Dr. Michelle Eads doesn't have a large staff at Pinnacle Family Medicine, the solo practice she operates in Colorado Springs, Colo. But since 2008, the office has had an official greeter.
The greeter's name is Murphey, a golden retriever whose staff Web page lists her duties as bringing smiles to faces, lowering blood pressure and making patients feel loved “with big doses of warm fuzzies.”
“She has a very favorable effect on people, especially kids,” explains Eads, who says her patients appreciate that she runs an atypical practice in general. She was an early adopter of nonface-to-face “virtual visits” and runs a direct-pay operation.
After one particularly long and frustrating phone call in 2008, Eads decided she was tired of “playing 'Mother May I?' ” with insurance companies. “I spent two hours on the phone trying to get one claim paid—that was the final straw,” she recalls.
Having a golden retriever on staff, however, might be the aspect of Eads' unconventional practice that patients appreciate most.
“She usually greets them or sits down next to them,” Eads says. “She gets right away who's in dire pain.”
Follow Outliers on Twitter: @MHOutliers
