Take Two
“Take two of these and call me in the morning.” In a bygone era, before terms like “health literacy” existed, how much did doctors explain their witchcraft and wizardry?
Things have changed. Medicine has evolved and expectations are ever-expanding. Search terms like “health” and “treatment” each produce over 8 billion results. In a world of infinite expert opinions, what is your expert opinion worth? Your patient will expect you to prove that worth. A collaborative approach to treatment requires high level salesmanship. Convincing a patient what their best choice is has never been harder. Do you paraphrase your patient’s message back to them to show you clearly hear and understand what they are telling you? Do you use positive non-verbal cues when possible, such as nodding your head, smiling and making sure to maintain eye contact? Do you establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy resource, display a strong understanding of their condition? Congratulations! You’re practicing the relationship sales method.
Make a sale and everyone is a winner. You have a satisfied customer with improved health outcomes. But it’s getting harder isn’t it? The customers are harder to satisfy. They have more needs, they’re more complex medically and take more effort to ‘close the deal’ with.
Nevertheless, the challenge must be met. Your patients need you, and I’d argue that we need each other. I invite you to join us this upcoming dinner meeting. It will be hosted at three different restaurants linked by ZOOM. We hope with the new format to see more of you and make it easier to stay connected.
As I reflect on this year as LA Chapter President, I am grateful for your fellowship and the opportunity to learn about the life of Family Medicine doctors across Los Angeles. Observing the many challenges you are all facing, I am struck by how much you continue to be there for your patients despite the seemingly endless tasks asked of you.
I am also very grateful for Roxanne! Roxanne Kuns is our administrative leader and unwavering supporter. She has kindly shepherded me through this year. Her institutional knowledge has been instrumental, and she has been a delight to work with.
Thank you and I hope to see you at the upcoming dinner on Thursday December 2nd.
Monique George, MD
LA Chapter President
