Community Chat

[lulu1]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@I am still oxox wrote:

I had a 1 pm appointment with a doctor, got there a bit early and at 1:10 I was told she was running 45 mintues late so I left.

How long are you willing to wait?

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As long as it takes. 

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I agree.  If I'm there I'm there and might as well wait. 

Sometime I am the patient who needs "extra" time with the doctor.

At least you were told the doctor was running late.

[shoptilyadropagain]

30 minutes is about the longest I've waited.  I don't mind though.  He's very thorough with me and I know he's the same with other patients as well.  Besides, sometimes an issue comes up in a previous appt that times him more time than was scheduled for.  It's across the street from where I work so I just chill and wait....no biggie!

[Meowingkitty]

I used to have a gp doctor that would be a be a minimum of 3 hours behind. It didn’t matter if your appointment was 8 am or 4 pm. 3 hours. I stopped seeing her years ago because of that wait time. If you dared say anything she would cop an attitude. It was ok for her to make you wait but if you were so much as 5 minutes late they would cancel you. You had to be there on time only to sit and wait. When it got to be late in the afternoon the staff would highly suggest you reschedule after you’ve already waited hours. Then they would get mad if you said no and would wait. 

[Teddie]

Quite a few years ago I worked for a chiropractor. It was his own practice and his home was above the office, so coming to work took less than a minute to walk down. 

I knew I would love doing that kind of work—it was just my thing and I loved that area of healthcare. I became very disappointed in this man, who was a family friend. 

I worked the part-time hours, so I was there Saturday mornings and an evening.  His first appointment was always 8:30am, and he was always late. I felt embarrassed that his first patient was sitting there waiting and he hadn’t come down yet. I found out how arrogant he was when he said something to the effect that people don’t mind waiting for him because they know what kind of care they’ll get from him. And he thought it “looked good” to always be running late; it gave the appearance he was sought after and therefore busy. 

I remember one Saturday we were running quite behind and someone had called to try to get in that morning. I had asked if this person was in pain and they said no.  I told him we were booked for the day and would it be alright to schedule in a couple days. He was very fine with that. The doctor came out and inquired who had called. I explained the situation but he told me to call him back and get him in. He often wanted me to overbook, even with behind schedule. 

Patients would often take their frustrations out on me.  I understood how they felt and I felt terrible but I could do nothing about it. What was a job I enjoyed became too stressful. When I’d go home my husband saw what it was doing to me and after so long, we decided I would quit. So here is an example of someone who was very ego-driven and wanted to get as many patients through as he could. There is more I could say about him but these are the highlights. 

I probably should add that I fully acknowledge this is a rare example and I know most are not like this. 

[blackhole99]

I have waited up to 45 minutes to see my medical doctor and even longer to to see my dentist. I complained to the powers that be in my HMO and others evidently did too because for the last year, the wait is 15-25 min. at the most. Even though I like my new dentist, after he completes the 6 thousand dollars worth of work I already paid him for, I'm done with him.

[Wiscfan3]

I am also willing to wait as long as it takes. I would not leave if told there was a 45 minute wait. That really is not that long to wait for a doctor. I am patient, read or look at my phone, or just relax. I usually have no other plans for a day I have appointments and put my health first that day. I really do not want to reschedule once I am there, so I just wait patiently. Recently I waited an hour and 10 minutes. The doctor apologized and I understood. Normally it is only about 15 minutes so obviously there was a lot going on that day. 

[I am still oxox]

It seems we all have very different tolerance levels. I for one would rather not jeopardize my health waiting in a communal waiting room with patients with colds and flu

[RedTop]

I’m 63, and could count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to wait on my doctor in my lifetime.    If my doctor was tied up, I would wait, rather than have to make another trip.

Most of those would’ve been in the OB’s office because the doctor was at the hospital for a delivery.   

I showed up for an ortho appt once and my doctor had been called to the hospital for a emergency surgery, so all patients were rescheduled.   

My medical doctor does not cover hospital patients, so unless there’s a family emergency, he’s not called away from the office.   

[lovesrecess]

I actually changed drs after spending so much time waiting every time I went for an appt. Prob is, he won’t renew prescriptions unless you go in for an appt. I think 30 minutes is reasonable, and I expect to be told if there is some sort of delay longer than that. The new dr I now see usually schedules much better so they aren’t overbooking. What I don’t like is being taken back to an exam room and then sitting in there for another half hour or so....

[Vivian]

A visit to my internist and my dermatologist both require that I cut several hours out of my day. I had melanoma in 2001 and go to a specialist over an hour away. The waiting seems endless but he’s an excellent doctor so I put up with it even though it kills at least five hours in a day, counting the travel time and the waiting. As far as my internist is concerned, they are hard to come by. If I left her there’d be nobody else to turn to in my town. That’s the kind of doctor I want to be nearby when I’m sick. Therefore I am stuck. My other doctors never make me wait an inordinate amount of time.