This page is similar to the “Patient Turnover” page except it deals a little more with our personal feelings getting hurt. Yeah, I know, we are big people but it does happen. Here are some conversations on the matter:
- So a patient just cancelled her membership. After 4 months of membership, 6 office visits, and 43 emails mostly after 9pm (no lie), me bending over backwards to get her scheduled for tests, appointments with specialists…she said that “altho she LOVES us and what we do, she just can’t afford it anymore.”
- Happens all the time. NEVER take it personally. It is actually better she left because she was taking so much of your time. Good to vent, though.
- Make sure you stop all her meds. Call the pharmacy. If she is not your patient then you cannot monitor her with these meds.
- Good to vent- particularly if it prevents bitterness. We do the best we can and control what we can control. People make stupid decisions and she’ll miss your care next time she needs something at 9:15 on a Friday night.
- Our re-enrollment fee is the same as the enrollment fee but everyone who has left has been rated on whether we take them back. I would not take this lady back for any amount
- If she does come back, it’ll be because she finally gets it and truly appreciates you
- Everybody has their own opinion on these things and when I started I remember writing a letter to somebody who saw me 19 times and I did wonderful things for them. They made up some crap to justify leaving.No one blames themselves for anything and so they usually come back with some attack and that’s what happened with me so I no longer ever ask why anybody is leaving. I just say be well and I wish you the all the best. I debated this because I do want to get feedback but once again this is consistent and it’s not worth me getting bitter over so I no longer ask.
- Classic, she manipulated the DPC model for $300 and. she got all this care which is probably her hourly rate! These are high utilizers and can easily burn out a DPC doc. We’ve had and have our fair share of them, and I love the re-enrollment fee, which is something we should start, as well.
- really don’t think I’d take this patient back. I’d have to really be desperate for cash before I’d willingly take this patient back. And not because I was butt hurt over her departure, but because like Jon said, she’s using you, and that’s not what DPC is about. For your mental well-being, it’s worth taking the $75/mo hit while you recruit a kind patient to replace her with.
- I really agree, I don’t even care why they’re leaving–don’t want to know, they’ll blame it on you or your greedy price of all-you-can-eat healthcare for $75 per month and just piss you off more. Wish them well, and recruit somebody you actually look forward to seeing.
- It kills me that when I part with a patient like that, who has paid $150 or so for services that would have cost thousands of dollars elsewhere turns around and says they don’t think the services are worth it, or that I am the greedy one for wanting to be paid.
- Some people don’t get it…and they NEVER will. Like a bad former boyfriend/girlfriend…. The grass is always greener, until you realize it isn’t. She’ll be back… But that doesn’t mean you have to take her on.