What Medicine Can Learn from the Airline Industry

What Medicine Can Learn from the Airline Industry - Nothing

I have at times detoured from my typical medical commentaries to rail about the airline industry. If I may borrow some phrasing from a legendary British Prime Minister, the flying experience is a hassle wrapped in a frustration inside a delay. We arrive at the airport 2 hours early, drag ourselves through the TSA process, ambulate to the gate, pray the flight is on time, hope that they will not deem my luggage as unfit to carry on, march like snails onto the aircraft, test my lumbar disc strength as I hoist my bag into the overhead bin and then finally relax as I sink into a commodious and plush chair that could comfortably seat a gerbil.

Do I have to sit in the middle seat?

And, if the flight is delayed, the inconvenienced passengers can expect no compensation.

If my medical practice had adopted airline culture, we would have had no patients. Think of all the reading I could have accomplished! If we made every office visit with us an unpleasant hassle, we would not have been able to pay the electric bill. And, I don’t think our patients would have been placated if we tossed them a tiny bag of pretzels when we ran late.

I think the airline industry has been more solicitous of the comfort animals being permitted on board than they are of the human passengers. Such guests have included

If I am dissatisfied with a restaurant, a tradesman, an attorney or a retail store, then I am free to find an alternative. This is how most of the world works and is an incentive for all of us to perform well. If, however, you feel that the air travel experience is wanting and less than you deserve, what recourse is available to you?

It’s one of the few industries that can thrive despite providing mediocre and erratic customer service. And, for the truly brave travel warriors, just try calling the customer service phone numbers. If customer service were truly an industry priority, would we be kept on hold longer than the duration of some flights? Is our call ‘really important to them’? Let me answer my own question. No, it isn’t.

Comments

Becoming a Part-Time Physician

Next month my schedule will change. I will henceforth be off on Fridays with my work week truncated to Monday through Thursday. I am excited to be enjoying a long weekend every weekend. And while the schedule change is relatively minor, this event does feel like an important career moment for me. It is the first step on a journey that will ultimately lead beyond my professional career. It is this recognition that makes this modest schedule modification more significant than one would think it deserves. As some readers know, my current employed position has been a dream job for me. Prior to this, I was in a small private practice, which I loved, but was much more challenging professionally and personally. My partner and I ran the business. Working nights, weekends and holidays were routine for decades. On an on-call night, if I slept through until morning, I felt as if I had won the lottery. And w...

When Should Doctors Retire?

I am asked with some regularity whether I am aiming to retire in the near term. Years ago, I never received such inquiries. Why now? Might it be because my coiffure and goatee – although finely-manicured – has long entered the gray area? Could it be because many other even younger physicians have given up their stethoscopes for lives of leisure? (Hopefully, my inquiring patients are not suspecting me of professional performance lapses!) Interestingly, a nurse in my office recently approached me and asked me sotto voce that she heard I was retiring. “Interesting,” I remarked. Since I was unaware of this retirement news, I asked her when would be my last day at work. I have no idea where this erroneous rumor originated from. I requested that my nurse-friend contact her flawed intel source and set him or her straight. Retirement might seem tempting to me as I have so many other interests. Indeed, reading and ...

A Patient's Loyalty to his Doctor

A few days before preparing this post, I greeted a patient who was about to undergo her 5 th colonoscopy. I was the pilot for the 4 prior excursions. “You should’ve signed up for the rewards program,” I quipped. “This one would’ve been free!” Our patients, with rare exceptions, enjoy our light atmosphere seasoned with some humor. This does not detract from our seriousness of purpose and commitment to their welfare, and they know it. Our endoscopy team is comprised of outstanding medical professionals. I care for many patients for whom I have performed all of their colonoscopies, which may exceed 10 procedures. I recently performed an examination on one of my colitis patients who has unique findings which have remained stable for years. I know his colon as well as I know his face! Indeed, if I were shown a photo of his colon, I would immediately be able to name the individual. So, when we gastroenterologists c...

MD Whistleblower

Search This Blog