{"id":1446,"date":"2014-11-20T22:49:08","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T22:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1446"},"modified":"2014-11-17T23:02:25","modified_gmt":"2014-11-17T23:02:25","slug":"chronic-pain-and-illness-why-the-front-office-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/11\/chronic-pain-and-illness-why-the-front-office-matters.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Pain and Illness: Why the Front Office Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>They are more than just bodies that stand or sit between you and your doctor. They know more than what your co-pay is or what the office hours are. But, oh, how often, do we forget that the front office workers at a physician’s office matter, really, they do! \u00a0And the better we can work with them, the easier our care can become.<\/p>\n

From the first call to get the first appointment to the last minute on a holiday weekend when you need a prescription refill, a doctor’s receptionist, record keeper, or billing staff provide invaluable assistance. The best of them have become almost like friends to me! Here are some tips that I’ve found helpful dealing with front office staff:<\/p>\n

Get to know the names of all (or at least most) of the front office staff in your doctor’s office. Call them by name, communicate on a human level.<\/p>\n

Try to be mindful that the receptionist or staff member in charge of calling in refills might have a number of calls or requests ahead of yours. \u00a0If it’s an emergency, communicate politely and firmly.<\/p>\n

If you’re calling to get a first appointment, you might be told it’ll be weeks before there’s an opening. Schedule the first available appointment, then ask to be put on a waiting list (most offices have them), and call back periodically to see if a spot has freed up.<\/p>\n

Make every attempt to keep calm when asking why you’ve had to wait so long, or why your chart wasn’t pulled. (I know, this can be difficult!) Mistakes and delays do happen. (But if they happen a lot, you might consider changing doctors.)<\/p>\n

Some medical offices don’t allow this, but for some of my docs, I give some kind of holiday gift to show my appreciation for everyone who has helped me throughout the year. A basket of cookies, a poinsettia plant, or just a card are nice gestures – and a way to show that you are thankful that they care!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They are more than just bodies that stand or sit between you and your doctor. They know more than what your co-pay is or what the office hours are. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions\/1447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}