Advice from an Unexpected Source
By: David S. Barmak, JD, CEO
Most people have heard the old proverbial saying, “out of the mouths of babes,” used when a child offers some unexpectedly profound wisdom. Well, sometimes the best wisdom and insight comes from the very people we serve.
For example, a number of years ago I was presenting a HIPAA privacy in-service training to an outpatient rehab client in Queens, New York, and was having a bit of difficulty because it was late in the day on a Sunday, and over 40 therapists were hungry, tired and eager to go home. I was the last stop to the end of their very long day of in servicing.
To get my audience to “sync” with me, I opened my presentation by asking a few questions; and, to my surprise, the same elderly woman in the audience answered all of them correctly. After each response, the therapists in the room would laugh and snicker. My natural response was to think that this woman, who was easily in her late 60’s, was an “old time” OT.
However, after about 15 minutes, I noticed a yellow cab pull up to the front door. I watched as the elderly woman put on her coat, raised her hand and asked, “Mr. Barmak, may I tell the therapists how to avoid being sued?” Immediately, the room was filled with groans from the therapists who thought her question was going to delay the end of my presentation. It was then that I realized the woman was not one of the therapists; instead, she was a patient waiting for her cab!
I said to her, “Out of respect for you, please tell us how we can avoid being sued; but, out of respect for the therapists, please be brief.”
She stood up – tall, hunched over a little, and thin. Then she spoke very clearly and held up her hand as she enumerated her points:
1. “I like all of my therapists.”
2. “I know my therapists like me.”
3. “I know that if my therapist ever hurt me, it would be unintentional and by accident.”
4. “Therefore, I would never sue my therapist.”
With that, she walked out of the waiting room, through the front door, and got into her cab.
Many of the therapists were young and did not appreciate the precious insight just given to them; but, we do. We do not sue, for the most part, people we trust and people who care about us.
Here’s the bottom line:
Treat our residents the way we would want to be treated and our risk of being sued will significantly diminish.
For more information regarding this article, call 609-454-5020 or email info@mednetconcepts.com.
