walked out of Drs office...sick of waiting!

[lori s]

I had an 8:00 am appt with my MS Dr Fri morning. I made a point to be on time. I was the first appt. of the day. Mind you, this was at a suburban location of my
main clinic and only the receptionist and I were there. She told me my Dr. hadn't arrived yet so I took a seat. She took a phone call while I was there and I heard her say " no she isn't in yet, she is always 10 or 15 min. late." OK, I could live with that so I sat...I saw her arrive about 10 min later and then the girl put me into another room. and I sat.. and sat... so 25 minutes goes by and no one comes in the room and I am getting mad and need to get to work! I finally came out of the room and said I couldn't wait any longer and her reply was Oh I sorry let me... Ididn't even listen to the rest I was so angry I said I would call and re-schedule just to get out of there! How rude!

[journeyman]

Good for you.

I'm a MS. ret. Psych/ER RN. When they give me thee papers to sign and I pay my co-pay I hand them a sheet of paper and say,...And these are my policies. They look at me shocked. Being an RN gives me an extra edge. I know their tricks. I tell them that If I don't see the Dr. for any reason I will notify my insurance company and my credit card to not honor the co-pay.

I also tell them I have a one hour limit on my wait time. It says that I will wait no more than one hour in the waiting room and I will wait no longer in the treatment room. After that I will leave.

When I was working I will deduct my pay over one hour from the treatment fee. You will be surprised how fearful of that they are and once you they they get wind that you are communicating with your ins. co. about their quality of care they do change.

Every time I have walked out the nurses freak out and say, Oh, you're next. He will be in in just a few mintes. I point to my watch and say his hour is up. I'm leaving. The whole office freaks out.

I have gotten apology letters. I have even had a Neurologist call me after hours and give me my appointment over the phone. They don't want those bad marks on their ins. record.

You are their boss. They are your employees. They like to you to thing that think that you are just an "unknowing, ignorant patient." Look up your meds. treatment and disorder and keep up on it.

Use tough love on them. With a new Dr. I make an appt. to interview them. I make sure they make eye contact and explain things. I do not tell them that I am an RN. I want to see if they can simplify their language. If they do - I keep them if not I dump them. Sometimes I have to go through the stain of several doctors to get a good one.

I now have a Primary, a Urologist, a Neurologist, a Psychiatric medicine management doctor. I view them as my team and I trust them implicitly. They are all gems.

Just remember you are in charge no matter how much intimidation they try to throw your way. You are their boss and you are hiring them to take good care of you. Do not let them think that they have the upper hand. There is a document called "The Patients Rights." Look it up. Make sure they adhere to it.

God bless and may He give you the strength to be strong in being the power patient for your disorder that you deserve.

Do not let them intimidate you and try to turn you into a doormat. It is your life. You choose how to be treated.

I don't mean to be ugly with them but be firm and direct just as they are with you so that they understand that you two are a team.

Dave, Tampa, FL
"Journeyman"

[kelm10]

I like

journeyman,

I like your attitude. I have done basically the same, I just have never created my policy document like you did.

I do tolerate an extra wait if I have an emergency appointment.

It is so true, they are our employees of our healthcare team. They need to understand that. Alot more doctors need that reminder. I don't care how big of an important of doctor they are or how many degrees.

[Cat Mom]

Wow! I wish I could find the power to do this! I've read so many posts where visiting a doctor is unaffordable, which breaks my heart. We don't have that issue here, which I've been thankful for....but having this kind of upper hand makes me a bit envious!
Jen

[gomer]

While I don't have the advantages J-man has, I have dumped more doctors than most over the years. IN 2007 I went thru 2 GPS/fam doc, actually I went to one, tried another for a couple visits then went back to the first one, and still with him. That year I dumped my eye doc of 10+ years for dropping the ball BIG-TIME, dumped the next eye doc because he was stalling getting done what needed to get done, and the third one was the charm. Problem was he was a specialist and not a gen eye doc.

A local foot doc sent me to a neuro for leg weakness. He ran one test and quit looking for WHY, so I never went back to him or the foot doc. After getting a new eye doc in 2009, he opened the MS can-o-worms and has been good, so far. He sent me to another neuro who said he would not treat my MS if it was Dx'd so no point. I went thru a couple more neuros that were just as worthless and less honest, before getting my current MS specialist.

I started with my cardiologist in 2007 and still with her so far. Went thru one urologist in 2007, dumped him later that same year, and got another one in 2009 and dumped him earlier this year. I dumped #3 urologist this year when he was MIA when I NEEDED him. To bad as I liked him, but as I said he/his office did NOT return my phone call for a WEEK. By then I had gotten into someone else and getting the treatment needed and scheduled for surgery next month.

Good doc are HARD to find.........

Gomer Sir Falls-a-lot

[Tawanda]

I left my first neurologist for this very reason. He overbooked like airline! I saw people bringing in bags of things to keep them busy. I swear, the day I saw one woman almost completely knit an afghan was my last appointment there! The waiting was especially horrible as I was a newbie riddled with anxiety and wanting answers about my condition.

We MSers don't have to be such a vulnerable population, and thanks, journeyman for an eye opener of a post.

P.S. what is the patient's rights document you mentioned?

[JerryD]

Having been in the field, journeyman, you have an advantage that many of us lack. The biggest advantage you have is that you can speak their language and understand the medical jargon that is, I am convinced, used to intimidate us. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.
I am sorry to hear that a professional acted that way toward a paying customer. I haven't had that experience. And I hope I don't.

[rdmc]

I tell them that If I don't see the Dr. for any reason I will notify my insurance company and my credit card to not honor the co-pay.


