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#1
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The Waiting Room
I had a rather important appointment to meet someone yesterday at 10 am
(not a doctor's appt). It was 10:10 am and she still wasn't there. She didn't call and have the secretary tell me she was running late. Nothing. So I left. Simple. She didn't keep the appointment, so I left. And I won't be making any appointments with her again. Aside from being insulted, my reasoning was that if she would be inconsiderate in that way, then she would certainly be inconsiderate in other ways in the future. My question is, why do we (the general public) put up with that nonsense at doctor's offices? If someone does not meet me within 10 minutes of an appointment, or at least very politely explain the delay and offer immediate apologies, I assume he/she is not interested in keeping the appointment and then I leave. I honestly don't care *why* he/she is late--that's not my problem. Same thing if I were unable to pay my bill. I am sure they would not care *why*---that's my problem. Anyway, don't you think if people just *left* when they were kept waiting for more than 10 minutes, doctor's offices (and other businesses) would stop taking advantage of people like that? Crispee |
#2
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The Waiting Room
My question is, why do we (the general public) put up with that
nonsense at doctor's offices? If someone does not meet me within 10 minutes of an appointment, or at least very politely explain the delay and offer immediate apologies, I assume he/she is not interested in keeping the appointment and then I leave. I honestly don't care *why* he/she is late--that's not my problem. Same thing if I were unable to pay my bill. I am sure they would not care *why*---that's my problem. I think the point is they should tell us why they are running late, just like the person you were meeting should have told you. It would be really nice if when you got to the doctors they said, unfortunately Dr so and so is running about 10 minutes late, there are x numbers of people to see before you... .... then you could make a decision based on that. Recently I went for an MRI scan and when I got there they apologised profusely and said they were running 30-40 minutes late and I should go and get a cup of tea, that was really helpful, other departments they are that late and they don't even acknowledge it when they call you in. All I think people really want is openness and honesty. But, the reason why we stay is because if we don't we'll have to make another appointment and come back another day, probably to be treated the same way. Anne |
#3
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The Waiting Room
My answer? I don't. The only exception being physicians I *know* are
running late because they are spending needed time with patients. I had an ENT who would come in at 6:30 and 7AM to see patients before they needed to be at work, he would also fit in all emergency cases that day. His office would be very up front when you arrived for your appt that Dr. P was running behind and gave the choice to wait or reschedule. I didn't mind because I knew that if *I* was the patient in need he was available for me. Now I had (note the past tense) a GP who had prominently displayed a paper at the front desk that if you were 15 minutes late for an appt the appt was automatically canceled and you had to reschedule. Fine. Except when I had the first appt of the day the doctor was 1 hr late. Nothing said to me from her secretary. No opportunity for ME to reschedule. She comes in and flippantly says her child had an ear infection. Nifty, next time MY child has an ear infection and I'm an hour late for my appt will you wait for me? Total and complete lack of consideration for MY time but I'm supposed to respect hers? Don't think so. |
#4
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The Waiting Room
"Anne Rogers" wrote in message ... My question is, why do we (the general public) put up with that nonsense at doctor's offices? If someone does not meet me within 10 minutes of an appointment, or at least very politely explain the delay and offer immediate apologies, I assume he/she is not interested in keeping the appointment and then I leave. I honestly don't care *why* he/she is late--that's not my problem. Same thing if I were unable to pay my bill. I am sure they would not care *why*---that's my problem. I think the point is they should tell us why they are running late, just like the person you were meeting should have told you. It would be really nice if when you got to the doctors they said, unfortunately Dr so and so is running about 10 minutes late, there are x numbers of people to see before you... I know with my doctor, I have never once been seen at my appointment time, nor have I been called in within half an hour of my scheduled appointment. EVER. I don't understand it either. If I'm late, I'm SOL. At my OB's office, they put your little file in this little file holder thing and you go in order of when you show up (according to your appointment time) and once you've been there for a while - this will be #4 for me, over 6 years - I've learned the color and condition my folder is in, so I can keep an eye on about how far back I am ... then you could make a decision based on that. Recently I went for an MRI scan and when I got there they apologised profusely and said they were running 30-40 minutes late and I should go and get a cup of tea, that was really helpful, other departments they are that late and they don't even acknowledge it when they call you in. All I think people really want is openness and honesty. We had a follow up at the Children's Hospital 2 weeks after the car accident where my son needed to go for this follow up with the plastic surgeon that had seen him. I had called to make the appointment right after we were discharged