#VOTPt

Service

Your Motivation

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Why do you do what you do? Why are you making the choices that you’re making? Why are you reading this right now? Why am I choosing to spend my time writing a blog post?

The answers are evasive at best and unique to the individual. Getting a little messy never scared me away, though.
The field of economics addresses motivation to action in terms of utility. Utility, here, is defined as the measurement as “useful-ness” that a consumer obtains from any good. Whether that useful-ness is realized in terms of money, education or learning, or just a good feeling, we do what we do because we recognize utility in that action at that time.

So the questions bend a bit here. Where do you see utility? Is it in giving or receiving? I believe that there’s a way, with a little effort, that business can be sustained in genuine service to others.

We’re here to support you in your service to your communities.

Personal

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Care is personal.  Always.

As a provider, you are reaching into another human’s life, touching something, changing something.  When you’re done, they will never be the same.  Changed for better or for worse.

You have the privilege of serving your fellow man.  A person who serves a purpose, has inherent value in personhood, and plays a role in your community.

To serve is its own reward.

Honor these things and treat them with the reverence they deserve.

Voice of the Profession or Voice of the Patient

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It is truly an awesome spectacle to see the dedicated and vocal professionals covering all bases of social media today.  Even better is the traction that patient-centered care has garnered. The idea that more than 3 people (my wife, Zach Stearns, and Dustin Jones) downloaded and even listened to the first few episodes of the VOTPt podcast is pretty fantastic.  If you haven’t listened yet, check out this episode with Emil Berengut and be blown away.  With this growing chorus of professional advocacy, it’s critical the patient remain that singular voice around which we all center our growth, practice, and advocacy efforts.

As I write, I’m on a plane headed to Washington DC for a weekend of FSBPT meetings (okay, maybe a little less exhilaration than CSM generates) reflecting on the important differences between state APPTA chapters and state licensure boards.  While the professional organizations challenge the status quo, advance baseline knowledge, grow the profession, and are generally the more “sexy” of the two sibling groups, licensure boards are charged simply yet profoundly with the responsibility of protecting the public from harm while receiving care.  Professional regulatory bodies hold and advance the profession’s “bottom line” or, as I like to think of it, playing defense to the professional organizations’ offense.  The voice of the patient is so important in regulation of practice that at least 1 unlicensed and independent public member is included on each state board (important arguments have been made to include more – slow process to change practice acts).

My purpose here is to question and challenge the factors currently influencing your professional trajectory.  Maybe more accurately, to challenge you (and remind myself) to continuously question these factors.

  • How does this CE course allow me to better address patients’ needs (expressed or unexpressed)?
  • Does my employer (actual or potential) allow me to respond the voice of my patients?
    • An important consideration in becoming your own employer too.
  • Does my practice setting (current or potential) provide the best gateway for me to serve and deliver real impact to the benefit of the patient?
    • Would also apply to promotion or change in role.
  • What does the voice of the patient (the voice of your own patients) say in response to this professional decision (in the clinic or for your career)?

Some Final Thoughts

Professional organizations and regulatory bodies are not opposing forces.  Rather, two components in the effort to elevate the standard of care.  Get involved with your state board and volunteer with national bodies like the FSBPT.  Stay involved with your professional organization.  Keep the patient the center of all of it.

The Voices of the Patients

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Im calling on clinical folks to listen, not only to the voices of their patients, but also to one another.
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Since January 20th (some could argue since November 9, still others would argue since January 20th 2008… and the argument devolves from there), the discourse in mainstream & social media seems to have plummeted.  We’re no longer talking about “the common good.”  Rather, I’m seeing and reading an almost scary fascination with painting any who oppose a particular viewpoint as evil incarnate.  As one side raises the intensity, the other sees and raises in kind (or unkind as it were).  Quite simply, we’ve corporately stopped listening to anyone’s voice who opposes our own.

Drown out in the sea of arguing are the voices who can’t, don’t or just won’t shout others’ down.  These voices want to be heard also.  For these, convictions are no less strong and needs no less emergent.  The recognition that each is a valued part of a stronger whole which is better together than separate is our bond.

But what does this have to do with The Voice of the Patient?  It’s not a political blog… is it (angry face emoji)?

