EVALUATION OF CASE NUMBER 8

In a health care environment, there will always be some angry patients, problems with family members, and problems with the health care staff. Many of these problems are unique to this profession. After all, few people want to be patients. This in turn, creates an excellent environment for emotional and mental stress.

This case is a example of how positive communication can be used to turn a hostile encounter into a neutral, if not a pleasant, one. Captain Boat was upset because he was unable to get an appointment to see an orthopedic physician. Such encounters happen daily at military facilities when services to retirees are limited.

Going the extra step to ensure customer satisfaction is only one part of the HM rating. The actions of Lt. Christmas and HM Door indicated that they did take that step. First HM Door reacted patiently and sympathetically with Captain Boat. He then transferred Captain Boat's call to the patient administration section to have the problem resolved. Lt. Christmas offered to help locate a physician in the local community that could take care of the captain's problem. She then went a step further by offering to explain the benefits available through CHAMPUS.