topic Re: Pet Peeve... in Community Chat

Pet Peeve...

NativeJax — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:11:37 GMT

Why does the doctors office ask you to come early just to wait a minimum of an hour and sometimes longer but if I were to call and request to come 15 minutes late they would want to charge me a cancellation fee.

It's not just one doctors office, it's all of them....really gets on my nerve...while I sit here, I have been here since 3:15 for my 3:30 appointment. SMH....

Re: Pet Peeve...

makena — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:22:54 GMT

Because we are subject to their demands, like it or not. We have no other option. I wonder why we can't charge them by the minute for wasting our time.

Re: Pet Peeve...

elruth — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:24:41 GMT

Not sure I understand your post. It seems you have been waiting only 15 min? Got there at 3:15 for a 3:30 appt.?

Re: Pet Peeve...

NativeJax — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:25:48 GMT

It's 4:25 here.

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gidgetgh — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:27:51 GMT

I hate waiting for doctors. For routine things, I always make my appointment for the first appointment of the day. At least that cuts down on some of it.

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3suwm5 — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:30:05 GMT

I've been to well-run Drs'. offices and ones that were not run very well. There Is A Big Difference.

The first set did a good job of getting me in, inside of 15 minutes or so -- the latter, well you are experiencing it right now.

I complained often...the Drs. didn't want to deal with management of the office and said just that, so that's why I got that kind of service. This may be the very issue at your Drs'. office as well.

I feel for you

Re: Pet Peeve...

traveler — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:30:28 GMT

Years ago I took my son into dr. appt. for blood on his pillow. I am so grateful the doctor took the time to remove the obstruction. Yes, it probably made the next patient wait a bit longer. I don't mind waiting a bit longer if another patient needs it.

Re: Pet Peeve...

eddyandme — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:39:49 GMT

Just repeat your appointment time stating you'll be there for the appt then say thanks and hang up. When making the appt state if not taken within 20min of your appt time you will considered it cancelled and demand your co-pay back: if they give you a hard time make a stink - they want their customers to sit quietly for hours on end. you are a customer, the doctor/staff are not gods, your monies support them - so expect to be treated appropriately. If everyone would stand up for their rights, this accepted practice would no longer be practiced.

Re: Pet Peeve...

Suziqzee — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:45:15 GMT

Not to defend them, necessarily. There may be some lack of good organization or management in your particular office, however, as a nurse, I can tell you that a lot of the time it is due to various factors which change from day to day.

First of all, you have folks who show up late, then you have your garden variety emergencies which pop up, unexpectedly. Every little delay adds up.

Most of the time, I would say it's someone's seemingly routine visit which turns into something much more in depth or time-consuming, and trust me, when you are the recipient of such meticulous care and concern from a health care provider, you are grateful!

Consider also the potential needs of some of the elderly or disabled patients who might be seeing the doctor. They may walk slower, require assistance or even need help wheeling themselves in and out. Every patient deserves the physician's full attention and care, so while it can be frustrating and aggravating, there is often a good explanation for it. A lot of physicians' offices are also overwrought because there is a severe shortage of good doctors in some areas. I know where we live, we've lost quite a few to early retirement and to concierge care. Sadly, doctors are losing reimbursement so severely that they are opting out of practicing medicine. This causes serious backlogs in many practices who have to pick up extra patients.

I hate waiting, too, but sometimes there truly is a very good reason for the delay. I try to imagine how I would feel if it was my family member needing the extra attention, that I would be grateful having to wait, knowing they are getting the care they need.

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Q4u — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:45:11 GMT

They all seem to overbook slightly but in addition to that there are patients that consider the time with the doctor to catch up socially, or the reason they are there is far more concerning to the doctor than they figured when they set up the appt and he/she spends a lot more time evaluating the patient.

Some offices are simply run better than other offices.... but when an emergeny hits during the day I'm extremely glad the doctor spends the extra time with the patient because I know if the day comes that I might need the extra time (which throws the schedule totally out of whack) the doctor will spend that time with me.....

Re: Pet Peeve...

NativeJax — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:48:01 GMT

I am too hungry to socialize lol...

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maestra — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:49:50 GMT

My doctor(PCP) has a policy to let staff know if you have waited for 20 minutes+. Specialists are a whole other ballgame.

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ValuSkr — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:51:04 GMT

Doctors should operate like my HVAC contractor - if he's late, my appointment is free. That'll never happen of course. Doctors are about making money as much if not more than keeping people well.

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chessylady — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:04:50 GMT

I have never done this but some people recommend that you call before leaving home to ask if the doctor is running late. Then tell the receptionist that you will come in within 15 minutes of the adjusted time. I have an HMO and have never waited more than 15 minutes.

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Marp — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:11:34 GMT

I would rather my doctor give me all the time I need whether it be 10 minutes or 30 or more minutes than set a time interval for each patient to keep everyone on schedule. If that means waiting so be it. For me waiting is preferable to having to schedule another appointment because my time is up.

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NativeJax — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:18:59 GMT

Well, I am really getting tired of waiting. I can't tell you the last time I didn't have to wait less than an hour for a doctor. So I just left, rescheduled for a morning appointment. So irritated at the moment.

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Lovingq — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:23:46 GMT

When I go for my yearly physical I have to fill out information again and my doctor is usually on time while I'm still going through sheafs of paper. Last appointment I noticed that they didn't change the paper on the examination table. When the doctor told me to sit up there I said no thanks the paper wasn't changed. She called for her guy to come in and change it...don't know what his title was.

Re: Pet Peeve...

Puppy Lips — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:24:55 GMT

@gidgetgh wrote:
I hate waiting for doctors. For routine things, I always make my appointment for the first appointment of the day. At least that cuts down on some of it.

My first OB/GYN for my first child was ALWAYS running way late. I was working full time then. I would make the very first appointment of the day, and she (the doctor) STILL made me wait an hour or so. The waiting room would be full of people before she even SHOWED UP to the office. I changed doctors after our son was born. There is no way she was delivering a baby (a plausible reason for lateness) just before each of my morning appointments. She had no regard for my time. I had a job too.

Oh yeah, to top it off, she put me on a different birth control pill after the birth. When I told her I was spotting, she told me not to worry about it. Well guess what -- baby #2 was on the way before we were ready. Okay, maybe that was TMI. LOL.

Re: Pet Peeve...

NativeJax — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:27:12 GMT

I think it's ridiculous to expect patients to wait that long...i am not in the emergency room I made an appointment, it's just a primary appointment. The specialist I am prepared to wait but still I waited two plus hours the last two visits, just plan ridiculous.

If I left clients sitting in my waiting area for two hours I would have no clients!

Re: Pet Peeve...

Kachina624 — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 22:31:59 GMT

Because medical providers obviously think their time is more valuable than ours.

I have been known to go to the receptionist after waiting an excessive amount of time and tell her I'm leaving and please make me an appointment for first thing in a morning.