2 Case Comparisons
1-to-1 Pediatrics is all about personalized service and was founded on the concept of old-school, hometown medical care—the kind of doctor-family relationship that existed before HMO’s and managed care. With a limited number of patients in the practice and available direct access to the doctor, the office stands alone as an oasis in the hustle and bustle that usually accompanies pediatric primary care. Below are some examples that highlight why we are different.
Example 1a:
It is 2am. You are awakened by your 2 year-old daughter crying out in pain. You find her in her crib, standing, hot with fever and crying. Unsure of what to do, you call your pediatrician’s practice. The answering service refers you to the night advice nurse. You call and leave a message asking for a speedy call back. Thirty-five minutes later, your child is full on screaming. The advice nurse calls back, asks a lot of questions about the child, as she doesn’t know you, then offers some advice and instructs you to call your child’s doctor’s office in the morning.
When the sun comes up, your daughter finally has fallen back to sleep. You wait until 8:30 when the phones go on. It is hard to get through and you are put on hold, as it is the busy flu season. Your child’s doctor is off that day but you are offered the first available appointment with another doc in the office at 11:40am. You arrive at 11:35 to a waiting room full of sick and crying children. The doctor is overbooked and therefore is running behind schedule. You are seen at 12:15pm. By now your daughter is exhausted from crying, lack of sleep and is tired of waiting. You feel almost as miserable.
The doctor sees you and apologizes for the wait. He examines your daughter, finds an ear infection and sends a prescription over to the pharmacy. You promptly arrive at 12:35pm and are told that there has been no prescription sent over. When they finally find it, you are told that it will be another 20 minutes. You get the prescription filled, pack your daughter back in the car and drive home. It is 1:15pm.
Example 1b:
It is 2am. You are awakened by your 2 year-old daughter crying out in pain. You find her in her crib, standing, hot with fever and crying. Unsure of what to do, you call your pediatrician’s cell phone. He answers on the 2nd ring. He sounds a little groggy but not at all annoyed. You explain what is going on and you are told to give your child a teaspoon of ibuprofen and to elevate the head of her crib. “What time would you like me to see Lucy in the morning?” he asks? “Is 8:30 am OK or is that too early.” “8:30 is fine. I’ll see you then, but call back if she’s not feeling better within the hour.”
Your daughter falls asleep with you rubbing her back in the crib. It is 2:30am. You sleep until the morning and meet the doctor at the office. He is waiting for you. “Long night?” He asks empathetically. “Could I get you a cup of coffee?” “Thanks!” you reply in disbelief. The doctor brings you coffee and leads you to the exam room. He examines Lucy and finds an ear infection. “Ow, that must hurt. Hang on, I’ll be right back,” he says.
Three minutes later the doctor returns with a bottle of medication. “Give her 1 teaspoon twice a day for 10 days. Keep her on the ibuprofen for the 1st day or two until she’s feeling better. Let me know if she’s not better in a day or two, and call me in 10 days to set up her follow up appointment.”
You take your daughter, your coffee, and your bottle of antibiotics and head home. It is 8:45am.
Example 2a:
Your 12 year-old son plays competitive soccer. During a game on a Sunday afternoon he collides with another player and gets a laceration over his eyebrow. It is bleeding a lot and clearly needs stitches. It is 2:30pm.
You call your pediatrician’s office and the answering service directs you to the advice nurse. You leave a message regarding your situation. 30 minutes later, you get a call back. The nurse assesses the situation and agrees that he probably needs stitches. She tells you that the after hours clinic doesn’t do stitches, so your only option is to go to the ER. It is now 3pm and you head to the ER. You register and see the triage nurse who confirms that a few stitches need to be put in. You wait in the ER for a while and watch several ambulances roll up. You wait 2 hours and then are brought back to an exam room. The ER doc takes a quick peek at the wound and lets you know that the physician’s assistant will be in shortly to fix it. 40 minutes later, the PA comes in, does the repair and tells you to follow up in a week with your pediatrician to get the stitches out. You head home. It is 6:15pm. 2 months later, you receive a bill for $1,200.
Example 2b:
Your 12 year-old son plays competitive soccer. During a game on a Sunday afternoon he collides with another player and gets a laceration over his eyebrow. It is bleeding a lot and clearly needs stitches. It is 2:30pm.
You call your pediatrician’s cell phone. He answers quickly. You explain the situation. He asks you if think it could wait until 3:15pm. “I’m at my son’s game too, it ends at 3.” “Sure,” you say and meet him at the office at 3:15pm.
The doctor escorts you into the exam room. While he assesses the wound, he asks, “How did the game go, Anthony?” He gets his supplies out and repairs the wound in about 10 minutes. “Put this ointment on the wound twice a day for the next 5 days. You need to have the stitches out Friday. What time would you like to come in?” You make an appointment to have the stitches out, leave the office and head home. It is 3:30pm.
As you pull into your driveway, your neighbor’s child who is also on your son’s team is getting out of their car. He is still wearing his uniform as they are just getting home from the game. “Wow! That was a fast ER visit!” says your neighbor. “You bet!” you chuckle back.
If you would like to find out more about the personalized, “hometown care” that 1-to-1 Pediatrics provides to its patients every day, call to set up an informational interview. We’d love to hear from you!
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