American Medical News‘ Victoria Stagg Elliott outlines a Texas program called “Doc Swap,” which is a sort of speed dating for medical professionals and patients. A doctor and potential patient have five minutes to find out if they’re a good fit for each other before the rotation bell rings and they start the five-minute discussion over again with another partner. 
For Texas Health, it’s a “low-cost way to drive patients to affiliated physicians.” For physicians, even representatives say it’s “good marketing,” as they can net three or four new patients for just an hour’s worth of unpaid effort.
Elliot writes that it appears to be the first such event in the country, though less formal doctor-patient meet-and-greets are common. Physicians say it’s a good way to filter out patients who wouldn’t be a good fit for their practice and expertise, and to help direct patients to the right specialist from the start.
Firing patients
“Doc Swap” and its take on the doctor-patient relationship fit with a recent column on doctors “firing” their patients. Beck says it’s a common topic of discussion among doctors, and lays out the basic criteria for showing a patient the door.
The list of reasons is relatively short, according to medical associations: Patients who are chronically abusive, disruptive or drug-seeking may be asked to leave a practice. So might those who habitually miss appointments or refuse to pay reasonable bills. Failing to heed medical advice isn’t necessarily grounds for a split, but some doctors suggest that patients who won’t quit smoking, use illicit drugs or have potentially harmful habits (daily enemas, say) might be more comfortable in another practice.
The comments on a related blog post provide a few more physician perspectives.
