“ Patients are Transferring Back to Our Services Because Our Doctors and Nurse Practitioners Go above and Beyond All Other Providers”

Recently, the DON of one of our long-time Post-Acute and Long-term Care Facility clients reached out to our clinical coordinator to explain to us why we were getting so many of our previous patients returning to our service.

For some background, earlier this year, the facility’s corporate management made the decision to change Medical Directorship of the facility from General Medicine, to doctors employed by a local hospital. Apparently, this was done to better align their facility with the hospital in an attempt for more referrals. At the same time the change was made, facility residents were encouraged to transfer their attending physician coverage from General Medicine doctors to the hospital doctors, which most did.

Unfortunately for the facility and the residents, that change has not gone well. Residents, families, and facility staff have been very dissatisfied with the hospital physicians’ services. As a result, patients are changing back to General Medicine’s attending physicians for their medical coverage.

The DON gladly explained to us why this was happening. Her residents were accustomed to receiving more frequent coverage, more approachable doctors, and nurse practitioners, and most importantly, when they experienced acute issues, they are addressed immediately rather than being put off, or just being sent out to the hospital.

She also mentioned that the hospital physicians had recently had a meeting with her company’s Corporate management asking why so many of their patients were transferring back to General Medicine. They were told the same reasons we were, and additionally, they were told that when the facility staff pages General Medicine they call back promptly, and not 1-2 hours later, or not even until the next day. Finally, they we told that the General Medicine’s Staff does not get upset with their nurses on the phone for calling them, no matter what time of the day or night, or what the issue (even the small stuff).