Dave, Tampa, FL
"Journeyman"

Lori,

I've said for years that docs don't understand the time and energy involved in getting there, and then to have to wait on top of it. Used to work, first appt. in the AM or first after lunch would make sure you didn't have to wait. But nowadays, I've checked in at first appts at some offices and had 4 other people check in at the same time. My former urologist sees 40 patients a day. They stack you up in rooms (never much time spent in waiting room) but then you'd wait forever in the exam room...then he comes in in a hurry and talks really fast, if you're lucky you get 5 minutes. When a gyn is running behind schedule...that's the worst

This has nothing to do with waiting but with the amount of time a doctor spends with the patient. When I was in the hospital a couple months ago, my roommate (who had never been to the hospital) remarked how quick the doctors came and went from your room. So we started timing them. They'd come in, inform her of some test result (poor lady had a partial bowel blockage and was scared), ask her a couple questions, then as she'd attempt to ask questions, you could see them backing toward the door. Their answers were usually, "Well we'll see according to the next test." Or, "Well see depending how you do." I think we figured she got between 2 and 3 minutes from each doc.

Dave,
Since we share a neuro, do you see him everytime? I've got a six month coming up and first they called to reschedule it, and then told me the appt. was with the NP not the neuro. I said I thought my 6 month was with the neuro and they said, nope always with NP after first visit but he'd be there if there was a problem.

Not too happy with their office this weekend. I've had the burning feet issue, and needed a med change. Let 3 messages on Friday, to see about getting a new med to try to handle the "burning"...called 10, 2 and 4...no call back. Tried the oncall doc on Saturday only to be told that their on call docs don't write prescriptions. Finally the nurse called me yesterday (Sunday), told me she had opened her computer to do some work and saw no one had contacted me. So at least I got the med phoned in on Sunday, which is better than nothing.

I waited so long to get into that practice (over 6 months wait) then now I've had some misgivings due to my last couple encounters with their office, (we have to drive quite a ways too.) I'm going in three weeks, and see how the NP is. Got lots to tell her, not been a good six months...so we'll see.

[Sara Angela]

@ Dave, YOU ROCK!!

So far, I have had really good Dr.'s with little or no wait!

Sara

[lemstar]

i agree with jman, and believe we are customers, and docs must treat us with respect.

but whoa! jman---you will wait an hour??? That isn't so tough minded, imho....an hour is a long time to wait when you have an appt! would the doc wait an hour if you were an hour late?

i will be at my appt, at whatever time it is set, on time. i expect to be seen at that time, or shortly thereafter. i understand that we need to wait, that docs do indeed have the upper hand, and they want their patients lined up and waiting. given that, i would be very upset if i had to wait over 30 minutes. jmho....

[lemstar]

Also, I have spoken with docs, and said that we had an agreed upon time to meet. I will come whenever they tell me to, and I will be on time. I understand if there was an emergency, or if on occasion the doc is running a bit late, but regular waiting times of over 10 or 15 minutes is just plain disrespectful of my time.

[techie]

Journeyman...

You are the best.

[journeyman]

Just short of being bald.

I am ready to rip my hair out. I just wrote a long and detailed post trying to address all your questions. It got dumped.

My wife repeatedly tell me when my passions run high like this to type it in word, copy it and paste it that way there is at least a draft of it . "Save frequently and often...the phrase goes."

UUUUURRRRRRRggggggghhhhhhhh !!!

Uh-oh moment.

Dave Tampa, Florida
"Journeyman"

[Spydre]

There is only one doctor that I will "forgive" for running late, and that is my GYN - after all, we can't control when someone decides to have a baby.

When I first got sick, and actually up until last year, when I changed primary and psychiatrist doctors, I was seen at a Federally Qualified Health Clinic. The wait there, even for first thing appointments was horrible. It didn't help that I didn't like my doctor. Well, my psychiatrist, I liked him, but I hated his staff, and his practice was so crowded I couldn't get appointments.

Last year, hubby and I made the decision to swallow the Medicare co-pays to allow me to see different docs - not just relying on docs that took Medicaid as a secondary. With the psychiatrist it made all the difference. I never had a wait more than 15 minutes, and I've not had too many problems getting into him quickly, even though he's only at this office once a week or so. With my medical doctor, I still experience a wait, but not the 2 hours I had gotten accustomed to, and she spends much more time with me. There have been days when she's spent at least 30 minutes or more on me, plus time researching my meds, for a sick call.

[DianeD]

Made me think of this.....

I've sat in Doctors offices up to three hours and one time I had my son with me! When I finally got to see the jerk I had a hard time keeping my cool.

This was a Pediatric Neurologist I was going to; first time. What really irked me is that his waiting room was empty save for my son and I. The office people sat behind their plexi glass; never said a word. Three hours! The waiting room had no magazines, lined up chairs about 8 across (like 'card table') chairs. It was awful; I never went back.

Then there was a funny one; I went to my appt.. had my son along (this was my appt. with ENT doc). My son was about 3. He colored, sang, talked to other patients; he was so good.

All the other patients got in and then there were none left. The gal at the window said 'who are you waiting for dear?). So I told her I was there for my follow up appt., which was suppossed to have been at 2:00 and it was then around 4:30. Keep in mind I was young, quiet and polite (no the same so much now days).

Well, the lady looked at her appt. calendar and smiled; turned out my appt. was the next day. Wasn't even the same doc (his partner), but the guy took me anyway. The office staff watched my son. I was so embarrassed and that was the earliest I'd ever been for an appt :-).

Diane