Community Chat

[Laura14]

They need to do it to the doctor too.

I got stood up two years ago by my doctor of 18 years who called out at the last minute after I took off work and drove 45 minutes in a hurricane remnant downpour only to arrive at 7:45am as scheduled as a drenched rat to be told she was not coming in.

The kicker was they sent me an email the next day saying how dare I not show up for my appointment. Policy is 24 hour cancellation notice. 

The email I sent back was epic and I now have a new doctor right around the corner.    

[kitcat51]

My communication overkill is the Annual Medicare Wellness visit...I see my Dr every 6 months so I explained over & over for years that I don't need it but the phone calls kept coming day & night until I demanded that Do Not Call be noted on my file & finally the phone calls stopped BUT it's not over...now I get the reminder mailed to me twice a month. UGH.

[ALRATIBA]

@gidgetgh 

My dentist does the same thing.  I get text messages and email remnders starting a month before my next vixit - about once a week.

Then after the visit -  I get an appt. card for next visit and by the time I get home there' an email and a text message renext visit. Ina day or so after the visit - inthe USPS mail ....there's another receipt for payment.

Great dentist, efficient staff - I've been his patient for about 12 years ... and the same routine  every six months.

(He charges $50 for no-shows for confirmed appointments.)

[rms1954]

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@gidgetgh wrote:

This is a good natured, no it's not an important issue, thread.

but really....

I had a routine dermatologist appt. This morning.  I made the appt a year ago.  

A week ago, I received the "please confirm that you're coming" text.....followed a few hours later by the same thing in email form.  I replied to the text.

Then yesterday, I received another text, reminding me again.  Then another text, informing me that I need to wear a mask.   Ok, ok already. 

I went this morning and, on the way out, scheduled my next appt for next April.  Receptionist wrote the appt on the little card because I didn't feel like pulling out my phone and recording it. I didn't really need the card. I would have remembered when I got home.  

Before I even got home, I received a text AND an email titled "appointment reminder" for April 18.....2023.  

And an hour ago, I received an email saying there was an update to my file. Tried to login to their patient portal.  However, as a first time user, they didn't provide me with all the information I needed to register.

Nope, I'm not calling them to get it.  I ate a cookie instead.  Better use of my time. 

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Good choice.  

[MamaWick]

I understand.  Last Friday, I was a new patient to an ENT.  Starting that Monday, and going until the  appointment, I received SIX texts and THREE emails.  After the appointment, I received one text and two emails.

[CelticCrafter]

My husbands podiatrist is like that, text, automated phone calls, e-mails.

If they do call because they need to reschedule, when you ask who it is that's calling they huff at you!  Like how dare you ask who it is.

[icezeus]

My dentist office can be overkill with the communication. However, I really like my dentist and his staff so I just go with it. 

[granddi]

I'm getting all this in English and then a second set in Spanish.

[Effie54]

Same experience here. When I have an appointment for the dentist or orthodontist, I get an email, texts, and reminder text an hour before. All in all, I must get between three and four reminders. I asked the receptionist "after all that, how many no shows do you get?? ". She said "you'd be surprised". Huh.....🤷‍♀️

[lgfan]

I don't mind this communication overkill.  I would rather have the constant texts confirming an appointment than calling to confirm an appointment and being told that I do not have an appointment on such day and time.  I then have to make another appointment weeks to months in advance because the doctor is booked for the next few weeks/months.