FootZine took last
week off while I was in Sunriver, Oregon. What a beautiful
place! Speaking to the support staff gathered at the
Oregon Podiatric Medical Association meeting was a great
opportunity to get some new ideas and see some different
exhibitors. There was also the chance to hear Mr. Kevin
West's perspective about HIPAA. I got to connect
with some old friends, and got acquainted with some new ones.
Sometimes we get pretty caught up in our world of feet and codes
and regulations and forget about the rest. Sometimes we
forget how many other ways there are to go about the work we do,
and we don't think about our peers outside of the podiatry
context. It was fun to get to do some after-five visiting
and learning about some of the "other lives". We
discovered that many of us love a bargain and don't mind sharing
our best sources. Everyone knows now that chocolate is a
breakfast food. I felt very safe in that group with a
couple of EMTs and an Advanced Life Support instructor. I
also learned that one energetic and clearly competent person I
visited with is, in her other life, a second-term Mayor of North
Powder, OR. Way to go, Carrie Crook!
Despite our complaints about being cold, the evening dusting of
snow just added a little magic to the wonderful surroundings.
I hope next time to remember to take a few more pictures than
you'll see here: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_8J.htm
Thanks, OPMA!
~
Gayle
*_* "It is not enough to have a good
mind. The main thing is to use it well." -
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650), 'Le Discours de la Methode,' 1637
*_*
*_* Letters
*_*
From: Sharon
Hockinson
re: MediSoft
Does anyone use MediSoft in their office? How do you like
it in
comparison to other softwares (such as Millbrook?). Any
and all ideas
and recommendations welcome. We will be outfitting our new
office with a
computer & software come July, and need something
inexpensive yet good.
Sharon Hockinson, PMA
pjhock@satx.net
Podiatry Clinics- San Antonio
http://www.geocities.com/podiatryclinics
*_* First Answer *_*
Sharon, Here is a recommendation from Ray Posa for a software
company right in San Antonio:
Sharon can contact HealthTec. They make FoxMed. It is a really
nice software package
and they are based in San Antonio.
Their contact info is:
HealthTec Software
20323 Huebner Road
Suite 111
San Antonio, TX 78258
Phone 210-545-1010
www.foxmed.com
*_* Sharon is not the first to write with this kind
of question. Can anyone else make some recommendations?
*_*
*_* Gems
of Practice Management *_*
by Hal Ornstein DPM, FACFAS and Lynn Homisak, PRT
"Love That Starbucks Coffee!"
Our day is even brighter in
the office when one of our patients brings us a cup of delicious
Starbucks coffee. Many of these patients ask how we can
drink such strong coffee and we give a simple response “How
can you drink those other coffees?” This is why
Baskin-Robbins offers so many different flavors of ice cream and
jellybeans come in so many colors. We ALL have different
tastes, preferences, and expectations.
We too often lump our customers together and call them
generically “patients.” Yes, they are our patients,
but we frequently make the mistake of reacting to them all the
same way and not recognizing their individual needs. We
get frustrated that some don’t understand something that the
vast majority of our patients comprehend easily. Or that
they doubt or do not accept a simple treatment plan which will
have a significant impact on their clinical outcomes.
We often need to take a step back and look at the “individual”
or particular situation and look at the motivation for their
behavior. Even though we speak of “canned”
presentations to patients, there is no canned way to deal with
someone’s emotions or reaction to a suggested course of
treatment, a billing conflict, or fear. We have no idea
the stresses one is dealing with in their life that is resulting
in their behavior. Many of us are fortunate with a
comfortable living, healthy children and security. This
leaves many of us naïve to the misfortunes of many and the
inner conflict this creates within our patients.
Try to look beyond the obvious when dealing with your patients
and give them the benefit of the doubt resulting from the
unknown. The old adage “to take a walk in someone’s
shoes” would result in quite the wake-up call for many of us.
Our paycheck is not from a “patient” but a “customer”
who deserves respect, consideration and for us to look beyond
the obvious. Enjoy that next cup of coffee…strong, weak,
black, regular or sweet!
Previous "Gems" can be found on their own pages of the
FootZine.com web site, at
http://www.footzine.com/FZ_90.htm
*_* *_*
*_*
"In A Glass of
Cider" - Robert Frost
It seemed I was a mite of sediment
That waited for the bottom to ferment
So I could catch a bubble in ascent.
I rode up on one till the bubble burst
And when that left me to sink back reversed
I was no worse off than I was at first.
I'd catch another bubble if I waited.
The thing was to get now and then elated.
This Robert Frost poem seems like a good analogy for the effect
of a great meeting or a really positive interaction with an
appreciative patient. Those high points linger in memory
to inspire us until the next bubble.
Have a memorable (but safe) holiday weekend -
and don't forget to write!
~ Gayle
*_* *_* *_*
