Hi everyone. All my friends.
I think never than ever before I need advice from my most trusted colleagues.
I have always been proud that in my five years of solo practice, we have never sent anyone who wanted an acute appointment to the emergency department. Never. I just can't seem to cross that line.
We see an average of 25 patients a day, and with the work that goes with them after hours along with the paperwork, I and my staff are becoming burned out. The summer is usually easy, but we had one easy week. Winter is upon us.
Does anyone have advice as to how to manage the schedule and still be there for your patients? If you do send patients to the ED due to no more slots, how do you do it? How do you not feel guilty. Currently, every day my staff asks, "We are full, where do we put the patients." Every day I say, "Just book them down." Some times they go to 7:30 pm.
I know the pat answer will be if I am not healthy I can't see the patients at all. But, that won't be of any solace to the parent that calls at 10 am, and we are already booked to 5:30 pm.
