Despite the fact that today's patients are more mobile and apt to change jobs and health insurance--and thus doctors--many patients become uneasy about being forced to sever ties with a trusted primary care physician or frequently seen specialist, such as a cardiologist or OB/GYN. "Those bonds aren't broken easily, and the new doctor needs to understand the anxiety level of patients during this transition process," Baum says.
Patients in this situation need extra reassurance that you are well informed about their health concerns and willing to provide them the same kind of care they are used to. Therefore, it's essential you do your homework about inherited patients. At the very least, review the patient's medical record before the first visit and, if possible, contact the former physician with any questions or concerns. At best, sit with the former physician and go over active patients chart by chart, Baum says. "This takes hours of work, but is essential if you want to keep the patients in the practice."
The new doctor also faces the task of piecing together the patient's medical history and understanding the reasons certain actions were or were not taken, adds Bruce Genovese, MD, MHSA, a Michigan cardiologist. For example, in his speciality, doctors fall within a wide range as to how aggressive they are in treating heart problems. "We have doctors who have every patient get a procedure if there's even the slightest indication of an issue, and we have other doctors who are more conservative," he says.
If your style varies from the former doctor's, or even if you disagree with the choices he or she made, don't bad-mouth your colleague. "One of the worst things you can do is say, 'Well, he didn't handle this right.' You've got to, no matter what you really think, be sure that your patient feels that you've taken the doctor that they like seriously," Genovese says. "Either you're going to follow their way of going about things or you're going to give [the patient] a very valid explanation why your plans have changed."
Shannon Sousa is the editor of The Doctor's Office. She may be reached at Ssousa@hcpro.com. This story was adapted from one that first appeared in the March edition of The Doctor's Office, a monthly newsletter by HealthLeaders Media.