Social Media and Customer Service

By Bob Henger, CEO Northwest Medical Center

Since taking on the responsibility of CEO at Northwest Medical Center in July, with the support of our entire staff, we have made steady progress in minimizing patient complaints and improving the care and service we provide to our patients. I personally investigate every patient complaint brought to our attention. We fully investigate the concern or complaint and report back to the individual with our findings. If our service is not what it should be, we also communicate any corrective actions we put in place to fix the problem and prevent future occurences.

What I have found most damaging, defenseless and difficult to overcome is the hyper-escalating culture in which one person utilizes social media to voice their complaints before attempting to resolve the issue with us directly. This has a considerable negative effect on our hospital's reputation.

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Lung Cancer Rates Among Women Are Falling Much Slower Than Those in Men. Here's Why

Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer in the U.S. But mortality rates have been falling for decades, driven by medical advances and historic decreases in cigarette smoking. The benefits, however, have not been shared equally. What was historically a men’s disease is now disproportionately affecting women. A 2018 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that rates of lung-cancer incidence actually rose over the past 20 years among women born around either 1950 or 1960; in younger women, diagnoses fell, but not as much as among men.

Read more: Lung Cancer Rates Among Women Are Falling Much Slower Than Those in Men. Here's Why

Dealing with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

By Amanda Godsey, FNP-C

Let's acknowledge how difficult it can be as health care providers to explain diabetes to a patient and for the patient to comprehend all the information they need to know regarding diabetes once diagnosed in just one office visit.

Now, I understand we can bring them back to the office for follow-up visits as much as possible and refer them to a nutritionist to help educate them better about their diet. We have all done this in providing patient care for our diabetic patients. But what we really need to do is educate people about how to prevent this dreaded disease and all the problems it brings with it.

First, what is diabetes? There are two types of diabetes that we commonly diagnose - Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 we have no control over. It involves the body's inability to produce insulin. Patients with type 1 will require insulin injections or an insulin pump throughout their lifetime. Type 1 is typically diagnosed early in life.

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, and when diagnosed, we can have control over it in many cases. Type 2 can be managed by diet, exercise and may, or may not require insulin. In many cases oral medications are required if the condition cannot be controlled by diet and lifestyle changes alone.

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