bullying will get you NOWHERE!
I just took a call at work. no big surprise there...i mean thats what i do. but this was the most belligerent and angry man i've ever dealt with. not a patient. not a doctor. not involved with healthcare in any way. he wants to know which nursing home his father was discharged to. here's a basic idea of how the conversation went:
ME: Good morning, Kadlec Health Information, this is Erin. How may I help you?
Jackass (JA): I'm not a doctor or anything but my father was seen there recently and I need to know where he was discharged to.
ME: I'm sorry but I can only disclose information to the patient himself.
JA: I just need to know which nursing home he went to. I can't call him because I dont know where he is.
ME: Unfortunately I can't disclose that information unless the patient has signed a release.
JA: I just need the number! (getting louder and angrier)
ME: Sir, I'm sorry but I simply can't disclose anything to you. I would be (at this point i'm interrupted VERY loudly)
JA: Well OBVIOUSLY you can't help me. Let me talk to his doctor. Surely there was an attending physician who saw him and could help me.
ME: I'm really sorry sir. I can't disclose any information at all. I'd be happy to (interrupted again)
JA: WHAT IS YOUR NAME YOUNG LADY!!!
ME: My name is Erin, sir.
JA: AND WHO IS YOUR SUPERVISOR!?!
ME: My supervisor's name is Aaron Bertelson. Would you like his extension? He's out of the office until Monday morning but you can leave him a voicemail if you like. (what like i'm going to get in trouble for upholding the laws we have in place to protect patient information? riiight)
JA: Whatever. Just connect me to the attending physician who saw my father in the ICU!!! I need to know how to find him dammit!
more of this back and forth with me trying to tell him I'll connect him to the PCC and him yelling at me that i have to give him the information he wants
ME: Sir, if you would lower your voice for a moment I will connect you to the patient care coordinator and she will be able to assist you further (at this point im trying not to cry because as we all know....i dont handle yelling very well...but im holding it together still!)
JA: FINE! YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY INCOMPETENT AND A COMPLETE WASTE OF SPACE!!! I HOPE THEY FIRE YOU!!
ME: The PCC's extension is **** in case you get disconnected. I'm transferring you now.
******
PCC: PCC, how may I help you?
ME: Hi! This is Erin in H.I.M...I've got an extremely upset man on the line. Just wanted to give you a heads up before I transfer him...he's pretty belligerent. So he'll be on the line when I hang up. Good luck!!
FIN
so yeah that was the worst experience i've ever had at work. i want to know what makes people think that if they shout and stomp enough they're going to be able to bully me into giving them what they want. it is my job to uphold the laws that protect patient information. i mean how do you think people would feel if i just started giving out their medical information to everyone who asked for it? from what i could tell, it sounded like no one in his family would tell him where to find his father. its pretty common to have family members with restraining orders against them trying to get in to see the relative w/ the restraining order. just causing trouble. i'm sure as hell not going to break laws to help them cause it!
anyway for those of you who have never worked in any sort of customer service, heres a tip: if you want something you'd better be nice, polite, reasonable, and listen to what people say to you. more than likely there are really good reasons why you aren't getting what you want. and if you just hang tight and actually LISTEN...you'll be able to understand that we actually want to help you and will do everything we can to do so. even if i cant help personally, i can find someone who will be able to. so FOR FUCKS SAKE!! be nice and stop yelling!!
anyway thats all i have to say
*kiss*kiss*
ME: Good morning, Kadlec Health Information, this is Erin. How may I help you?
Jackass (JA): I'm not a doctor or anything but my father was seen there recently and I need to know where he was discharged to.
ME: I'm sorry but I can only disclose information to the patient himself.
JA: I just need to know which nursing home he went to. I can't call him because I dont know where he is.
ME: Unfortunately I can't disclose that information unless the patient has signed a release.
JA: I just need the number! (getting louder and angrier)
ME: Sir, I'm sorry but I simply can't disclose anything to you. I would be (at this point i'm interrupted VERY loudly)
JA: Well OBVIOUSLY you can't help me. Let me talk to his doctor. Surely there was an attending physician who saw him and could help me.
ME: I'm really sorry sir. I can't disclose any information at all. I'd be happy to (interrupted again)
JA: WHAT IS YOUR NAME YOUNG LADY!!!
ME: My name is Erin, sir.
JA: AND WHO IS YOUR SUPERVISOR!?!
ME: My supervisor's name is Aaron Bertelson. Would you like his extension? He's out of the office until Monday morning but you can leave him a voicemail if you like. (what like i'm going to get in trouble for upholding the laws we have in place to protect patient information? riiight)
JA: Whatever. Just connect me to the attending physician who saw my father in the ICU!!! I need to know how to find him dammit!
more of this back and forth with me trying to tell him I'll connect him to the PCC and him yelling at me that i have to give him the information he wants
ME: Sir, if you would lower your voice for a moment I will connect you to the patient care coordinator and she will be able to assist you further (at this point im trying not to cry because as we all know....i dont handle yelling very well...but im holding it together still!)
JA: FINE! YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY INCOMPETENT AND A COMPLETE WASTE OF SPACE!!! I HOPE THEY FIRE YOU!!
ME: The PCC's extension is **** in case you get disconnected. I'm transferring you now.
******
PCC: PCC, how may I help you?
ME: Hi! This is Erin in H.I.M...I've got an extremely upset man on the line. Just wanted to give you a heads up before I transfer him...he's pretty belligerent. So he'll be on the line when I hang up. Good luck!!
FIN
so yeah that was the worst experience i've ever had at work. i want to know what makes people think that if they shout and stomp enough they're going to be able to bully me into giving them what they want. it is my job to uphold the laws that protect patient information. i mean how do you think people would feel if i just started giving out their medical information to everyone who asked for it? from what i could tell, it sounded like no one in his family would tell him where to find his father. its pretty common to have family members with restraining orders against them trying to get in to see the relative w/ the restraining order. just causing trouble. i'm sure as hell not going to break laws to help them cause it!
anyway for those of you who have never worked in any sort of customer service, heres a tip: if you want something you'd better be nice, polite, reasonable, and listen to what people say to you. more than likely there are really good reasons why you aren't getting what you want. and if you just hang tight and actually LISTEN...you'll be able to understand that we actually want to help you and will do everything we can to do so. even if i cant help personally, i can find someone who will be able to. so FOR FUCKS SAKE!! be nice and stop yelling!!
anyway thats all i have to say
*kiss*kiss*