Drs appointments

FuzzieAlum · #1 03-11-2002, 06:34 PM

OK, why on earth do doctors office make you call between 8 and 5 (but not lunch) to make an appointment? Most of us are at work during those times, and I don't want the whole office to hear, "Hi, I want to see my doctor about birth control/toe fungus/impotence."

Why can't I e-mail my doctor for an appointment, or at least call during lunch? Even if it's just a regular checkup, I don't necessarily want to announce it!

bucutie02 · #2 03-11-2002, 06:54 PM

You can't take a couple of minutes at work to call your doctor and make an appointment?

I dont like how you have to get there on time, or within 15-30minutes or you lose your appointment, but THEY take forever in either calling your name, or waiting in their office for them to finally get there. When they do get there, its only for like 10minutes!!

Also, i know they always have to weigh you, but WHY!! Makes me feel depressed!

SATX*APhi · #3 03-11-2002, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bucutie02
I dont like how you have to get there on time, or within 15-30minutes or you lose your appointment, but THEY take forever in either calling your name, or waiting in their office for them to finally get there. When they do get there, its only for like 10minutes!!

Oh, I know what you mean. I hate this! Ah, I don't understand why patients have to wait past their appointment time. Why not tell everyone to get their 15 minutes after their appoinment time?

deltaphi94 · #4 03-11-2002, 07:38 PM

I am so bad about not going to the doctor when I need to, and I finally broke down and made an appointment last fall when I thought I was going to fall apart if I didn't get in. So, I call and have to wait 2 weeks before I can finally get into the office. The day before I was supposed to go, they called and said it had to be rescheduled.

That happened one more time, and I finally got in. It's now been a month since I made the original appointment. So, they call my name, and I go to the exam room. I sit in there for like 15 or 20 minutes, and someone comes in to tell me that the doctor had to leave! WHAT?? He should be back in about 5 minutes, they said. No way am I rescheduling this again, so I decided to wait. Over an HOUR later, he finally gets back.
Then, I was told I had multiple infections of one kind or another, so I figured at least I wouldn't have any problems getting the prescriptions filled. When I went to the pharmacy that we had used from the time I moved here, they said... "We no longer accept this insurance." Hello... my hubby had just had something filled with no problems. So, not only did it take a month to get in and over an hour to see the dr., I spent another hour + trying to find a pharmacy that would fill the scrip AND wasn't already closed... it was after 6:30 when I finally made it out of the dr.'s office.

justamom · #5 03-11-2002, 08:18 PM

OK-This is something I KNOW about! We get to our medical related office at 7:00 am. We have messages on the machine that say"Oh, I can't make it today, I want to catch up on my soap..." Or "Hey,I've been hurting for 6 months but decided YOU HAVE TO SEE ME TODAY!" That's if we are lucky! Sometimes when we have set aside a good block of time, they won't even call...just don't show.
As far as rescheduling...you may want to let the Doc know. Our last employe was rescheduling patients for her own convenience. Hubby is so naive' that he thought it was the patients...IT WAS HER! So she could say-"Oh lets work through lunch and go home early.
Scheduling apts at noon? Hey, we need to eat too!
Our offce is very, VERY much a private practice as we see ONE PATIENT AT A TIME! Unheard of I know, but it works for us. When you are a "No-Show", that KILLS production-we have bills to pay like everyone else. Now, do you want to talk about PAYMENT?!?
We are THE LAST to get paid.
My hubby is a softie and I am too. We are NOT computerized, we keep track and care when babies are born-there are illnesses or just plain hard times and we adjust payment plans to HELP! The world is FILED with people who try to defraud and get 'sripts etc. It is tough on the OTHER side of the counter too. Just don't automatically assume it is the Dr.'s fault. It may be the dozens of patients that came before you and basically screwed it up through their incredibly rude and unappreciative behavior.

Sorry-I have had to wait for an apt. myself and it really ticked me off when I KNEW they were triple booking!

AOIIBrandi · #6 03-11-2002, 08:25 PM

There really is two sides to the issue, but I think that if I had to wait a month to see a Dr. when I was really sick I would find another Dr. Letting multiple infections go that long could have ended up with much worse consequences. DeltaPhi94 I am glad that you finally got everything taken care

FuzzieAlum · #7 03-11-2002, 08:39 PM

In most offices, the receptionist gets lunch off, and someone else covers for him or her. Why can't it work that way at the doctor's office? I have yet to find a doctor where I can reach someone during lunch, when I can get away from my cubicle. And I really don't think it's appropriate, let alone comfortable, for me to say, "Oh, I'm coming in about ____" in full hearing of my co-workers! They don't want to hear it and I don't want to share it.

I also love it when I do call during the "right" time and have to leave a message because the phone is busy. OK, that's fine, but then they call me back - and whoever took the message didn't take very good notes, so the person calling me back has to ask all over again why I need an appointment. But that kind of thing happens everywhere, not just at the doctors.

