Jamie Chitwood, Medical Assistant Extraordinaire
“Not All Doctor’s Offices Are Created Equal.”
There’s being sick enough to see a doctor, and then there’s dealing with pain and health issues that force you to spend far more time than you would like seeking medical care. Anyone in the latter category has probably already learned one thing the hard way: Not all doctors’ offices are created equal. What makes the difference? Jamie Chitwood, Dr. Crovetti’s “Go-To” assistant at Crovetti Ortho, truly believes “it’s all about the people.”
“Our office is a tight-knit, small staff that’s been together a long time,” Chitwood reveals. “And because we communicate so well and we’re all on the same page about ‘getting it done right,’ our patients know that Crovetti Ortho is different. It’s not a ‘big medical office environment’ -where people get transferred around to different departments to find the answers they need, or where you can tell that the staff is there to just put in their 8-hours.
“We know our patients and we really care about them. In fact, it actually floors people sometimes when they get in touch with us – because they get a real person on the phone or in person who knows their story and the status of their case – so they don’t have to repeat their situation over and over again,” adds Chitwood with a smile. “We love that we’re able to make a difficult time easier for them, and it really all starts with Dr. Crovetti – because he’s the one who inspires us to be on top of our game and do the best for our patients every single day.”
As Dr. Crovetti’s Medical Assistant, Jamie is generally the first one a patient will meet on their initial visit, and she’s pretty much their touchstone from that point on. From x-rays and scheduling, to all the questions and tasks that need to be addressed pre-, post-, or outside of surgery – and the million other things between – if Jamie Chitwood doesn’t already have the answer, she’ll find it. And then (this is the part that surprises patients the most) – she’ll make sure she gets back to the patient with that information.
As only one member of the exceptional team at Crovetti Ortho, Jamie agrees that their style of patient care is different from that of most medical offices. “We all really work together to make sure our patients’ experience is as seamless as possible. That takes a lot of coordination and communication on our part, but we think that’s how it should be. We want our patients to focus on their health – not the details of their scheduling or getting their insurance authorizations. So our solution is this: What we can do to help with all those details – we will.”
Part of Chitwood’s own daily goals includes shooting for “Inbox Zero” – not simply by sorting through and reading messages, but by handling each of them as quickly as possible. “Because I’m often with patients and not always free to grab the phone, I normally let patients know if they have email, that’s the most efficient way to get in touch with me,” explains Chitwood. That’s proven to be great advice for Crovetti Ortho patients, as many have reported that Jamie’s responses and assistance are often instantaneous – and you simply can’t ask for better service than that.
Jamie explains that the most rewarding part of her job is getting to see those same patients after their surgery. “Getting to be a part of their journey really is amazing – because I get to know them from their first visit to Dr. Crovetti and then work with them through the entire process. I just love it when patients send me pictures of the things they’re able to do afterwards! They’re out hiking and doing things with their family again, and they’ve recovered a part of their life they thought they had lost for good. So it’s like I get to share in their happiness with them – how great is that?!”
Being on the receiving end of exceptional service anymore is a rare occurrence. And it seems even more rare for it to happen in a medical environment. But then again, Crovetti Ortho is no ordinary medical establishment.
When asked if there’s one comment Jamie would like to share with all Crovetti Ortho patients, her response is surprisingly in character with her work ethic: “Welcome to the family! Because that’s what you are to all of us, whether you need to have surgery or not. You’re in good hands with an awesome doctor and an awesome team – and maybe it might sound a little corny, but our goal really is to get you “back in your game.””