At the check-out desk.
Mary: "All right, so your follow-up appointment is next month, here's a reminder card... and this is your receipt for today's co-pay... Annie will call you to schedule the tests... Anything else?"
Mr. Suit: "Could you please fax something for me?"
Mary: "Sure, is it the form the doctor filled out?"
Mr. Suit: "No, it's this business report." (opens briefcase, pulls out HUGE folder and a list of fax numbers) "I need you to send a copy to my company's New York office, another to Calgary, one to Los Angeles, and..."
Mary: "Um, no. I thought it was something for your medical care. That sort of thing you'll have to have your own secretary do."
Mr. Suit: "Well, she's busy preparing reports like this."
Aww come on Mary, she's busy working and you're just sitting there doing nothing. Fax those 1,000 pages for the guy. LOL. Mary needs a raise dealing with your pts day after day.
ReplyDeleteDoes your office name resemble the letters in Kinko's because I'm so confused...
ReplyDeleteGeez....some people are sooooooo clueless.
ReplyDeleteSure, I'll fax them -- at $25 per page. standard rate for letters, isn't it.
ReplyDeleteOkay now. Why would this jerk think Mary would have time (or money) to do this man's secretarial duties? Communist? Pays his 14% government taxes in the same country? Entitled to the 'secretarial' services of any woman? (Check his binderfull.) Doctors OWE him? Mafioso or politician? (For what would Dr. G owe Mr. Suit?) Guess you're lucky he didn't just come in off the street and demand to take a shower in the bathroom with fresh Egyptian towels and sweet-smelling bath salts. (Nevermind. Scratch the bath salts.)
ReplyDeleteMary deserves a raise. You can tell I said so.
ReplyDeleteAll I can think is W? T? F?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Mary stood up for herself, and that you have created an office environment as her boss that she knows that she can and SHOULD stand up for herself!
ReplyDeleteErin
Oh no, I think my old boss is your patient. Sorry about that, Mary.
ReplyDeleteas an old spinal injury nurse from the city who now works part time in a rural ITU... I have enjoyed your slant on life
ReplyDeleteWould be fun is Mary mistook the shredder for the fax.......oopsy
ReplyDeleteClearly this man needs a neurologist, because he's got some nerve!
ReplyDeleteI am often convinced that we see the same patients, as I find it totally believable that some jerk would pull something like this. Which means jerkiness is becoming quite widespread. Which, of course, we have already established. Oy.
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteIf I were his doc, his visit (with faxes) would be a minimum of $1000.
To cover the concierge services, of course!
A&%holes are just priceless, though, so it would be hard to pin a number on them.
I think you should have a high school student come in once or twice a week to handle that sort of "concierge service" when it comes up.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, it should concentrate the Mr. Suits of the world to Mondays and Thursdays (or whichever days you and the high school student choose), when they can get their reports faxed and their shoes shined and their anniversary gifts picked out for them on the same day. Then you and Mary would have three or four days a week full of people who are at least doing the best they can.
If you charge appropriate rates, you'll be able to pay the student adequately even when he or she has nothing to do but watch Mary and learn to be awesome too.
And you'll get some awesome stories when people order you to come up with a billing code for obtaining a decaf latte and delivering it to the examining room at exactly 4:47 pm, because what kind of executive health insurance plan wouldn't pay for that?! In fact, Mary and the high school student could probably start a blog of their own.
I think Wendy might have a career in front of the house patient relations. Confusing the fax for the shredder would be well played!
ReplyDeleteJust change the name to Grumpy's Neurology and Faxes and start charging 10 bucks a page.
ReplyDeleteFor you, Doctor Grumpy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2766
Wow, until I read the comments I thought you made this stuff up. And I was feeling like an ass because my ride got stuck in traffic and I had to call the surgery center to apologise and let them know we would be late (15 minutes). Oh yeah, The UPS Store has an app to help you locate a location close to you ;+)
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant lifehacking strategy! That is SO going in my next book!
ReplyDeletevery good!
ReplyDeleteSurprised he didn't ask her to iron his shirt too!
ReplyDeleteReally like Wendy's mischievous suggestion. Must try it sometime!
Wendy, the shredder? really?
ReplyDeleteNope, I would take the time to look up his competitors fax and send it right over - no charge.
Bet that will be the last time he bothers Mary with such stuff.
Who still faxes stuff?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the shredding idea. Mary can take the documents, leave the room, return and say, "there is no charge for shredding." After Dr. Grumpy recovers the patient from his vaso-vagal episode, Mary can sweetly tell him to do it himself next time. Tricia
ReplyDelete