That said, the doctors I am seeing now are wonderful - I rarely have to wait, and they are good about scheduling for something that really needs to be taken care of right away. I can wait weeks for a yearly physical, but not for a UTI prescription! If your doctor is that busy or that inconsiderate, it's time to find a new one.

deltaphi94 · #8 03-11-2002, 09:36 PM

OK.. I don't want to down the whole medical profession. I understand that some things are more important than others, and I know people who work in the office all need to eat. I do the best I can not to call during the lunch hour because I know how much it irritated me when I was supposed to be on mine and ended up having to work through it. That's the way things are no matter where you work.
When I made my appt, I didn't expect to get in the same day, but I have never had an office call back to reschedule, either. I can even deal with the 10 to 15 minute delays that happen when I have to go in for something, or when I need to take my son to the dr. The last thing I expected was to have to wait an hour to meet with the doctor. Unfortunately, his was the only office I could find at the time that took our insurance.
I've had a lot of minor health problems over the past 12 years or so, and I really didn't know there was something seriously wrong (because everything else has been quite similar to what was happening) or I would have found another place to go.
I was lucky.
It's just annoying to find out exactly how over booked the offices are.

Peaches-n-Cream · #9 03-11-2002, 09:45 PM

I guess that I have been lucky and healthy because I haven't had these types of problems. If I have a sudden health problem, I can usually find a doctor to see me that day.

bucutie02 · #10 03-12-2002, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FuzzieAlum
I have yet to find a doctor where I can reach someone during lunch, when I can get away from my cubicle. And I really don't think it's appropriate, let alone comfortable, for me to say, "Oh, I'm coming in about ____" in full hearing of my co-workers! They don't want to hear it and I don't want to share it.

You are right FuzzieAlum, i didnt even consider that you would work in a cubicle. I can just imagine all those nosy co-workers!

You guys, waiting 10-15 minutes is nothing compared to how long i have had to wait sometimes. About 20 minutes is an average wait time before i even get into the doctor's office and once im in there, i have waited 45minutes for the doctor to see me, and i even had an appointment, it wasnt a walk-in!!!

My doctor's office normally will see you, and schedule in the same day if its really urgent! Atleast they are good about that!

aggieAXO · #11 03-12-2002, 01:10 AM

Being in the medical profession I am always very patient when i go and see a Dr. I work emergency only and we don't have appts. I HATE IT when people come in and wait for 30 minutes then get P.O. especially when there dog or cat has been sick for days (HELLO THIS IS AN EMERGENCY ROOM)-deal with it and if those people are rude to my staff or me I make them wait extra long (only if the animal is stable of course). I also let them know they are welcome to leave and go somewhere else-that usually shuts them up as there is no where else to go.

Unfortunately sometimes we have to wait that is just the way it is.

KillarneyRose · #12 03-12-2002, 01:58 AM

I took my 6 year old to the dentist today and once we got into the exam room we waited for 45 minutes. Luckily, I had a coloring book and crayons for my daughter, but I was getting impatient and grumpy! Then the assistant came in and apologized for the wait; the dentist had to attend to a toddler who had gotten kicked in the face (

) That's totally legitimate, but I only wish someone had come back and told me BEFORE I was ready to blow a gasket!

justamom · #13 03-12-2002, 07:39 AM

Actually, a lot of the problems everyone is describing can be traced back to several factors. The patient's insurance is one, rising costs for malpractice ins, OSHA, tons and tons of fees that the patient isn't even aware of. All of these costs lead/force many in the medical field to overbook and quite frankly, compromise the level of care. We decided several years ago NOT to become part of any HMOs because one, the reimbursement for certain services is a JOKE and two when a patient reads "This fee is above the "usual and customary" fee...a patient thinks the Dr is overcharging. It doesn't matter that the UCF they are using is an average of practices in "Hicksville" USA, perhaps it's a 5 year old average-or that they want to substitute a procedure that is cheap for one that is newer and more sound with better results. That is why so many offices overbook-to produce enough volume to cover the broken apts...the no pay/slow pay...and of course, the ever increasing costs to just open the door everyday.

A busy office isn't necessarily a sign of success. It can signal a struggle for the Dr. to keep the business afloat. I guess I feel we pretty well have it the way we want it. Three of us working (I'm half day)-1 patient at a time with a max of 6 patients but usually 4- 2 in the a.m and 2 in the afternoon. We are far from the cheapest and no one dictates what procedures Hubby does. We do NOT advertise-no need, so no cost-and our building is rather old and could use new carpet. We are as loyal to our patients as they are to us.

Next time you are looking for a Dr in any field, ask around-not just your own age group, but lots of people. Heavy advertising and brand new office buildings LOOK good, but have absolutely NOTHING to do with the quality of care, but they sure do contribute to the COST. Yes-if you have to wait more than 15 min. (with the exception of an emergency) you are waiting too long. When WE run late-I call the next patient and let them know so they can either run an errand or stay in the comfort of their home. Most time, they come on in and we chat-because we are friends. It's mutual respect and all the "image" in the world can't buy that. There ARE good people out there, you just have to look a little harder. AND-tell your ins. company you want to see the Dr YOU prefer!