Wow, Jeanette, impressive list you have given! Wonderful! ;o)
I can't help but stumble on this paragraph:
*Make sure your documentation when you start a client includes physician
referral - which is a requirement for IBCLCs as we MUST communicate with the
mom's and baby's Health Care Provider (HCP) - AND a photography release.
Of course, inform all your clients that you will be communicating with their
doctors.*
I know the now called (and in my opinion very disappointing) Code of
Professional Conduct still has this item, as it was not deleted or changed
compared to the previous Code of Ethics.
I still find this a troublesome requirement, as it seriously infringes upon
mom's autonomy, where I consider parental autonomy a core aspect of respect
for our clients.
It is part of the all important 'informed decision making' to let parents
decide for themselve who they want to do 'business' with and why and if and
when they want to consult an lc.
Apart from my principle objection to this, there is also a clear regional
difference. My moms don't need to have a physician referral; they can simply
give me a call and if they want my help, I go over and do the consultation.
Because I am a member of the Dutch professional lc organisation, they often
even get the consultation reimbursed (depending on their health insurance).
There may also be very solid reasons for a mom to not want me to discuss
what we discuss with others, for example because she has fully lost
confidence in other hcp's who may have let her down. That, in fact, may be
the reason she calls me in the first place.
Further, I find it worrying that this hierarchy difference remains, where it
can actually hurt mom and baby as other hcp's are not always as
knowledgeable with regard to breastfeeding as I am.
Does a cardiologist/physiotherapist/dentist/surgeon also ask me for
permission to treat a patient because I may have been in touch with her?
Every professional ought to be aware of his or her own limits with regard to
certain areas of expertise. This goes for lc's as well as any other health
professional.
I wonder if we could somehow further discuss this and make sure the next
edition of our CoPC deals with it in a different way.
How do others feel about this?
Best regards,
Marianne Vanderveen-Kolkena IBCLC, Netherlands
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
From: Jeanette Panchula
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 6:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Where to start
It sounds like you have already started - with WIC as a background, you have
also created a group of people who will refer friends and family to you (of
course WIC clients would probably be unable to pay for your services).
Of course reaching out to and participating in Private Practice conferences,
internet groups and Facebook pages will give you additional input.
Some thoughts - many of which I WISH I had started sooner!:
(snip)
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