In the on-going national debate on healthcare, we agree on the destination: Achieving optimal health for the individual –> the community –> society as a whole.  We may disagree on the path.  A now old-fashioned concept that we might thing about dusting off here is “compromise.”  We used to be able to introduce an idea and it wasn’t a personal affront.

As clinically minded people, outside of the whirlwind of politics, we’re entirely focused on our patients’ care and will go to bat for them at any cost.  I’m calling on clinical folks (PTs like me, MDs, DOs, RNs, DCs, etc…) to listen to the voice of their patient.  I’m also calling on us to listen to one another with the exact same intention – “I respect you as a person.  Though I may not care for your opinion, I will not assign this dislike to you as a person.”  In practicing and living this way, I know we can make so much more progress toward the goal above.

The truly grievous part is that we, as individuals and as a country, have the means and opportunity to come together, serve one another, and be stronger in the end.

Episode #5 – with Special Guest: @Jerry_DurhamPT

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In the fifth episode of The Voice of the Patient podcast, Jerry Durham joins the show as a guest. He’s doing a ton of work around relationship-centered care that’s challenging the status quo of healthcare.  He’s also written a blog for this website answering the questions: What is “Customer Service” and How do we improve it?

Great conversation, great resources offered to step up your game as a caregiver.

 

Customer Service: Please Hold Your Call is very important To Us

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All right lets define some terms and make sure we are all speaking the same language:

Customer Service: How your customers are treated, talked to, and dealt with during every single interaction with your company, product and service.

Customer Experience: Every touchpoint/interaction that your customer has with your company from your website to the final bill they receive… and everything in between.

So customer service is what occurs within the customer experience. This can be everything from phone interactions to reading an email you sent out.

So when we say Customer Service is not a department within your company this is why. Its all encompassing and involves everyone, even those who do not directly interact with your customers. Most people will make a decision, conscious or subconsciously, about your whole business based on the level of customer service they receive at ANY one touchpoint in your company.

I see customer service as a mindset. I see it as understanding the human psyche. Understanding what drives decisions, conversations, choices etc.   The foundation of any great company is this understanding (or attempt to understand) this psyche.

The reading list below will reflect this need to understand the human psyche (you’ll notice a couple books have to do with YOUR mindset)… along with the other reads.

  1. “Start With WHY” by S. Sinek (Amazon) (Audible)

THIS needs to be your first read!!   You get this nailed and your whole biz world becomes far easier.

  1. “The Customer Rules: The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service” by L. Cockerell (Amazon) (Audible)

This is a great mindset book behind the Disney experience and the overall higher level thinking that goes into customer experience and customer service. I had the opportunity to be part of a Therapy Insiders podcast that interviewed the author Lee Cockerell.

  1. “To Sell Is Human” by D. Pink (Amazon) (Audible)

My favorite word hated by most in Healthcare.. SELL. Pink does a great job describing “Non sell selling”. Will help YOU to better understand YOUR thoughts and perceptions into delivering what is needed to a customer.

  1. “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by R. Cialdini (Amazon) (Not on Audible)

Simply put, “….explains the psychology of why people say ‘yes’….”   key word here is WHY not yes.

  1. “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions” by D. Airley (Amazon) (Audible)

When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we’re making smart, rational choices. But are we?

  1. “Outside In” by H. Manning/K. Bodine (Amazon) (Audible)

Awesome technical read on how great companies map out their customer experiences so that they can make sure they are delivering the best customer service…   Again pretty technical so wouldn’t make a first read from this list.

  1. “Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service” by Disney Institute/T. Kinni
     (Amazon) (Audible)

Great at describing the principles and systems behind Disneys customer experience and customer service.   Would not make this the first read.

So, those are all books I’ve read…. Here’s a short list of books I want to read:

  1. “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose” T. Hsieh (Amazon) (Audible)

Yeah, goes without saying.   I’ve heard him speak and have read multiple case studies on Zappos… so that’s why its still in the “To Read” pile.

  1. “Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama” S. Leith (Amazon) (Not on Audible)

I love WORDS and understanding the power they hold, soooooo obviously this is on my short list.   Found this through the Farnam Street Blog.

Lastly some websites I visit frequently:

      

  1. Loyalty360.org      

The Association for Customer Loyalty

  1. FarnamStreetBlog.com    

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Final note: You will have noticed that there was not one Healthcare related book or website mentioned. On purpose?… No, its because other industries do it far better, so let’s learn from THEM!

Thanks… Happy Reading