The Case of the Fashionable “Friend”
A patient wants the same frame as an acquaintance and would like you to “just look it up in their ‘friend’s’ file…”
During the afternoon rush, a particular patient walked around the optical department while on her cell phone. “I’m at my eye doctor’s office — I am totally going to get the same glasses that the lady from the sushi bar has.” She continued loudly, “I don’t know what kind of glasses they are but I’m going to figure out a way to get them.”
After 10 or so minutes of rambling and acting as though nobody else had heard her entire conversation, the patient approached Jane, an optician, “Hi, I was hoping you could help me find a specific pair of glasses that a friend of mine wears.”
“I will certainly do my best,”Jane said enthusiastically. “Could you describe the frame or do you know the brand or model?”
“Not specifically, but I can tell you all about them!” The patient continued, “They’re really large and kind-of square, but also kind-of round. The frames are really unique cause they’re a bright cobalt blue on the top half and like a spotted white and pink on the bottom half.”
Jane commented, “They do sound cool! Do you have a picture of your friend wearing them, so I could possibly identify them?”
“No, I had one photo but it was too far away to see any detail,” the patient replied.
Jane responded, “Could you text your friend and ask them to share the brand or model, or text us a photo of the frame?”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Real Deal is a fictional scenario designed to read like real-life business events. The businesses and people mentioned in this story should not be confused with actual businesses and people.
“No, I don’t really want to bother her,” the patient continued, “She told me that she got her glasses here, so you should be able to look her up on your computer and get the information.”
Jane knew from the phone call that this was not, in fact, a friend of the patient and that continuing with the back-and-forth questions would be a wild goose chase, likely yielding no useful information.
The patient saw the reluctant look on Jane’s face, and blurted out, “I really love those glasses and will buy them today — I have cash. If I could get you to help me with this, I will definitely return and be a patient of this office!”
As much as Jane loved to make a sale, she also had a conscience. Jane knew that many of her co-workers have previously done this exact act when asked, and would again, so there was no point in asking for one of their opinions.
“Pleeeeease?” The patient continued, “It’s got to be super easy to look up! It would mean so much to me and I will tell all of my friends and family about the great service I received from this office!”
Jane could very quickly pull up the order to get this whiny diva out of her office, but she had a million questions that ran through her mind at the same time:
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Are glasses orders actually part of a medical record — is HIPAA even applicable?
Should she look up the other person’s glasses order real quick to get the sale and gain a patient?
Knowing that if she declines the request, the patient could return to ask someone else who will likely oblige, should she bring this up as an all-staff discussion? Or potentially worse, leave the business a bad review?
