needed. It's similar to the questions about preferring an AA Doctor. Best to err on the side of the patient, IMO. I would try not to bring up nuances like other doctors seeing your patient or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I completely agree with you. If a patient does not want me, then that's fine. Let them go find a doctor that they can relate to. But for the sake of the interview, I would not say that as it goes against guidelines and the proper protocol.

 

[DrHart]

If a patient is 15 minutes late to an appointment (essentially missing their 15 minutes of allotted time), do you reschedule the patient or see them?

 

[wanderingorion]

@Goro and @LizzyM
One general questions about interview questions similar to this. I see that sitting on the fence is generally frowned upon, so are we just supposed to be able to defend our answers thoughtfully and when asked further questions? I guess what I mean is, when there's no right answer, it's better to stick to your guns. Unless your answer is off the wall, being able to communicate and consider the variables is what is valued, rather than the particular answer.
When I did a mock interview, I was stumped with which path to take regarding a scenario. In this situation, should I just go with my gut/morals and stick with it?

 

[Lawpy]

Yes, but the interviewer controls the situation completely and can make it as arbitrary as he/she wants. These completely unrealistic situations can come up in the context of challenging ethical questions - especially if the applicant tries to work their way out of it without giving a clear answer.

I mean that's just interviewing for the sake of conversation at that point. Nothing wrong with that, but it can get a bit carried away into some fantasy world.

I still think the best answer is take the time needed. It's similar to the questions about preferring an AA Doctor. Best to err on the side of the patient, IMO. I would try not to bring up nuances like other doctors seeing your patient or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Would anyone be able to defend and justify the opposite (i.e. firmly stick to the 15 min per patient policy)?

 

[vendtex]

I completely agree with you. If a patient does not want me, then that's fine. Let them go find a doctor that they can relate to. But for the sake of the interview, I would not say that as it goes against guidelines and the proper protocol.

What guidelines are you referring to?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[vendtex]

I mean that's just interviewing for the sake of conversation at that point. Nothing wrong with that, but it can get a bit carried away into some fantasy world.



Would anyone be able to defend and justify the opposite (i.e. firmly stick to the 15 min per patient policy)?

I agree. That's much harder to do. I can tell you from personal and practical experience that numerous I've had patients comments that they appreciated the time because others cut them off or only let them talk about one problem. This was in a military setting FWIW.

My best advice is to answer honestly because then you come across as genuine and caring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Goro]

What gonnif said. Most of these questions have no right answers, we just see what you would do, and why.

But sometimes there are definitely wrong answers. No, we're not sharing.

At least from my experience, it isnt the answer matters, it is how you deal with the question!

 

[MDProspect]

What guidelines are you referring to?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/toc.html

 

[LizzyM]

What would you do??.. you can't take both positions... you either spend some extra time with the patient or you reschedule the patient. When you are in the clinic, you have to take action and not just sit there saying "on the other hand, if I don't handle this today..." You are in the situation... what do you do?

 

[Lawpy]

What would you do??.. you can't take both positions... you either spend some extra time with the patient or you reschedule the patient. When you are in the clinic, you have to take action and not just sit there saying "on the other hand, if I don't handle this today..." You are in the situation... what do you do?

Doesn't this only pertain to the last few patients of the day when it's near closing time?

 

[freak7]

But sometimes there are definitely wrong answers. No, we're not sharing.

Well if you're not sharing then I'll just have to try to guess them!

"I would tell the patient that it is hospital policy and my time is much more valuable than theirs so they should be thanking their lucky stars that I'm even taking time out of my day to see them"

"I get paid per patient so who cares! Make it 5 minutes per patient and that's still my answer. I'm all about that bling, boss"

"This question is too hard, can I get another one?"

"I like turtles"

How'd I do Goro ?

 

[MDProspect]

Well if you're not sharing then I'll just have to try to guess them!

"I would tell the patient that it is hospital policy and my time is much more valuable than theirs so they should be thanking their lucky stars that I'm even taking time out of my day to see them"

"I get paid per patient so who cares! Make it 5 minutes per patient and that's still my answer. I'm all about that bling, boss"

"This question is too hard, can I get another one?"

"I like turtles"

How'd I do Goro ?

Full merit* scholarship to the Caribbean.

* loans

 

[LizzyM]

Doesn't this only pertain to the last few patients of the day when it's near closing time?

When you have a patient that needs 30 minutes of your time and you have 12 more patients scheduled over the next 3 hours, what do you do?? Do you handle it differently if you have 2 patients scheduled over the next half hour and the clinic closes in 30 minutes? Do you handle it differently if you have a very light schedule to day with only 6 patients scheduled over the next 3 hours but the next patient's appointment begins in 15 minutes?

 

[Lawpy]

When you have a patient that needs 30 minutes of your time and you have 12 more patients scheduled over the next 3 hours, what do you do?? Do you handle it differently if you have 2 patients scheduled over the next half hour and the clinic closes in 30 minutes? Do you handle it differently if you have a very light schedule to day with only 6 patients scheduled over the next 3 hours but the next patient's appointment begins in 15 minutes?

It really depends. I'd probably maintain that I would still spend more time with patients, but it depends on the time of day, any unexpected cancelled appointments, being done with a patient sooner than expected etc. Patients are also aware of closing times, so when they show up around that time and see other patients waiting, they would realize it's probably better to reschedule.

Most times of day, the answer is clear: spend more time with the patient. It's near closing time that becomes an issue, and we would have to prioritize accordingly (who waited longest, severity of conditions, regular checkup vs first time etc.)

 

[vendtex]

It really depends. I'd probably maintain that I would still spend more time with patients, but it depends on the time of day, any unexpected cancelled appointments, being done with a patient sooner than expected etc. Patients are also aware of closing times, so when they show up around that time and see other patients waiting, they would realize it's probably better to reschedule.

Most times of day, the answer is clear: spend more time with the patient. It's near closing time that becomes an issue, and we would have to prioritize accordingly (who waited longest, severity of conditions, regular checkup vs first time etc.)

"So Doctor you treat a patient at 445 differently than at 145? Why is that? Shouldn't their medical condition determine their treatment not the time of day?"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MDProspect]

It really depends. I'd probably maintain that I would still spend more time with patients, but it depends on the time of day, any unexpected cancelled appointments, being done with a patient sooner than expected etc. Patients are also aware of closing times, so when they show up around that time and see other patients waiting, they would realize it's probably better to reschedule.

Most times of day, the answer is clear: spend more time with the patient. It's near closing time that becomes an issue, and we would have to prioritize accordingly (who waited longest, severity of conditions, regular checkup vs first time etc.)

The management will have you by the b***s, if you continuously violate their 15 minute policy. What you are saying would be okay if it was your own private practice and you chose to speed up the visits at the end of the day at your own discretion.

 

[Lawpy]

The management will have you by the b***s, if you continuously violate their 15 minute policy. I think what your saying would be okay if it was your own private practice and you chose to speed up the visits at the end of the day at your own discretion.

Again why? It makes absolutely no sense at all, because it's the actual number of patients seen and billed that matters. The 15-min rule is there because ideally in a workday, you'll see 28 patients in 7 hours + a noon break. It's the count that matters.

This is also assuming that there aren't cancelled appointments, and somehow each patient takes 15 minutes or longer.

"So Doctor you treat a patient at 445 differently than at 145? Why is that? Shouldn't their medical condition determine their treatment not the time of day?"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ideally, i would really just spend most time with each patient regardless of time of day, but facilities apparently close by the end of the workday, so the necessary tests can't be done until the next day.