Dr. Joseph Sirven: Under Pressure

Published: Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 8:02am
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Dr. Joseph Sirven
Dr. Joseph Sirven

Quickly responding to patient phone calls could be humiliating for your doctor. Medical commentator Dr. Joseph Sirven explains.


I’ve always aspired to be quick to respond to my patients questions. Yet, sometimes that hyperresponsiveness can get you into trouble. About a year ago I required a non-invasive ultrasound to evaluate how things were progressing with some kidney stones I had. Though I was technically off duty, I kept my pager on out of habit. Towards the end of the procedure, my pager started buzzing and I couldn’t resist answering it so I went to look for a hospital phone.  

My search led me to a hallway right outside of the procedure room. I proudly answered the call — a patient insisting on an immediate response. And as I hung up the phone I felt the embrace of a concerned colleague.

“Joe, buddy, are you OK? Is everything all right?”

“Of course!” I said. “Why wouldn’t it be?” 

I looked down and realized right then and there that I hadn’t gotten fully dressed and I was in a busy hallway where I work in a hospital gown.

As health care becomes more patient centric, physicians and nurses are persistently judged on responsiveness to patients. In 2002, Medicare partnered with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to measure and publicly report patient opinions of their health care experience.

Since 2012, patient surveys of their experiences in hospitals across the US have been analyzed and published on the website medicare.gov/hospitalcompare. The website allows for easy comparison of hospitals but even more importantly the results are used to assign payments for hospitals based on how they perform.  It is in the financial interest of hospitals and doctors to respond to patient’s needs in a timely manner.  Yet, timely is not defined.

So, how fast does one need to respond to an individual patient?

In a hospital environment, the answer is immediate. But what if you call or email your doctor with a question? What’s the expectation there?  If anything, perception of a quick response seems to be the prevailing standard. 

So, when you see your doctor, you should ask her how long it will take to hear back with results etc. And next time, I’ll make sure I’m dressed before I get to the phone.

Dr. Sirven is a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.