Week 5 Plastic Surgery Center of Hampton Roads
This week at the office was similar to the others. I worked again alongside Dr. Z. I have been given more responsibility when it comes to the patient consultations, post- op visits, and other appointments in the office. While there are nurses assigned to assist Dr. Z, I will often times load the patients into the room for him and assist him in that visit. This is done through recording information as he discusses the desires and wishes of each patient. Following the visit, I will help bring the patient to either the counselor to get more information on the cost of the procedure and dates available for their surgery or bring them to get pre-op photos. This role is very similar to the role that the nurses play.
Because plastic surgery is largely uncovered by insurance, this practice is run more similarly to a business then previous specialties I’ve worked in. For the majority of the patients the procedures are cosmetic rather than necessary. For this reason, the office is set up in a manner that maximizes the number of patients the doctor can see per day. In medicine, there is an element of efficiency that is important in terms of making sure the business is successful. While you want to make sure the patients feel important and cared for, you also need to make sure you stay on time and can see a large number of patients. For this reason, in a consultation, the doctor will discuss the medical details of the surgery, possible risks and complications and the patients intended outcome. Following this, the patient speaks with a counselor and is able to a bra fitting if they are requesting a breast augmentation or have a photo edited if they are requesting a rhinoplasty. This allows the patient to get an idea of the outcome of their surgery. The counselor will also discuss costs, payment plans, and available dates. Following this, a nurse will take pre operative photos of the patient used in the operating room and so that the patient can visualize the transformation following surgery.
Intersting note regarding plastic surgery versus other specialties; so the process and the leadership in this office are somewhat dictated by this portion (plastic surgery) portion of the medical industry. It seems this process is efficient in that all the bases are covered in the first consultation, so that follow up appointments, etc. are not really necessary (unless patients have additional questions, concerns, etc. I assume). It would be good to reflect on the way in which all these individuals within the office communicate information about the patient moving through this consultation – so that the individual doing the bra fitting or editing the photo, the financial counselor, etc. all have the best information; how the information moves from one segment of the office to the other. I presume that there is an existing patient records system that is used and that the new one that is being on-boarded will only enhance the experience further?