Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2184 Industry-wide pressure

The more low-key Bian Mu was, the more widely the news of his amazing new Chinese-style dental surgery spread, and the more bizarre the details became.

The complaints against Teng Daili and Sun Zhengting were quietly withdrawn, and Bian Mu didn't even have time to go to the relevant departments to be questioned before the matter was considered closed.

For a time, those unaware of the truth inevitably spread rumors, exaggerating Bian Mu's invisible background by at least three times.

Unbeknownst to many, the three clinics of the "New Concept" Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic were once again bustling with crowds. At the main clinic where Bian Mu worked, appointments were extremely difficult to obtain, and Nurse Xiao Sun became even more arrogant when speaking to people.

Bian Mu's dental appointments suddenly increased more than 20 times. Even after repeatedly adjusting the latest version of the "Digital Medicine" clinic system, the surge in appointments meant that both the online and offline systems couldn't keep up with the demand, leaving Bian Mu feeling overwhelmed.

As the tide rises, so do the patients from other specialties, and the daily workload of the three clinics doubles all at once. Colleagues are clamoring for the boss to hire more staff to cope with the situation.

Working from dawn till dusk, Zhang Jinsi and his colleague were extremely busy at the pharmacy. In recent days, their immunity has dropped, and Zhang Jinsi even caught a cold from exhaustion. He still insists on going to work every day while wearing a large mask.

Bian Mu realized that something was bound to go wrong if things continued like this. Hiring a few new people temporarily was not a realistic idea; it would not only be of no use, but would likely only create more trouble.

After much deliberation and discussion with the two branch managers and Nurse Ye, Bian Mu temporarily raised the registration fee, treatment fee, and examination fee. Of course, the increase was within the scope allowed by the relevant departments. Moreover, compared with the fee standards of other "national" medical clinics, the fees charged by the "New Concept" National Medical Clinic were still the lowest in the city.

With each additional expense, patients and their families would calculate the total cost. Some families who worked hard to earn money would start to consider that it would be more cost-effective to go to a budget hospital for treatment. In particular, patients with minor illnesses would gradually be "dissuaded" from going to budget hospitals.

but……

The economy of Lijin and its surrounding areas remains highly developed, and the income level of a considerable number of citizens remains high. The little room for negotiation that Bian Mu mentioned is not worth mentioning to them. As a result, people continue to flock to the three clinics for medical treatment.

Nurse Ye, Nurse Sun, and the others didn't care about all that. With the clinic's profits increasing day by day, who could resist money?! The more the merrier!
Moreover, in order to get an appointment with Bian Mu and others as soon as possible, many patients' families would secretly try to curry favor with Nurse Ye and others from time to time. They were all eager to do so!

After carefully calculating the accounts on the computer, Bian Mu found that the situation of crowds had not changed much.

……

That noon, Bian Mu had already finished her shift as usual, but there were still more than a dozen patients or their families gathered in the clinic. They had not been able to get an appointment online or offline, and were not willing to give up. They waited for Bian Mu to finish her shift and shamelessly asked her a few questions.

Bian Mu was very shy and couldn't refuse immediately, so he could only try to explain to people in a half-hearted manner. As a result, lunchtime had to be postponed again and again.

"Hey everyone! The abbot has been working non-stop for days, he can't even find time to drink water. If you all make him sick and bedridden, what good will it do for us if the clinic closes?! Right? Let's all go home! The abbot has to see patients this afternoon! Working like this all day long is going to shorten his lifespan! Can you all be understanding and go home now?" Well! At some point, Sima Kui came in from outside the door, without any politeness, greeting people while directly shooing them away.

Sima Kui had long since lost much of his former江湖气 (jianghu qi, a kind of chivalrous spirit or江湖气, a kind of ...

Bian Mu had no intention of stopping him. In street medicine, sometimes you have to have someone play the good cop and someone else the bad cop; otherwise, some situations can indeed be quite awkward.

"Spruce Old Tavern" is a well-known local restaurant. It's not a large place, but it's packed even before mealtimes. However, most of the diners are elderly, and young people usually come here on a whim to try something different.

Sima Kui was quite familiar with the shop owner, so whenever he came, he always got a seat.

Steamed fish with pickled cabbage, premium tofu, and braised beef lung... these are the three traditional local dishes, along with some vegetarian dishes and a large bowl of wheat and jadeite digestive soup. The two ate and chatted.

“This won’t do! Since your skill level is already high enough, just charge 2000 yuan per account, and the place will be quiet immediately,” Sima Kui suggested with a smile.

"You're joking, sir. But... we really need to set up the pharmacy as soon as possible. It's not appropriate for everyone to be stuck with Pharmacist Zhang!" Bian Mu replied with a smile.

“Old Pei knows a lot of people, he can just pick a few!” Sima Kui said with a smile.

“The people Uncle Pei knows are a bit old-fashioned. Pharmacies under the new medical background have actually been upgraded and transformed several times. Dispensing medicine, dispensing medicine, decocting medicine... any one of these steps often cannot closely match the diagnosis and treatment ideas of us front-line doctors. Patients will inevitably be less satisfied. Over time, the clinic's signboard will inevitably become dull and faded, and sooner or later it will affect everyone's livelihood,” Bian Mu replied seriously.

Upon hearing this, a serious expression gradually appeared on Sima Kui's face.

"Do you really think it's good to always have such high standards and strict requirements?!" Sima Kui casually questioned.

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu was momentarily stunned.

"Are you worried that I'll eventually become the target of everyone's criticism in the industry?! Or..."

"What future? You've already become a thorn in the side for some people. Do you know what your colleagues in the industry are saying about you?"

"All ears!"

"They say, compared to you, which other TCM practitioners dare to call themselves general practitioners?! Especially recently, you've perfectly blended the old and the new to create that new Chinese-style dentistry, which has stunned your colleagues. They're afraid that in a while you'll set up several new benchmarks in pediatrics, gynecology, cardiology, cardiac surgery... Honestly, isn't this a way of pushing them into a corner day by day?! If they follow the trend, they don't have the ability; if they stand by and watch, all the patients will flock to your clinic, and they won't be able to get rid of them. In less than 10 years, you'll be the only one in the city with your 'new concept'. By the way, some colleagues can't even stand the word 'new', it's a headache!"

"You're joking, sir. It's not that exaggerated!"

"You can't see the true face of Mount Lu because you're in the mountain yourself! You've put a lot of pressure on your peers. Don't be fooled by my lack of popularity; there are quite a few industry colleagues here, and their opinions of you have never been very friendly. You should pay more or less attention to some aspects."

"You mean... diverting patient flow?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Kui smiled but remained silent.