Just a quick update – I can’t quite believe it, but we’re in our second week.
Our first few days were complete chaos. They moved the furniture in on Thursday morning and we opened Thursday afternoon, with unpacked boxes in the hallways, no equipment, no printer, copier or office supplies.
A sensible person would surely have waited until Monday, but the truth is I had a lot of patients who really needed to be seen and I did not want to put them off another four days…
They forgave us the mess and disorganization. And, as the days went on, we got things put away and figured out. It’s running suprisingly smoothly now.
I’m doing things the old-fashioned way – patients have a consultation in my office, then go to the exam room for the physical, then back to my office to finish up.
Some of my doctor friends tell me I won’t be able to keep this up when I’m seeing a full slate of patients – it’s just too slow. Maybe true. I just have this odd idea that patients feel more comfortable talking to the doctor when they are sitting in a chair with their clothes on
We have two great staff – Velma is our medical assistant. She got the lab stocked in no time and has also volunteered for laundry duty so that we can have cloth gowns (the paper ones tear if you breathe too hard on them). Sarah, our receptionist, is terrific.
My wife Rebecca is there every day greeting patients, solving problems, dealing with vendors, keeping people happy, running to Staples, and seemingly endless ad hoc tasks. I am so lucky to have her. Plus, it’s fun to work together, even when the work is hard.
Our friends know, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned here – Rebecca had a novel accepted for publication on Riverhead Press, which is an imprint of Penguin.
It’s not every medical practice that has a published novelist as an office manager. Though Dick Greene, a Pittsfield dermatologist, published a novel last year… so maybe this is a trend!
We’ll have our electronic medical record up and running in a couple of weeks. I’ll write more about that in future posts.
For now… if you are reading this… consider yourself invited to come in and see the office. If you need medical attention, give me a call. And tell your friends. We are accepting new patients. Out phone number is 442-5670.
We are open 8:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Wednesday, and we stay open until 8 pm on Thursdays. We close a little early on Fridays, for Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) – but I’m usually in the office, catching up, and will see people if it’s urgent.
It’s my own practice. I can do that if I want to.
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