Should You Give Free Advice? |
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by Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Joined practice July 2006 of
John K. Throckmorton, DPM
Lansing, Michigan |
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Quite often, I have people asking me for free medical advice. For example, I’ll be seeing a patient for a problem, and their family member will ask about their own feet. I will also very commonly meet people in social situations or in the hospital who will ask for advice about their feet. My question to you is this: Should you give free medical advice?
Let’s take both views of the subject. If you have an opinion, write in and let the rest of us know.
You go to the grocery store to buy food, the gas station to buy gasoline, the barber to have your hair cut, and the department store to buy cloths. Just the same, you go to the podiatrist to relieve your foot pain.
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Does the grocery store give you free food just for asking? How about the gas station? I’ve asked but they won’t give me free gas! My barber refuses to give me a free haircut. So why should my doctor give me free medical advice? Incidentally, this is the same argument I’d make for medical insurance companies paying us too little for our services.
Now the PRO: free advice is safe and brings patients to a practice. I can’t count how often I find myself giving out advice to someone who asks. On the other hand, I also can’t count how many new patients I’ve obtained because I was seeing a family member or friend. A friendly, approachable attitude makes people comfortable and desire to see you as their doctor.
Ever go to a health fair? How about free screenings? Ever offered these? How about a community lecture? At a health fair, you provide medical advice with less detail than you would in the office. How comprehensive can you be in situations like this? Not very. I like to think of this as the teaser, the “commercial” that interests a patient in having further treatment on a formal basis.
How often do you go to the grocery store and try that tasty morsel of meat or a new snack offered for free in the aisle by that friendly worker? They don’t want to actually give you free food. The store is betting they will lose a small amount of money (for the sample) as an investment that you will buy the actual product after sampling it. This is essentially the same for free advice given by a doctor. By “teasing” the patient with both a small amount of info and, as importantly, your excellent bedside manner, you’re investing a small amount of your asset (your knowledge) in the hope they will become a full patient that you can bill.
Personally, I’m with the PRO’s. In situations where I’m asked to give free advice, I gladly do so but to a limited extent, followed by my handing them my card and telling them I’d be happy to see them in my office. Once they’re in my office, I will have the opportunity to offer them my “other” services (orthotics, pads, lotions, creams, surgery, etc) as value-added components of my medical practice. Not everyone will take the bait but I’ll guarantee a friendly, short conversation - and some free advice - will never hurt your medical practice.
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT New Docs Editor
[email protected]
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