Front Desk Reflections

So Lindy has been on vacation all week and I'm doing my best to fill in for her. This is a daunting task. It seems as though every third or fourth phone call I answer has one question. "Is this Lindy?" And then the disappointed momentary silence when I answer, "No, it's Bibi. Lindy is on vacation." Similarly, then,  other phone callers ask "Is this Robin?" And I have to answer "No, it's Bibi. Robin is with a patient."
I offer my help, but very often, it's often Robin or Lindy who hold the answer. When some people walk into our office, they may only perceive two women answering our very busy phones, and doing things on the computers in front of them. What they will learn as they visit us, or call us, is that these two care very deeply about our patients. They also have very specialized knowledge about how to wend their way through the byzantine labyrinth of insurance referrals, what to tell a mom who is worried about the proper dosage of ibuprofen for their child, and how to say just the right thing to a woman newly diagnosed with cancer. This is amazing to me, as I sit trying to figure out how to book an appointment while 2 other calls are holding, and a patient is standing in front of me at the check-in desk. I smile at the phone, and ask the patient in front of me if he would mind being placed on hold... I realize it takes a very special kind of person to manage this job day in and day out.

Most of the time I'm in the back office, saying bad words about Carefirst and trying to get a patient's claim paid for. Having the chance to see our patients out front, greeting them by name and getting to know them, is a real treat, despite the stress. I love seeing the kids come in and look at the photographs taken by local artists and recognize a scene from the C&O Canal, or read one of the books I've left in the waiting room. My heart melts when a daughter brings in her ailing elderly mother, and I see how they care for each other. I realize we have our own little community right here in this office and I am so happy to be a part of it.

Before I forget, here's a link to a nice story that mentions the Walk Across Maryland and our upcoming Baby Talk! Thanks, Anne Weatherholt.