Ok, basically this is going to be a moaning post, because I really need to tell someone and at least the few people who actually read my blog (!!) will understand this side of things.
Today I had a patient bitch at me - for not doing what she asked me to. It's justified and she's totally within her right to complain (which she will do when my boss phones her...) but it sucks cos now I have to sit and work at not taking it personally. Which is difficult as it *was* my fault - I just didn't get around to dealing with her query. As always, there is a reason, but a reason always sounds like an excuse to an angry person.
It's been a year - almost exactly - since I asked for help here. The solution was to outsource the billing - the queries still go through me. And I'm the common denominator so I have to have *all* my facts ready when I phone either the billing agency or the patient - it's a lot of work when I don't have time for it. Not to mention the time it takes to pull files out and then put them all back again... That's one of my worst.
I am one person, working for two very busy doctors. They have each had problems with billing companies, therefore there are a lot of queries about payments and claims. These are new practices and unfortunately there have to be some hiccups.
I have my notebook that I write down all queries and phonecalls - sometimes I don't write down enough information and my brain is full. So right now it feels like a sieve and I can't remember every conversation - especially when it's identical to 4 others in the same day.
Sometimes things fall through the cracks and there just is not time to get answers to all the questions patients ask. I am the frontline - I field a hang of a lot of queries for my bosses and admittedly, I do screen a fair number of the calls. However, I also get all the complaints. They take it out on me, so by the time they see the doctor, or even if they ever get around to writing to them, they've calmed down. They've vented, they're happy cos they've "told me off" - and I have sit and try not to take it personally when I can see exactly where they're coming from therefore a lot of the time their anger is justified.
I am so sick and tired of having to be patient with people who are not patient with me. It's only two weeks to go (once again, at least two people will be hired to replace me - interesting pattern developing here), but after a week like this, it doesn't feel like it's soon enough. One of the replacements is already threatening to phone me with queries - um no?! Not a chance in hell! I'm just really glad that I keep my phone on silent while I'm at work. Even though my family still haven't figured that out...
I know that part of it is because I feel guilty for not dealing with the query quickly enough. I don't like finding out that I'm not doing a good job - "it's unacceptable not to be perfect" (still trying to figure out where this idea came from...). Now I just have to not think about it - till I go in to work over the weekend to catch up...
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