When Tim Witsman was considering whether to take the presidency of the Wichita Independent Business Association about this time last year, he consulted friends on what they thought.
That’s how he came to realize that WIBA had a bit of a reputation — deserved or not — for being an organization of grumpy old men.
And when he took the job last July, one of Witsman’s goals was to change that reputation. He thinks he has.
While munching on his favorite Cuban sandwich at Sabor today, Witsman talked about those changes. One of the most obvious is WIBA’s new Women’s Leadership Alliance, which started with about six members right before Witsman came on board and now has 75 who attended this month’s meeting.
There wasn’t a grumpy old man in sight.
With their waiting rooms crowded and exam rooms full, many physicians say they are too busy to be good communicators, researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Rochester say.
But with a little time management and a little focus on communications skills, doctor-patient interaction can improve dramatically, these researchers say. Their findings — a guide to more effective patient communication — is running this month in the July 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Bottom line: Take a minute to focus on the patient.
Other tips gleaned from their research:
- Take time to understand the patient’s perspective
- Reach a mutual agreement on an action plan.
It seems a little obvious, but perhaps even doctors need to be reminded every now and then to establish rapport and practice mindfully.
I’m guessing today’s fee-for-service compensation stresses continue to push doctors to “herd ‘em in, herd ‘em out.”
But in the average 10 to 15 minutes or so a doctor spends with patient, research shows that effective communication skills can significantly enhance the patient’s experience and satisfaction with the physician and perhaps, one supposes, increase compliance. That should make any doctor happy.
The bank earnings announcements for the second quarter are rolling in and, as expected, they don’t look too good.
First Horizon, a regional bank holding company in the South, said it had a loss of more than $19 million and is replacing its chief executive.
U.S. Bancorp, a Minnesota-based bank holding company with $247 billion in assets, reported a nearly 18 percent drop in net income for the second quarter. And banking giant Wachovia said it expects to report a loss of between $2.6 billion and $2.8 billion in the second quarter.
What initially seemed to be a problem related to the subprime loan mess and a depressed housing market that was reserved for the country’s largest banks appears to be growing some legs and touching regional banks.
Of course it’s not all bad news.
Commerce Bancshares, the parent of Wichita’s Commerce Bank, said it posted an earnings increase for the second quarter. Granted, the increase was only a little more than 2 percent, but it’s still an increase.
We’ll get a better idea just how bad this thing is going to get as more public banks report their quarterly numbers in the coming weeks.
And we may be in for a long ride.