April 2009
Well, I think we have made it through the worst of a late cold and flu season. Some of you people were really sick! I was able to accommodate most everyone with same day appointments during the busiest time of the year, so I think the clinic is at a good number of patients at this point. I am still not accepting any new patients or prior Issaquah Medical Group patients at this time.
One of the things that takes up about 1-2 hours per day is my extra work – emails, refills, referrals, FMLA paperwork, etc. I used to have 4 people on staff that helped with this work, and had to see 8-10 more patients per day to pay them. I get it all done eventually, but let me explain my process a little:
“A” list – all the patients that have gone out of their way to make an appointment. Obviously, when you are in front of me, you have my full attention and resources, and get immediate service.
“B” list –emails, refills, lab results, phone calls. These are usually completed in 48 hours.
“C” list – FMLA paperwork, medical records requests, billing questions, referrals. These are completed in one week unless I am having difficulty accessing information and I will at least give you an update.
None of this is difficult – just takes time. I share this with you because if you urgently need something on the B or C list to be done right away, you need to make an appointment. That is the only way I can guarantee immediate service. I do have part-time help in the morning, but all of the above duties are mine alone. I have the staff busy with many other tasks that make the clinic run. So we will never be answering the phone, but you will get a call back now when you leave a message!
After 3 months in business, I have finally carved out some time to write clinic policies. I really do not like formal policies, but they are an unfortunate necessity to protect against naughty clients. I have attached the policies. Included is the HIPAA policy (required by law and standard at all medical offices) and email policy. It is very important for everyone to read the email policy because, before your next visit, you will be asked to sign that you read and understood the privacy and email policies. Email has worked FABULOUSLY to communicate with patients and I can do 5-6 emails for every phone call, so I want to continue to communicate primarily by email.
There are some additions to the website as well – a page with health links and phone numbers to urgent care centers for those Sundays with sick kids. Please let me know if I can provide any additional information on the website. Thank you for your continuing support!
Kristina Garrido
