The Healthcare Challenge

1. Understanding the process
I find myself educating patients on how the healthcare system works. If all personnel who work with patients—from physicians to secretaries—would take some extra time in explaining things to the patient and anticipating their questions and their needs, it could make a huge difference. Many patients are coming to the doctor’s [office] and they have questions, but they don’t always know when or how to ask. Patients need to ask questions when they don’t understand something. Patients also need to become active participants in understanding their own insurance policies.

2. Keeping the "care" in healthcare
Help healthcare staff [show] their personal side to help with the healing process. Creating a positive experience and good customer service and a little TLC goes a long [way] toward healing the sick. It’s crucial in the healing process that healthcare professionals touch people—person-to-person and spirit-to-spirit. Going that extra mile and creating a positive experience at such a tough time is so important. It brings back memories when my own father was in the hospital and we had that one nurse who really cared. She was totally in control but she was there with a hug, and that is what patients need sometimes. Just taking the time to sit and talk with them can solve many of the problems that I hear about from patients.