Chest
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A 29-year-old man presented with a 5-month history of worsening dry cough, exertional dyspnea, chest tightness, and palpitations. He had been treated by his primary care physician with trials of guaifenesin/codeine, azithromycin, albuterol, and omeprazole without improvement. He denied wheezing, fever, sweats, anorexia, joint pain, swelling, or rash. ⋯ He denied a history of tobacco smoking or IV drug use. He kept no pets, worked as a manager in an office environment, and had no history of occupational inhalational exposure. He reported using aerosolized insect spray to eradicate bed bugs in his house shortly before the cough began but did not report any acute symptoms when using the spray.
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Patient satisfaction is an important factor for consideration in pulmonary practice management. Although evidence regarding the correlation of patient satisfaction with care quality remains mixed, there is an increasing national emphasis on the importance of patient experience in physician reimbursement, credentialing, and public opinion. ⋯ Physician credentialing may also be impacted by the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program and potential future requirements for physicians to assess the patient experience to maintain certification. In the continually evolving health-care delivery, credentialing, and reimbursement climate, a thorough understanding of the increasing importance of patient satisfaction as well as strategies for successfully approaching this issue are essential to modern pulmonary inpatient and outpatient practice management.