Welcome Everybody!
"What Kind of Doctor do you
Want?"
So starts an article/book review in the
"Pursuits" section of the March 17-18, 2007 Wall Street Journal. The
article goes on to examine the two distinct types of doctors that
are practicing nowadays. One, the quick decision maker, who
will briefly (hardly) listen to you and then tell you what you have and
what you need to do about it. The other style doctor is the one who
is at least as good at listening as talking, hears your concerns, and can
then come up with a variety of treatment possibilites to help you.
To those of you who have known me, my practice
has --by design-- been set up to allow for open communication, which
then allows discussion of any and all treatment possibilities.
Unfortunately, many medical/dental practices are no longer given the
opportunity to invest in the most important commodity available--spending
time with our patients. Spending time allows a doctor to
hear their patient's concerns, to ask questions about their concerns
to be sure they are understood, and then to come up with treatment options
that align with the patients original concern. Spending time also
allows for important follow up communication to occur. Without the luxury
of time, a doctor must make a cold, impersonal, and purely objective
diagnosis (based on a quick test and x-ray perhaps), without any of the
feedback that an in depth discussion with their patient would allow.
As I mentioned in a newsletter last year
(regarding my recent experiences at the local emergency departments with
my kids), most medical/dental practices are largely driven by
insurance demands. From patients, this means " that
within an average of 12 seconds most physicians interrupt their patients
stories, cutting them off or redirecting their
comments......................and often leading them toward what most
doctors already think is the most likely diagnosis." (WSJ March
17-18, 2007, p. P12) And why must they do this? In my opinion,
it is due the the demands placed on doctors today by the sheer volume of
patients they must see to satisfy their insurance
company's demands. If a dental practice agrees to participate
in a certain DMO (ie. dental maintenance orginization), they agree to take
care of all 500, or 1000, or 2000 people who are signed onto that plan
that have chosen their office from a list in a booklet. Hence
you will frequently see waiting rooms filled with 10 or more people
waiting to be seen, and front desk personal running around as if in a
marathan, not to mention the effects on the doctor who knows they not only
need to see you, but 26 more people that day.
As I mentioned in a recent comment in the Westchester Magazine, my
dad was a dentist who instilled in me the idea that attached to each tooth
is a person, and usually a very anxious person. Growing up with this
philosophy of patient care has taught me never to forget the importance of
the individual person. I hope that the "culture" that pervades my
practice is an experience that is noticeably different from what you might
experience in other health care facilities. If so , the compliement
of your referrals is always appreciated. If not, please don't
hesitate to tell us what we could be doing better. We do take your
feedback seriously.
Have a happy Passover/Easter and enjoy this great weather!
Dr. Bard J. Levey D.D.S.,
PLLC
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