I loved Debi's comments about phone help and find we have a lot of
similarities except I am not quite as good at minimizing it yet but improving
all the time, thanks especially to the reinforcement of my collegues.

I find the voice mail to be a wonderful tool for the private practice in the
same ways Debi already mentioned but also to follow up with patients I have
seen.   My voice mail does not actually ring a phone anywhere so it does not
disturb me or my family.  I check it at my convenience.  Because it accepts a
five minute message I have learned to use it to monitor current patients.
For patients who need more intense follow up, such as someone who is weaning
off supplements, I have them call in with daily reports and give me specific
information.  They might report on number of  wet and soiled diapers, oz
provided of supplement, level of nipple pain on a 1-10 scale, etc.
Whatever I need.  I ask them to tell me if they need a call back or not after
providing the information and reassure them that I will call them even if no
call back is requested, if I see something concerning in the information they
provide.   This way I can keep an eye on them in a very time saving way yet
catch any problems before things deteriorate.  Most of the moms have
expressed that it is reassuring to know I am helping them monitor things via
the voice messages.   I usually wean moms off this system gradually telling
them to report less and less frequently as things improve.   This is one of
my favorite aspects of having the voice mail system.

Kathy Kuhn
RN BSN IBCLC
ParentsPlace LC
Private Practice LC
Eastern PA

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