waiting…Waiting…WAITING!!!
Dec 6th, 2006 by Lezhai
A Mother waits with a sick toddler on her lap as 5 or 6 other children are running around the room. As the other mothers are trying to get their restless kids under control, she falls into a daze. Having grown used to the noise level she barely hears,
“Ma’am”
“Huh” She says, half coming out of her comatose state.
“Ma’am, The Doctor is ready to see you now.”
Looking down at her watch she realizes it is a quarter to 11:00. WHAT? Her appointment was at 10?!?!
Yes that is the scenario that we all experienced, in one waiting room or another! When did it become customary to have an appointment 45 minutes before you actually SEE the Doctor? I understand that things get backed up, but every single day? You would think they would make adjustments to their schedules to accommodate their workload. Common sense would tell ya that if you pack in too many appointments things are going to get backed up. Now to add salt to the already festering wounds, they post a lovely sign by the desk “Your Appointment Will Be Canceled If You Are 15 Minutes Late” Are you kidding me? One of these days I am going to ask the Doctor….”Do I get a refund if I have to WAIT 15 min??????”
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I can’t agree with you more. This is a major pet peeve of mine. How many professions can get away with overbooking to such a degree, planning and knowing you will be waiting on them. I can understand with some doctors, such as an OB who regularly gets called away to emergency c-sections & such; I cut them a little slack - or really my wife cuts him slack :)
Let’s call it for what it is, doctors (and many dentists) are maximizing their time at the expense of yours. In order to make sure every possible minute is billable, they book appointments very close together or overlapping knowing that people will be backed up in the waiting room. That is what they are looking to accomplish. They have met their goal.
That’s exactly it Jeremy and I don’t think it’s ever going to change. When I book an appt with my OB/GYN, I know I am going to be there a few hours. And that only includes a 3 minute check-up! I know of one person who, after waiting a couple of hours to see their doctor, sent THEM a bill for the two hours of work she missed. And they actually paid it!
This rant struck a nerve with me. I’ve sat beside people in the waiting room who have the SAME appointment time as I do, with the SAME doctor!!! Now, if they tell you that they charge you for appointments missed without 24 ours prior notice, how on earth do they regularly double-book and assume that one person isn’t going to show? Poor, poor office management!
But to me, the ultimate insult is this: I had an appointment booked for an ultrasound on my foot. They told me in the preamble instructions to be sure to arrive 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment time. You guessed it….I didn’t actually get into the room until 35 minutes after my scheduled appointment! Grrrrrr…………..