Neil H. Baum, MD

Neil H. Baum, MD, Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses how urologists and other physicians can manage negative online reviews. He emphasizes the importance of not getting defensive, and explains how to best control the fallout of a negative review. Dr. Baum advises physicians to check their online reviews at least once a month, and to remember that while negative reviews are most often not about clinical issues, they still reflect a vital aspect of the patient’s experience with the practice. He also advises that doctors should respond directly to the negative review both online and offline. Finally, he recommends increasing the number of positive reviews by asking happy patients to review their experience immediately, and also recommends staying away from ratings-boosting services.

Neil H. Baum, MD, Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses how physicians can best manage their online reputation. He discusses how a doctor’s online reputation requires constant attention, regardless of what kind of practice they are involved in, and outlines what exactly comprises online reputation and why it is important. Dr. Baum further details how in today’s interconnected world 80% of patients screen their doctors on Google, and most patients say that a doctor’s online reputation is a driving factor in their choice. He emphasizes that the best way to improve your online reputation is to ask satisfied patients to leave reviews and make it as easy as possible for them to do so.

Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Clinical Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses how ergonomics affects nearly every urologist practicing today. Back and neck pain has an incidence rate of more than 50% for urologists which is the result of the introduction of minimally invasive and robotic surgeries. Despite this, there have been no significant changes to the operating rooms. Dr. Baum provides some solutions for how urologists can avoid ergonomic injuries. He details eight different, easy-to-implement solutions for this common problem, everything from adjusting the patient’s position, to using gel insoles, to playing music.

Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Clinical Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses how much COVID-19 has changed the demand for telemedicine, particularly for seniors who are considered more at-risk, and therefore need to avoid clinical visits as much as possible. Dr. Baum highlights a secondary motivator for the increased use of telemedicine: there is a shortage of urologists, particularly in rural areas, which can be addressed with telemedicine. Conventional wisdom used to hold that older patients were not amenable to telemedicine because of technology barriers. Dr. Baum introduces solutions, including triangulation, in which telemedicine is facilitated by having a third person in the room. He also explains how to prepare senior patients for these visits, as well as his six steps for creating a successful virtual visit. He notes that it is imperative that the instructions are short, to the point, and easy to follow. Finally, Dr. Baum emphasizes the importance of soliciting feedback on the experience from patients to improve their experience.

Neil H. Baum, MD, Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School and author of the book Marketing Your Clinical Practice – Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, discusses why telemedicine etiquette is so important in these times of COVID-19. He emphasizes that good urologic care no longer requires doctors to touch the patients and that there are a large number of urologic patients that are very amenable to telemedicine. Dr. Baum highlights that many post-operative visits can be done via telemedicine, in some cases up to 50%, but emphasizes that successful meetings require preparation. He outlines the importance of having good equipment, lighting, and connectivity, as well as minimizing noise and other distractions. Dr. Baum also discusses some of the different tests that can be sent to a patient and be done from their home and the fact that more and more of this sort of patient care is going to become available as time goes on.