Views from the Patient Side

November 24, 2024    |   , , ,

“I am going to have you sign the consent form.”

I heard this while checking into my Primary Care Provider (PCP) appointment a few weeks ago. When I go into a healthcare appointment, I am always looking around for opportunities to improve on the patient experience. However, I never expect what I do encounter.

This visit had been rescheduled and I was happy I got into my PCP within a couple of weeks of making the phone call! The receptionist checked me in for my appointment. She then told me I needed to sign the consent form.

I looked down and there was no paper nor any form of a device for me to see the consent form. I thought she would have given me something to read in either a paper or electronic form.

I asked, “Where am I signing this?”

She pointed me to the pen pad for signature. I realized I was not going to see the consent form before signing it.

I asked, “Can I read the consent form?”

Now I know in general what I expect to see in the consent form. There is language about HIPAA, Consent to Treat, Payment Responsibility, and more. However, I also know that I should have the ability to read the form before I sign and acknowledge that I read it.

The receptionist got up and got a master copy from a folder and gave it to me to read. I then asked if I could get a copy. She did print out a copy for me to take with me after I read and signed it.

Had I not asked, I may not have read it nor had an opportunity to get a copy to take with me.

Now, I do not think that the practice aims to not provide the consent forms. More than likely, the intended workflow has slowly eroded over time from what is expected to occur.

As a patient, you cannot change the workflow, but you can (and should) ask questions!  

Workarounds and their power for finding Innovative Solutions

February 16, 2019    |   , , ,

If you are anything like me, you see ways to make improvements wherever you go and wonder why something is the way it is…

As nurses and healthcare professionals we need to make improvements often through workarounds to get our work done.

In this piece, I describe those innovative behaviors through workarounds in the context of neonatal nurse environments.

Workarounds are clues that something could be done better, often at a system (and not individual) level. “Do you consider yourself to be an innovative nurse? The concept of innovation is frequently permeating conversations around the future of nursing. Many may hear the term innovation, and wonder “what does it really mean to me as a nurse?” and others may think “innovation does not really apply to me.” Yet, you may be surprised to learn that you are innovating in your role as a nurse every day in your work..”

To read the full article, Workarounds as the Catalyst to Drive a Culture of Innovation, click here.

February 11th was National Inventor’s Day!

February 16, 2019    |   , , , , ,

Last Monday was National Inventor’s Day!

To celebrate the day, I attended an event held on behalf of UCONN at the Mark Twain House in Hartford CT.

I learned quite a bit…

February 11th is National Inventor’s Day because it is Thomas Edison’s birthday (inventor of the ?). The first patent issued from the USPTO was in 1790.

The first patent was issued to Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain). A total of 3 patents were issued that year. Today, there are approximately 320K patents issued each year.

Dr. Eric Hintz, a historian from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for Innovation and Invention spoke to us tonight on several historical ecosystems and their foundational areas of invention influence.

UCONN_NationalInventorDay_2019

One thing I found quite interesting is that Henry Ford wasn’t the first one to create cars. They were first called ‘horseless carriages’ by Hiram Percy Maxim in 1896. He invented them in Connecticut nearly 20 years before Ford due to market saturation of the bicycle.

If you ever get the chance to go to the Mark Twain house, I encourage it. The same is true for the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for Innovation and Invention. I had the pleasure of speaking there two years ago next month and it was a fabulous experience. Below is a memory of that event in their 2017 Annual Report.

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The fax machine still exists… in healthcare

February 16, 2019    |   , , , ,

Sometimes I am a new patient and it often goes something like this:

“If you can fax us the forms back that’ll be great.”

“I don’t have a fax. Can I email?”

“No. You’ll have to fax or bring in with you for your appt.” ?‍♀️.

Bidirectional secure portals do help and cut down on the #fax issue in my experience.

Read on to learn more about fax machines in this article by CNBC:

Health tech is so old-fashioned that Google has to adapt its cloud service to work with fax machines. 

What do you think? Any of your own stories to share?

Have a great day,

Tiffany

Who else enjoys a good book?

February 16, 2019    |   ,

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Who else is a reader?
I try to read 6-12 new non-fiction books per year.
These 3 came today:
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591846447/?ref=exp_loc_pl_nightingaleapps
books
Have you read any of them yet? Do you have a recommendation for me to add to my list this year? 
Let me know,
Kind regards,
Tiffany

Being a Founder and a Female

November 10, 2018    |   , , , ,

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I am a founder who happens to be a female.

Twice this week I had a conversation about the question I’ve been asked often on panels.

The question is some variation of “How do you manage being a female in business?”

I don’t like this question.

I wish it wasn’t a question that was asked of women.

I don’t think men are asked, “How do you manage being a man in business?”

The reason I don’t like the question is because I don’t think about my gender when I am doing the work I need to do.

I am only concerned with having the knowledge, understanding and skills to be able to do what I’ve set out to do. I also happen to be a woman.

I lead with that every day.

While I don’t like the question, I will continue to answer it that way until it no longer needs to be asked.