COUPON David Farber, former owner of Vital Foods, is proud to announce the opening of . . CNA OUTLET by Felix Cruz Hearing Aid Specialist A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE What form might the hearing instrument of the future take? One company has come up with the idea of eliminating the am- plifier and replacing the speaker used in a traditional instrument with a magnet. Only two mil- limeters in diameter, the tiny magnet is mounted on a silicone disc and held in place against the eardrum with a thin film of oil. Wearers then use a wireless mi- crophone (either worn in the ear or on a necklace) that picks up sounds and converts them into magnetic signals that make the magnet vibrate. As the eardrum vibrates in sympathy with the magnet, it works as it would nor- mally in the natural hearing process. This novel idea may reach the production stage after testing. ATTENTION READERS: WE WANT TO KNOW. During the next four weeks, we will be eval- uating our service to the public and determining whether or not to continue writing our weekly column. Please call me person- ally at CRUZ HEARING AID SER- VICE, located at 18899 W. 12 Mile Road, in Lathrup Village, 424-8450, stop me on the street in town, or let the office staff know if you enjoy our column, find it interesting and helpful, and would like to see it continue. P.S. Another experimental hearing instrument uses an im- planted magnet that bypasses the eardrum and middle ear. Paid for and brought to you as a public service by Felix Cruz. Muscular Therapy Center DOCTORS page 59 SAVE 1 5% OR MORE EVERY DAY on your vitamins, herbs, natural weight loss, body building and herbal teas WHY SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE? THE VITAMIN OUTLET "SIMPLY THE BEST FOR LESS" SAVE L H ADDITIONAL I 0% W AD Kingswood Plaza 1910 Woodward Ave. Just North of Square Lk. Rd. 810-334-9500 Expires 4-7-95 20432 Farmington Rd. 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TE m 60 Great Stores ✓ Great Fashions ✓ Great Service We Enjoy Shopping With You! Northwestern Highway • Between 12 & 13 Mlle Rots. Southfield DONALD E. GALE, D.D.S. 353-2200 DENTURE CENTER HARVARD ROW MALL 21774 WEST 11 MILE RD. SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076 EXTRACTIONS DENTURES & PARTIALS RELINES & REPAIRS QUALITY DENTURES AT AFFORDABLE PRICES 30 YEARS' EXPERIENCE Patients tend to forget how long they waited once they get to see the doctor and rarely con- sider other waiting patients once they have the doctor's attention, Dr. Fisk said. "Every patient requires and deserves a certain amount of a doctor's time," he said. Dr. Lower agrees: "It's a trade- off. Patients should get all their concerns expressed, no matter how long it takes." Many doctors are shielded from telephone calls during of- fice hours, Dr. Lower said, so they can devote themselves to their patients. Nurses handle the majority of her calls, and she re- turns the others when clinic hours are over, she said. The key to being on time is having a staff who knows both the physician and the patients and the same person handling the appointment desk, Dr. Fisk said. However, many doctors' of- fices today rely on computerized record keeping because of eco- nomic concerns. "To remain competitive, some personalized services are going to suffer," Dr. Fisk said. The number of patients a doc- tor can see in an hour depends on the specialty, Dr. Fisk said. Some surgeons can see 60 pa- tients a day. Others, such as those in family practice, about half of that. Lower said she "doesn't have the stress of having to see five patients an hour to meet the overhead" because she works for the medical school. She sees three to four patients an hour. But economic concerns drive some doctors to squeeze in as many patients as possible in a day. "They haven't come right out and said they do it to make mon- ey, but there's a trade-off," Dr. Lower said. Many of those doctors practice double-booking, which means more than one patient is sched- uled for the same time slot. Double-booking also occurs when patients are told, "We can work you in." "Sometimes they have to be seen," Dr. Lower said. Most doctors are aware that patients become annoyed when they have to wait, Dr. Fisk said. "When we talk about those concerns, I've never heard a physician being self-righteous," he said. He said some doctors even have installed signs that read, "If you have been waiting more than 30 minutes, please notify the receptionist." And lest anyone think doctors take care of their own, or get spe- cial treatment from their col- leagues, Dr. Lower adds: "The last time I went to my doctor, I waited an hour and a half." El Judith Miller writes for Copley News Service.