A Tale of Two Dentists
Like many, I have a bit of trepidation whenever I need to go to the dentist. I’ve not really had a bad experience with dentists, but I’ve not had too many great ones, either. Until now.
I was seeing a dentist I was more or less happy with until I realized that because he wasn’t a “Preferred Provider” in my insurance network I was having to pay $30 for each visit. I asked around for opinions and picked another local dentist who was a preferred provider.
I liked the new hygienist and doctor at the new office very much. But, after a couple of visits the doctor sold out the practice to a corporation and moved on.
The people at the office from the corporation were nice enough, but there were problems:
- Everything seemed to be rushed. This is probably because the people at the office were encouraged to fit more patients into the schedule.
- There was a high turnover at the office. The only people who stayed through my next six or so visits were the doctor and the lady at the reception desk. Each time I went I saw a different hygienist. That’s not to say that the hygienists were bad, but it’s nice to see the same person for continuity of care purposes.
- On each visit, it seemed the people were trying to constantly “up-sell” me on services. I don’t mind product pitches, but there comes a point where enough is enough.
- No one took the time to explain why I needed to come in every three months instead of every six months for periodontal care. It seemed like this was just another up sell to me which was costing me extra money.*
- It seemed every time I went for an appointment some piece of equipment was broken. Once or twice it was the suction, other times it was the pneumatics which operated the cleaning tools. “We’ll just catch you next time” was their mantra.
A few months ago, my wife found out the doctor who sold out to the corporation was moving back to the area and opening a new office with a couple of his original hygienists. She went and checked them out and was thoroughly impressed with their new facilities – but more important she was impressed with their attitude.
Taking her cue, I took two of my boys there for their checkups. They impressed me, too. I was especially impressed that the doctor took time to apologize for selling his previous practice to the corporate group.
The other day I had cause to visit them outside my normally scheduled visit and they impressed me again:
- The pace was much more laid back and relaxing. There didn’t seem to be that “hurry up and finish” attitude about the place.
- The office is new, so the turnover rate is low. But, since the people have worked together before and voluntarily joined forces again, I can imagine the people will stay around for a while.
- There was no “in your face” marketing. There was a TV with the Smile Channel playing in the waiting room advertising different dental products. Some of the spots were actually very informative as well.
- Everyone took special pains to make sure I completely understood what was going on, why special treatment was needed, how the special treatment would be done. They also showed me some very informative on line videos right there while I was in “the chair.” They answered all my questions and encouraged me to ask as many as I needed to make sure I understood everything that was going on.
- Of course, since it’s a new office, they have brand new equipment which is all in working order.
I pose the question: Which of these dentist would you rather visit?
Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not against corporations whether in health care or any other business. What I am against is treating customers like “just another number” and worrying so much about the bottom line that customer service goes by the wayside. I’m also not against a corporation making a profit – that’s the very reason to go into business. But, I firmly believe you make more money when your customer service is better.
Medical Professionals: Which Dentist (Hygienist, doctor, nurse or whatever) would you rather work for?
I suspect that most people who go into a medical field are not entirely motivated by money. Rather, in my admittedly limited experience I’ve found the vast majority of people who go into a medical field are motivated by the desire to help people. That being the case, would you rather work in the “corporate” atmosphere or the other? I suspect patient care is more important to most.
Have you ever switched from one professional to another because of what you perceived as bad service? Tell us your story in the comments.
* Now that I understand the reason behind it, I see they were giving me good care. It would have been nice to have had an explanation into the reasons for the extra visits. This also goes to informed consent, which is very important in helping patients make proper decisions about their care.
photo credit: renaissancechambara
