The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly   The good:  M., an elderly lady
with a very close relationship with her primary care physician,
said she had been to many bad doctors in her life.  She knew
right away that her current doctor was different, that she
“could just tell.”  M. didn’t feel like she was wasting the
doctor’s time.  What was so special about her?  ”She listened.
 She really listened.”  When asked to elaborate, M. had a
difficult time describing the intangibles that struck her.  The
two just clicked.  ”It’s a gut feeling.”  From a doctor, three
A’s: “ability, affability, availability.”  I interviewed a
cardiac patient and his family in the hospital who were very
grateful for the team of doctors that cared for him.  The family
mentioned a doctor at a different institution, who, after a long
day, took them aside for a private conversation.  He asked how
they were doing and if they were taking care of themselves.
 ”Are you sleeping?  Are you eating?” he had asked.  ”You need
to take care of yourselves so y