What kind of pediatrician do parents want?

One of my goals in opening Joyful Pediatrics was to make sure I could practice and be the kind of doctor that parents wanted and one that I knew I could be. I commonly ask parents, “What are you looking for in a pediatrician?” By far the most frequent answer is a pediatrician who actually listens to them, and doesn’t make them “feel dumb” for asking questions or not understanding.

I thought a lot about this and wondered why so many families had this experience. I know it’s not the goal of a pediatrician to make a parent feel that way – so why does this happen?

I think it’s multifaceted. The system in which most physicians operate carries the most blame. Reimbursement in the fee-for-service model continues to decline as costs keep rising. This means physicians, even private practice ones, need to see more and more patients each day just to stay afloat. It’s commonly touted that a primary care physician has 1500-2500 patients on their panel and sees 30 (or more) patients per day.  While those numbers are slightly higher than my personal private practice experience, most physicians agree those are relatively accurate.

This makes it difficult to spend a great deal of time with any one patient or family. Anytime that we do, it means that other patients and families get shortchanged. That’s not a good feeling. Limited time per family forces doctors to breeze through diagnoses and plans because we understand them completely and know why we are recommending them.

That’s not the type of pediatrician I wanted to be. I think a huge part of being a pediatrician is educating families – breaking down medically complex topics into understandable guidance. I love being a teacher and explaining the “why” behind my decisions and recommendations. Families appreciate it too. No one wants the “because I said so” reasoning, because it creates an adversarial rather than collaborative relationship.

I love the parent and patient experience that direct pediatric care offers. My default is to spend an hour with families, possibly longer with new patients. I really get to know the parents and the children, which improves my ability to provide medical care. If parents have a question about something I said after a visit, they’re always welcome to call or text me directly. This allows me to provide what I consider the highest level of care for children and their families. Kids deserve that.