Melissa Young, MD

A neighborhood tragedy followed by a coincidence brought another potential employee benefit to mind for my medical practice.

I know money isn't everything …but I also want to provide for my staff what I can for them.

At tax time, discovery of profit means reinvesting in the future of your practice.

From toilets to automobiles, what do you do when a patient damages property: accidentally or otherwise?

Patient satisfaction is very important to a practice …but you just can’t make everyone happy all the time.

Patients are the lifeblood of your private practice, but can sometimes leave you as a physician feeling drained.

Every now and then, I see a patient who reminds me why I chose to do what I do and why I do it the way that I do it.

I fully understand that those who wish to pursue clinical jobs need time with actual patients …but I still need to protect my patients and my practice.

Two years of running my private practice has taught me a great deal, such as “paperless” is a fantasy.

Sometimes, I am caught between the desire to help a patient out and my moral objection to what they want to accomplish.

2011 gave us its share of ups and downs, and we had some rough patches here and there, but for the most part, I’d like to think that we had a successful year.

Here are 10 things this private practice physician would like for Christmas.

It sort of bothers me that patients think that we care more about our comfort than theirs.

I don’t have an office manager. And I seem to be an anomaly.

Patients ask me many questions when they come for their visits … but there are certain questions that I feel I am not in a position to answer.

There are days that the office is so busy, the phone calls are overwhelming, and the paperwork is stacked to the ceiling. Ah, the price of excellence!

Cat ears are acceptable. A “flirty cat” costume would be another story.

An acquaintance of mine asked me if I want my children to be doctors when they grow up. Without hesitation, I said “no.”

So how does one approach a peer, or more accurately, a group of peers, and try to get them to see the light?

Time for myself. I’m not even sure how to do that. I am afraid of the repercussions.

During a leisurely lunch with my staff, the conversation centered on some great practice-related topics.

After months of anxiety over … attestation to prove “meaningful use,” it turns out it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be.

When is a patient’s unwelcomed attention toward a staff member a little crush and when does it warrant more attention to protect one’s safety and well-being?

I believe it is important to maintain a good relationship with our colleagues who refer patients to our practice. …I also expect a certain amount of decorum.

Sometimes, it is difficult to draw the line between boss and friend at a practice, especially when your staff fall on hard times in their personal lives.

Sometimes when your practice technology leaves you disconnected, the day becomes longer and the solutions need to come faster to get patients the care they expect.

A recent get-together with other female physicians reminded me why anyone who complains about our healthcare system should spend a year or two in a third world country ER.

I am torn as to how to deal with what seems like an exorbitant amount of just “stuff" [at my practice].

Currently, the wait for a new patient appointment with me is about two months, and for Dr. F it’s about four weeks. This is infinitely better than the six-month wait that exists in other offices ... but there are certainly patients that need to be seen sooner.

Most of our patients are very happy with the care they get from the physicians and from the attention they get from my staff. But I’ll give you a couple of examples of people who I feel just ask for too much. Feel free to tell me I’m wrong.