San Francisco and it’s inhabitants never cease to amaze me. After every operation I perform on patients in my cosmetic plastic surgery practice, I always call the patient at home the evening after surgery to check on them. I’ve done this for the last 6 years in Louisiana and I’ve never “forgotten” a patient. One of the things I noticed was how quickly patients bounce back and more times than not, would answer their phone that evening after surgery, not their caregiver. In general, they felt well enough and able to pick up their phone when I called. Needless to say, this was a very reassuring sign – it usually meant they were doing fine.
So when I moved to San Francisco, I continued this type of follow up with each surgical patient. After my case today, I now recognize that San Franciscans are so connected and as such, bring the doctor-patient communication channel to a new level. I was about to call and check on the patient that I operated on in my office and before I called I noticed that I had an email from her. My patient beat me to the punch and emailed to tell me how well she was doing. This was such a satisfying email to receive!
And at that moment, I realized that the only thing better than a patient answering their own phone after surgery to let you know they’re doing well is a patient emailing to tell you of their well being! San Franciscans continue to amaze.
