My personal experiences at the BEST Medical Center: A day in the clinic-the morning.
Dr. Ida Lystic is a gastroenterologist who trained at the OTHER (Owen T. Henry and Eugene Rutherford) Medical Center, after having completed her MD degree at the prestigious Harvey Medical School (recently renamed the Harvey Provider School). She accepted a faculty position at the BEST (Byron Edwards and Samuel Thompson) Medical Center. Dr. Lystic shares her experiences on a typical morning in gastroenterology clinic. Although her clinic start date was delayed by 2 months after becoming sick following a mandatory flu shot and having to complete more than 70 hours of compliance training modules, she is now familiar with the BEST system. Clinic scheduling priorities include ensuring that the staff can eat lunch together and depart at 5:00 pm. It is a continual challenge to find time to complete the electronic medical record after BEST changed from the SIMPLE (Succinct Input Making Patients Lives Electronic) system to LEGEND (referred to as Lengthy and Excessively Graded Evaluation and Nomenclature for Diagnosis by her colleagues). To maintain clinic punctuality, a compliance spreadsheet is e-mailed monthly to the Wait Time Committee. Their most recent corrective action plan for tardy physicians included placing egg timers on the doors and having nurses interrupt visits that exceed the allotted time. Administrative decisions have resulted in downsizing personnel. Patients are required to schedule their own tests and procedures and follow-up appointments-causing low patient satisfaction scores; however, the money saved lead to a large year-end bonus for the vice president of BEST Efficiency, who holds "providers" accountable for the poor patient experience. Although Dr. Ida Lystic and the gastroenterology clinic at "the BEST Medical Center" are creations of the authors' imagination, the majority of the anecdotes are based on actual events.
Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California. Electronic address: mitehead@gmail.com.
Philip R
PR
Cohen
Division of Hematology and Oncology, Clinical Science, and Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Clinical Trials Office, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, San Diego, California.
Razelle
R
Kurzrock
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D019091:Critical Pathways; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010816:Physician Incentive Plans; D013997:Time Factors; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic