"Have you ever noticed that small departures from policies and procedures become bigger departures, and bigger departures, and before you know it, the good original policy is not being followed?"
Case in point:
Our policy: scheduled time with optician to dispense spectacles.
Patient's policy: "Aaahh, I'll swing in, whenever I'm in the area." "Aaahh, I'll let my wife swing by in get them." "Awww, duct tape them to the back door and I'll swing by over the weekend..."
(Just yesterday when I was answering the phone at lunch: "Hello. I received a call that my glasses are ready for pick up." Yes, our optician has a time in her schedule in one hour at 2:00! "What? I'm just picking up my glasses! Why do I need an appointment?!" Well, you cranky old fart, this is about the zillionth pair we've made you, and I'm sure you're going to be your usual pain-in-the-a$$ self about something you don't like, I mean: Yes, we always want to make sure we have time to custom fit your glasses and make sure everything's great! "OHALLRIGHT.")
So, today, a patient is back in the office six months after "dispensing" for a glaucoma follow up (and she's late, of course) and she says, off the bat "I want to talk about these glasses". Well, we have you scheduled for a glaucoma visit. "I can't see out of my glasses." YOU MEAN THE ONES WE DISPENSED SIX MONTHS AGO...<checks record>...TO YOUR...SON...!? "Yes. I just haven't tried them until recently..."
BLAH BLAH BLAH.
Andy says:
"The correct policy is...no 'pick ups'. No 'over the counter' dispenses. No 'my son is picking up my glasses' stuff. That's the proper policy...SO STICK WITH IT!"
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