Cancer Screenings and The Golden Rule
“A monkey can schedule a colonoscopy faster than that!” Phil snapped at me. Four years earlier, I had created and developed a hospital-based colon cancer screening program. It was so successful that one of our region’s competing hospital systems wanted to duplicate it. They sent Phil (whose name has been changed to protect his ego) to learn the secrets behind our success. I had just told him that our team takes about 25 minutes on the phone with each patient to schedule a colonoscopy.
“My schedulers can schedule one in less than 6 minutes.” he declared. “Our office runs like a machine; we work hard, fast, and get the job done. And we don’t waste time babbling on the phone with patients!”
I kept waiting for him to mention the quality of patient care he and his staff were providing. Maybe how well they listened and how much compassion they had; how they answered questions about insurance or worked out transportation challenges? Or talked to patients about that dreaded colonoscopy prep? I couldn’t ask because I couldn’t get a word in edgewise while he ranted about time and money. So, I changed tactics.
“With your current program, Phil, what is your no-show rate? What percentage of your patients don’t show up to have their colonoscopy done?”
He hesitated. “That’s the $50,000 question, Hilary. Our no-show rate hovers around 19%. I don’t know of a program that does any better.”
Phil had just admitted to me that out of, say, 1,000 patients scheduled for a colonoscopy, 190 did not show up to have theirs done. Scary!
“Phil, last year, our annual no-show rate was ⅓ of 1%. That means, out of 1200 patients we scheduled for a screening colonoscopy, 1196 patients had their scope, and only four patients did not show up.”
That shut Phil up, and he began to listen. What were we doing that made such an impact? The answer is in three familiar words: The Golden Rule.
Why take 25 minutes to talk to each patient? Because patients are human, and most hate having to get scheduled for a colon cancer screening. So, we treated people with a “more human” approach by slowly detailing every piece of information they needed and addressing every concern, even ones they didn’t know to ask, like what’s the best way to drink the prep? (Side note: don’t refrigerate it!)
Finally, after every specificity was addressed, each patient was given my personal cell phone number. Was that ridiculous? Perhaps, but I never received more than one call every two weeks. They had all the information they needed and wanted. Access to me was icing on the cake, so they didn’t use it.
That happened many years ago. Right around the time Phil was sent to me, I was asked to set up a lung cancer screening program with the same “Golden Rule” premise. Within three years, it was one of the largest in the nation. Go figure.
Now, I work at Leo Cancer Care. We are developing cutting-edge upright radiation therapy solutions. Our founding goal has been to be “the more human way” to treat cancer patients. We want to empower patients to work with their clinicians, improve the clinical effectiveness of radiation therapy with upright patient positioning, and improve patient access to radiation therapy by lowering costs. Leo Cancer Care is patient-centric: treating others with kindness, dignity, and respect, especially as they navigate such daunting life challenges. Sound familiar? Kind of like The Golden Rule, don’t you think?
Hilary Deskins, BBA BSN RN
Former Manager of Cancer Prevention Services
Now, a Clinical Engagement Nurse with Leo Cancer Care