What Drives 5-Star Physician Reviews?

For the study, researchers analyzed more than 11,500 reviews of orthopedic surgeons. The average rating was positive, and most physicians had fewer than 20 reviews on the sites that were analyzed. After looking at the factors that influenced a rating, researchers said four factors drove high ratings for physicians and their clinics. They were:

• Staff friendliness
• Punctuality
• Knowledge/Expertise
• Resolution of original patient complaint

While these may not be groundbreaking revelations, they do shine a light on the aspects physicians and medical clinics can focus on if they hope to increase the number of positive reviews they receive on their online channels. At our clinic, three of the four above points are of high priority, and we’ll explain why the four fits in a slightly different category.

For starters, we pride ourselves on being highly knowledgeable about foot and ankle conditions that affect our patients. We are always seeking new information, taking continuing education courses and looking to further our understanding of treatment options to best serve our patients. In turn, this allows us to resolve a number of injury and health problems, which checks another box off the above list. And finally, the one thing we know that we can control with certainty is our attitude, so we make it a mission to treat every person in a friendly and respectful manner.

The one factor that we sometimes fall short on is timeliness, but it’s for good reason. We pride ourselves at being on time and helping patients in a timely manner, but we also need to make sure we spend enough time with each patient to ensure their needs are met. There’s no point in seeing the next patient on time if we’re rushing the previous patient out the door without providing them with the attention to detail they deserve. It’s easier for us to schedule appropriately as a stand-alone clinic than for larger hospitals, but we’d be lying if we said we were on time every single time. But it’s typically always because we’re providing the patients before you with the best care possible, and that can take time.

If you are happy with the care you received from Dr. Silverman and his staff, please consider leaving a 5-star review on Facebook, Google, Healthgrades, Vitals or another review site!

The post What Drives Good Online Reviews For Physicians? appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

1)       Check out the website –It’s always a good idea to check out your doctor’s website before calling to set up an appointment.  Many offices have multiple locations, so you can save yourself some time by driving to the nearest clinic.  Also, some medical centers have different specialties, so make sure the office you are about to call is equipped to handle your ailment.

2)      Know your preferred date and time –You may not have your calendar in front of you when you call, but have a general day and time in mind.  If you don’t have a specific time period, just tell the receptionist whether you’d prefer morning or afternoon.  Also, the earlier in advance you call, the more availability.  If you know Thursday is your day off, don’t wait until after work on Wednesday to try to schedule an appointment.

3)      Have the right papers with you – For a quick and painless phone call, it’s best to have the right information with you when you call.  Two important documents are your calendar and your insurance card.  It might seem like you are saving some time by trying to schedule an appointment while you’re driving in your car, but the call is going to take at least twice as long and you may not be able to schedule a visit without the proper information.  Have your calendar open and your insurance card next to you when you call.  Not only will this prevent you from scheduling a visit during your child’s soccer game, but it also makes it easier for us to collect the necessary medical information.

4)      Know your contact number – You would be amazed at how many people do not know their own cell phone number.  Make sure you know a good contact phone number in case we need to get a hold of you.  Also, it doesn’t hurt to memorize your spouse’s phone number in case you want to put a secondary phone number on file.

5)      Concisely explain your symptoms – There’s a time and a place for thoroughly explaining your symptoms, but it’s not during your initial phone call.  Receptionists have a limited amount of space to document your “reason for visit” so simply saying “I may have broke the big toe on my right foot” is much better than going into a story of how you were running late for your child’s piano recital because your husband had to work late and you stubbed your toe on your way out the door.

If you follow these simple steps, you can quickly and painlessly schedule a visit.  We want to give you the best experience possible, and that begins the moment you pick up the phone to give us a call.

The post 5 Simple Ways to Schedule a Doctor’s Appointment appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

Doctors are supposed to be superhuman. We rarely take time off during the 3-7 years of training (“Illness doesn’t take a Holiday”). Vacations are rare because they put extra stress on fellow residents, who are left to do the same amount of work with fewer hands.

Over the last 10 years the safety factor for patients has been highlighted. Doctors in training make more mistakes when tired than when well rested. But, the health of the training doctor is often overlooked.

I am conflicted in my thoughts. Watching patients over an extended period of time is invaluable experience for a doctor. Training as a doctor is essentially learning pattern recognition. Reading it in a book is not adequate. The experience is essential. But this valuable experience often comes with an extreme lack of sleep that can lead to dangerous mistakes

With this in mind, here are a few tips for doctors (and other adults) to get the best sleep possible.

• Strive for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, at a routine time every night
• Sleep in a quiet, dark room
• Avoid exposure to light a few hours before going to sleep (falling asleep to the T.V. is a bad habit)
• Exercise early in the day
• Avoid caffeine and sugar within 3 hours of bedtime

Sleep is essential for health as well as the learning process. We need to balance the learning experience with an adequate amount of sleep that allows doctors (and those in training) to be at the top of their game.

The post Lack of Sleep is Dangerous for Patients and Doctors appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.