from the hospital, and I was told by the secretary that my appointment for my son was at 11:00 - be there on time, but expect to wait at least an hour. I had asked why we should expect to wait until at least noon for our appointment that was being scheduled for 11, and she told me that the doctor usually runs an hour late at that point in the day. Boy, did I feel bad for that person who had an appointment at 4! They'd probably have to wait 3 hours... I explained that my son is 5 and my daughter is 6 months, and there's no way that I'd be able to convince myself that they'd sit for more than 10 minutes before being bored and acting up, and I was rudely told that this is the way it is. I asked if I could make my appointment for 11 but not show up until around 11:45 or so, and I was told that this wasn't acceptable, so I asked why they book so full when they know the doctor will run behind so much early in the day. She didn't answer me, and maybe I came across as fairly rude, which kind of was my intentions, but I know I came across as politely rude, or maybe even ignorant more than rude. We did get there at 11. I stood at the front desk for just under 10 minutes waiting to check in, since there was no receptionist at the desk. After standing around like idiots for almost 10 minutes, she finally came, took our names and all that, and we sat down. I then asked about how long the wait will be, given that I had 2 little ones to deal with, and little ones that needed to have lunch since our appointment was right in the middle of lunch time (1030 before we left was too early for lunch) and she simply said, "A while." I then asked if we had time to go have lunch, since DS was already complaining about how he's missing lunch, and she said there's more than enough time for lunch. Went for lunch, came back, and then we were the next in line, or so that's what I was told. Makes me wonder if they skipped on past me or not and had a feeling I'd throw a big scene if we were told we had missed being called and had to reschedule. But, the reason why we stay is because if we don't we'll have to make another appointment and come back another day, probably to be treated the same way. Anne That's true. It is always the same, IME. You're late, your loss. They're late, your loss. |
#5
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The Waiting Room
Crispee wrote:
I had a rather important appointment to meet someone yesterday at 10 am (not a doctor's appt). It was 10:10 am and she still wasn't there. She didn't call and have the secretary tell me she was running late. Nothing. So I left. Simple. She didn't keep the appointment, so I left. And I won't be making any appointments with her again. Aside from being insulted, my reasoning was that if she would be inconsiderate in that way, then she would certainly be inconsiderate in other ways in the future. My question is, why do we (the general public) put up with that nonsense at doctor's offices? If someone does not meet me within 10 minutes of an appointment, or at least very politely explain the delay and offer immediate apologies, I assume he/she is not interested in keeping the appointment and then I leave. I honestly don't care *why* he/she is late--that's not my problem. Same thing if I were unable to pay my bill. I am sure they would not care *why*---that's my problem. Anyway, don't you think if people just *left* when they were kept waiting for more than 10 minutes, doctor's offices (and other businesses) would stop taking advantage of people like that? Crispee Nope. They would charge you a fee for cancelling your appointment. Some doctors over book, that's for sure. But some get called away on emergencies. They are doctors, that's what they do, see sick and healthy patients. I've been very lucky in all the doctors that I've used, that I've never had long waits before being seen. And on the few occasions that I have, they've always been good about informing me that there was a delay or emergency. I think it's fair to ask to speak to the office manager and explain that they have a responsibility to the patients to be on time and courteous about delays, just as the patient has the responsibility to be on time to the appointment. Most people work and take time off work, and can't afford to take a half day for a 1 hour appointment. I think it's also fair to switch providers and write the old provider a letter explaining why you left. -- Jamie Earth Angels: Taylor Marlys, 1/3/03 Addison Grace, 9/30/04 Check out the family! -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1, Password: Guest Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and Password |
#6
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The Waiting Room
Crispee wrote:
I had a rather important appointment to meet someone yesterday at 10 am (not a doctor's appt). It was 10:10 am and she still wasn't there. She didn't call and have the secretary tell me she was running late. Nothing. So I left. Simple. She didn't keep the appointment, so I left. And I won't be making any appointments with her again. Aside from being insulted, my reasoning was that if she would be inconsiderate in that way, then she would certainly be inconsiderate in other ways in the future. My question is, why do we (the general public) put up with that nonsense at doctor's offices? If someone does not meet me within 10 minutes of an appointment, or at least very politely explain the delay and offer immediate apologies, I assume he/she is not interested in keeping the appointment and then I leave. I honestly don't care *why* he/she is late--that's not my problem. Same thing if I were unable to pay my bill. I am sure they would not care *why*---that's my problem. Anyway, don't you think if people just *left* when they were kept waiting for more than 10 minutes, doctor's offices (and other businesses) would stop taking advantage of people like that? Obviously, in an ideal world people would be