HOME

Dear Lucy: I have recently come out of a major illness while being a student at MIT. Although the medical staff has been very kind and concerned about my wellbeing, my experience with the support staff has not always been as positive. They have often been rude, making it difficult for me to make appointments or get help in reconciling medical claims. Perhaps support staff do not recognize the vital role they play in helping sick people—in MIT's case, often students—navigate an already complex health care system. Having a major illness is difficult, but support staff could go a long way toward making things easier. Is there anywhere at MIT Medical that these grievances can be expressed?  —Feeling Apologetic For Being Sick 

Dear Apologetic: You have raised important issues that MIT Medical takes very seriously, says Ruth Fishbein, MIT Medical's director of performance improvement and risk management. Fishbein has one message for you and any other patient who has concerns about their treatment by any member of MIT Medical's staff: Please contact MIT Medical's patient advocate!  

The patient advocate will listen to you, discuss ways to resolve the issues you raise, and talk with appropriate staff members at MIT Medical. In addition, the advocate communicates regularly with MIT Medical's senior management team, who uses feedback from patients, including concerns brought to the attention of the patient advocate, to help improve MIT Medical's service to patients.  

You may contact the patient advocate by phone (617-253-4976), email (advocate@med.mit.edu), or in person, by making an appointment. You do not need to identify yourself to talk with the patient advocate, and any information you share will remain confidential unless you authorize the advocate to share that information with others.  

Lucy knows how hard it is to make appointments, deal with health insurance claims, and take care of otherwise routine tasks when one is feeling poorly. Many of the people who come into MIT Medical are not feeling their best, so it's especially important for staff members to be kind and considerate. And if you are ever treated less than courteously, we want to hear about it. —Lucy

Information contained in Ask Lucy is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended as professional medical advice related to individual situations. Always obtain the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if you need medical diagnosis, advice, or treatment. Never disregard medical advice you have received, nor delay getting such advice, because of something you read in this column.