Wellness

[Lotus]

Yes, I do it all the time...especially at the derm.

There is a limit to any office procedures they may have to do, so depending on what you need done, you may have to go back.

[60sgirl]

depends, if you made an appt to check on one thing and they scheduled it for 10 minutes, but then go in and want full body checks, that would require more time and they may not want to do that.

Having scheduled patients in clinics before, I know that they are scheduled based on the reason you gave at the time you made it. I heard many doctors come back from clinic all put out because their schedule got all backed up and they were late for every other appt for the day after seeing one patient who they thought was going to be a 10 min follow up and it turned into 30 minutes extra. then the patients waiting for their appts got ticked off too because the doctor was running late.

You have to be considerate in today's atmosphere of medical appts because these doctors are scheduled so tightly on back to back appts that they can easily start getting behind.

ETA: sorry I see that another poster had said pretty much the same thing before I posted.

[emmysmom]

Yes, ask away!

[Toppers]

On 3/9/2015 DogLvr said:

On 3/9/2015 DCShopper said:

The Days of Marcus Welby, MD are over. With managed care, time is a very important factor in how you and your insurance will be charges as well as how the Doctor keeps on time. He may be rated by how on time he is with the patients particularly if he is part of a large practice or owned by a corporation like Johns Hopkins. It is necessary to stay on time to not get penalized. These days no doctor can afford to take his time with every patient they see or they may end up out of business.

Write down all 4 issues on a piece of paper and have them in your hand when your doctor walks in. Usually, the doctor will talk to you before your examination. This is when you bring the 4 issues up.

If you are organized and have the issues written down, you can bring them up quickly without having to think about what you want to say if you had not written them down.

I agree with this, as this is what I do-write things down to ask. My doctor will even ask me if I have any questions for him, and I will briefly bring up any concerns that I have for him at my appt. with him.

As for the person that said that it is "inconsiderate to bring other concerns up" during an appt. because only so much time is allotted for an appt., how would a patient even generally know about that?

[maryebrown_1]

On 3/9/2015 ellaphant said:

On 3/9/2015 DCShopper said:

Funny I am a nurse in a Primary Care office and we had a meeting about this very topic.

It is <em>extremely important</em> that you let the receptionist who scheduled your appointment know that you have several issues to discuss. We only schedule 10 miniute appointments for small things but you would need 20 minutes or more if there is more than one issue. My Docs want to know what the patient is scheduling for---and sometimes they will schedule for one thing and then tell the Doctor another thing at the actual visit.This is extremely inconsiderate. Let the office know what you really need to see the Doctor for. Many times if too involved you will be asked to schedule another appointment. It is important to respect other patients who also have scheduled the Doctors time after you, but also for the staff and the doctor who may have to take time to make preparations for a procedure. It can and does through off the schedule for the whole day.

10 minutes for an appt with a primary care DR? WOW. No wonder health care is so bad.

My doctor is the old-fashion type. Takes as long as he needs.

Thx, Ellaphant.

I agree with your response about PCP's - 10 minutes/patient (?)- THAT would be filed under the code for an abbreviated (quick) appointment, AND the reimbursement by the insurance could be minimal (depending on the ins. carrier of the patient).

To DC Shopper -- The people WHO SCHEDULE the appointments for your Doctor SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE for allotting enough time (they need to ask the RIGHT QUESTIONS when they are talking to the patients, on the phone). However, most employees who work the front office are 1) not properly trained to ask the right questions, and 2) most patients, who see their PCP periodically, do not make a list of all of their questions prior to making their appointments, and they don't consider the amount of time they will be spending with the Doctor. If they are only seeing their PCP every 6 months or once a year, the time slot should be extended BY THE OFFICE SCHEDULERS accordingly, to accommodate the Doctor with plenty of time to examine the patient, do lab testing, and to answer questions posed by the patient during the appointment.

I realize that "wait times" for patients and encounter times can vary greatly, according to specialty, and also that scheduling appointments for a *perfectly flowing day at the office* can be/usually is a nightmare... but I can tell you from my experiences, that Most Practices overbook (because they take into consideration that there will be No Shows). Plus , oftentimes, the patients at a Specialist's Office (in my case, Orthopedics) talked to the Dr. about many of their non-ortho problems, and wanted meds for their conditions --THUS lengthening their time with the Dr. and his writing them scripts for things like their "sleeping problems", ED, etc....

Just to clarify to others on this thread -- A Derm is a Specialist, and they bill the patient's insurance company by The Time (via coding) that they spent with the patient (like most Dr's do). The mole mapping and extensive exams would be billed accordingly...and it DOES get expensive (depending on the patient's insurance).

[OkeyDokey]

If you think you will need extra time, always tell the scheduler that you have several things to speak with the dr about and they can schedule in a little more time. However, most dermatologists are speedy in recognizing, diagnosing, and addressing problems. I guess it just depends on the doc, but talk to the scheduler and that way, you know you will have the time you need.

[kivah]

Take ur list with u - and tell him all of ur issues.

[kjae]

ABSOLUTELY. You are there. He/she is there. Why take up another appointment time and co-pay?

[missy1]

That type of appointment, I don't see a problem.

[VaBelle35]

My appointment is my time. I go with a list to the derm, gyn, gp, allergist, whoever. I go twice a year to the derm and get a full body check once a year and then she checks the "hot spots" only in my second appointment.

I have been rushed in the past by doctors, so I know to bring a list in the event I am rushed.

If you are a new patient, you usually get a longer appointment. If you are an existing patient, it's usually shorter.

I've never heard of a 10 minute appointment. I would never go to a doctor that scheduled me for 10 minutes. We wouldn't get past the introductions in 10 minutes.