The Doctor Will See You, Someday, Maybe!
 |
| Skeleton Photo © Microsoft Image Gallery |
My throat had felt bad for about two weeks. I'm the 24/7 caregiver for my father, and so I had to coordinate with my hubby - he stayed home from work with Dad while I went to the doctor's office. I can't just get away often, and when I do, I try to return promptly. Yes, the doctor knows this, he's met all of us.
Well, after I did my copay and found a waiting-room magazine, I sat down to wait. A TV was on, playing an infomercial on a DVD (30 minutes of shilling about Juice Plus Miracle Pills or some such). The speaker had all the fervor and style of a southern Bible-belt evangelist. The volume was a bit too much for a small waiting room, I thought. There were just 2 of us waiting, and I considered turning down the volume or changing the channel. Then I noticed there were 2 signs taped on the TV and the DVD Player. One warned us not to touch or fool with the TV/DVD. The other said to ask the doctor about Juice Plus Miracle nonsense! Ack!!
I was in the waiting room 30 minutes. Thankfully, as the infomercial began to recycle, I was called back to the exam rooms. A nurse took my vitals and asked for my symptoms. She left the room. I was in the exam room 30 minutes. Never saw the doc, but heard him talking with patients in other rooms nearby. When he finished with one, he went right past me to another. So after waiting an hour, I wrote him a note on my list of symptoms, and headed for the exit. Nurse smiled and said "See you next time!" I handed her my note and explained my situation, using polite language. She didn't seem to be aware that I had waited an hour and didn't seem to know that the doc had never seen me. Nurse said the delays were because of the swine flu scare. Okay, there's some swine flu 2 towns away. But the waiting room hadn't been crowded, unless you count that blasted TV!
I left my home phone number on the paper, and have heard nothing from my doctor. Oh yeah, his office manager called a week later, to ask if she could cash my check.
It occurs to me that the nurses could have communicated much better, like when I checked in, if there was an emergency, or a long waiting period. Like when you go to a good restaurant, the staff tells you up front, waiting time will be 20 - 30 minutes. And if that goes over, they call you and offer some appetizers or whatnot, if they want to keep you around.
I am a prompt person, and I always showed up on time for medical appointments. My first oncologist routinely made patients wait an hour or longer, even though we complained about it. Delays were never explained. But he never imprisoned us in a room with a TV locked onto some ever-looping infomercial for some products that he himself sold! I'm moving on - this doctor seems more interested in vitamins than patients.
Have you been in this situation - how did you handle it? Please comment below, and get another doctor - soon!
Comments
As a nurse I once had a patient who waited for eight hours to go to surgery because the physician went golfing. Who could blame her for ripping out her IV and wandering the halls. Of course, her anger was all targeted at me and I couldn’t very well tell her that the doc was out golfing. Though in hindsight it probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea. I did write him up.
As a retired nurse, I understand the problems with waiting to see the Dr. One that I worked for kept people waiting 1-2 hrs because he was a poor time manager. He didn’t allow us to schedule him appropriately.
I’m sure this will not improve with National Health Care.
1. I wouldn’t pay.
2. Ask local charm school to send their DVD to doctor’s office and suggest ALL staff learn what are manners.
When I was 1st diagnosed with breast cancer I tried to get an appointment with the oncologist I wanted but they kept putting me off and putting me off as I became more and more desperate. After 3 days I called and told the receptionist that if I did not have an appointment within 10 minutes, I was going to take a knife and remove my breasts myself so I could then get the help I needed!
I wouldn’t have but they didn’t know that. I had an appointment in 5 minutes!”
After I had my breast cancer surgery I found out some how I now had a scratched cornea.(by the inside construction site that the orderly wheeled me by.I had to report five days after my surgery to the opthomolgist.I checked in and sat down to wait(45min.). There were 35 people in the lobby waiting. The office is manned by seven doctors, why is there a back up?They called my name and they escorted me to the second waiting room.(thirty minutes later) they came for me . The doctor gave me the equivalent of five minutes total.They told me to come back in three months for a check up. Since I live 270 miles from the office,I have to plan ahead. I was all packed and ready to go. I get a call that says now the doctors are no longer taking my insurance.I said why if I have already seen you before and I could self pay. No they said go somewhere else.We no longer take the (poor peoples insurance)
I’ve been lucky that in most cases I haven’t had to wait huge amounts of time for my GP. He has moved out of state though, so I have to a new one. UGH! I really like him also. He was the replacement for a doctor who spent no time with his patients. I felt like I was on an assembly line. He also rolled his eyes at me when I told him the second antihistamine he put me on wasn’t working. That was the last time I saw him.
My mother had an even worse experience though. She had fallen and broken both bones above the ankle. She was in a cast from her hip down. She could get around on crutches, but not for long periods of time. On more than one visit to her orthapedic surgeon, almost all who were in casts of some sort and on crutches, patients were lined up down the hallway. There was no room to sit in the waiting room because it too was filled with patients. We started talking and found out he had scheduled 5 people for the same ten minute time slot, every ten minute time slot.
After I moved to Indiana I was looking for a new dentist. We found two who took my insurance. My husband went to one and I the other. His was great. Mine, on the other hand was horrible. When I walked into the office, I felt uncomfortable immediately. I should have taken this as a clue and walked out then. When the dentist walked in to see me, his hygienist said, “Kay has Blue Cross.” I thought that was odd, why did my insurance company matter? I soon found out why. He said I had seven cavities and all of my fillings needed to be replaced. I knew this wasn’t the case, since I had just been to the dentist before I moved only a couple of months before. Seven cavities just don’t pop up like that. They were very confused that I cancelled my appointment for all these fillings I needed. Could not understand why I wouldn’t reschedule. I went to the dentist my husband saw. He confirmed I had no cavities and said my fillings were worn, but saw no need to replace them. I called Blue Cross the next day and reported the other dentist.
I just left a doctor’s office after waiting about 40 minutes. I was there for a 10 minute review of a hearing test. I was on my lunch hour and had to get back to my job. When I told them the office help said, “Oh she must be running a bit late.” I said, “It would have been nice for someone to tell me that 20 minutes ago.” Unfortunately I’d already made my co-pay. So I may have to wrangle that out of them another day. I expected a call of apology but haven’t heard a peep. I will have to look for another doctor because this one is not on the same page as I.