prompt. However, there are reasons things don't move like clockwork. Dr. visit lengths are unpredictable. Some people need more time. There are emergencies that come up. Now, there are things that come up in your schedule too. Maybe there's a lot of traffic, or maybe you have some errands of unpredictable duration to run on your way to the doctor's office. So, what do you do? You allow extra time for the unexpected. This effectively "wastes" your time, as you likely won't *need* that extra time, but if you don't schedule it in, you might be late. Doctors can do the same thing. If they want to be always on time, they must build time into their schedules to absorb the overruns that they can't plan. That time is not billable time. So, in order to compensate for that, they have to bill more for the time that is billable. However, for the most part, they are paid fixed fees since most of the business in most practices comes from insurers through managed care plans of one sort or another. So, in that situation, what are they going to do? Most are going to schedule back-to-back billable hours and when something comes up like a patient who needs more care or an emergency, they're going to end up running late. Some practices are better at scheduling, and some practices deal with specialties or client mixes that are more predictable. At the very least, there's no reason that staff couldn't say that Dr. So-and-so is running 15 minutes late and give an opportunity to reschedule if need be. That's just polite business practice. But the underlying issue of why they run late in the first place is a bit more challenging to deal with. There are practices that just decide to take the financial hit and put more leeway into their schedule, but a lot of practices don't really have the ability to do that. Best wishes, Ericka |
#7
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The Waiting Room
I left my last OB/GYN for that reason. I can appreciate a 10 min delay,
but I was waiting a minimum of 1 HOUR. The first time I asked "is this normal? Because I can't really take a whole afternoon off work." And was told it was not, it was an emergency, etc. Fair enough. I understand that. But then it happened each time. Min. 1 hour wait just to be called back, another 30 mins+ before she showed up. rarely any apologies or explanations, so I just started seeing another doc. I have been to a doc and they were late and their staff explained what was happening and ok....I will accept that. But this was over the top. My current OB I usually have to wait 10-15 mins, but I think that is reasonable, and if it's more, she's usually apologetic. SOme patients take longer than others and it's hard to predict. But more than that and it's clear they're double booking for the $. |
#8
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The Waiting Room
I always have had to wait a long time for my OB, I don't mind because
when he finally comes in, he knows all about me and my family, he takes his time, he is never in a rush, he answers all my questions, and he has actual conversations with me. Since I know this is probably what makes him late, I don't mind. And another perspective--at my 6-week xheck after William, he was called away to deliver a baby and we were told the wait would be long. So we took the time to walk across the street to the hospital to visit my aunt. She'd been in for a couple of weeks and we hadn't seen her, nor had she seen the baby. She died the next day, and I am so, so glad he was running late that day. Leslie |
#9
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The Waiting Room
it is. I asked if I could make my appointment for 11 but not show up until around 11:45 or so, and I was told that this wasn't acceptable, so I asked why they book so full when they know the doctor will run behind so much early in the day. I think it is because the doctors know they will run behind, so they know that there working day is going to be longer and there breaks shorter, but if they actually scheduled there appointments that way then they would either be breaking employment laws, or other things. I don't recall when the last appointment with my GP usually is, but I do know when I've been near the end of the day that after a certain point the building begins to shut down, receptionists leave, that kind of thing. Also, with nationalised health care, we have certain things laid down like average length of appointment and so on, so a doctor who scheduled appointments every 15 mins would not be popular, so they have to do every 10 mins and rely on a certain percentage not showing up and getting some people in and out in less time, when really very few people actually only take up 10mins. Anne |
#10
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The Waiting Room
Now I had (note the past tense) a GP who had prominently displayed a
paper at the front desk that if you were 15 minutes late for an appt the appt was automatically canceled and you had to reschedule. Fine. Except when I had the first appt of the day the doctor was 1 hr late. Nothing said to me from her secretary. No opportunity for ME to reschedule. She comes in and flippantly says her child had an ear infection. Nifty, next time MY child has an ear infection and I'm an hour late for my appt will you wait for me? Total and complete lack of consideration for MY time but I'm supposed to respect hers? Don't think so. that is CRAP, once I had a doctor be really really late, there had been an accident on the motorway and he must have been coming from the opposite direction to his patients, he was sooooo apologetic, but I've often had physio appointments at 8.15 and the traffic can be very variable, if I'm late, I apologise profusely, but the physio has been late and just breezes in as if nothing has happened, along with her cycle helmet, so she's not even really affected by the traffic! Anne |
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