I was suppose to have my follow up appointment with the new PCP this afternoon and get the results of all the crazy tests he wanted done. My appointment was at 3:40, I got there about 15 minutes early, and waited....and waited....and waited, while all these other people that had come in after me got called back. Well, about 4:45, I go up to the receptionist's desk (where they have this sign that says "We try to see all patients within 30 minutes of their arrival time. If you feel you have been overlooked, please let us know), and I let them know.

Well, they called back to the back and said it would be another half hour to 45 more minutes until the doctor could see me. I asked, after looking at the sign in sheet, why all these other people with appointments after mine (with the same doctor) had already come in, seen him, and left, and I was told that my appointment was only as a "follow up"....like that makes me a lower class of patient or something. So, I had to reschedule the appointment for Thursday at 11:10, meaning taking more time off work, because I couldn't sit up there until dark-thirty waiting for this doctor to see the "important" patients.

Why do these doctors do things like this? Don't they realize that OUR time is important, too, and that we can't afford to take all this time off work and spend hours waiting in their waiting rooms??? I mean, is it just me, or do most people expect to actually have an appointment at the actual appointment time....not hours later??? Isn't that why we schedule appointments to begin with???

Just frustrated and needed to vent.....

I don't have an answer to your post Abbey but unfortunately I have experience with this also...
My Dad has a cardiologist, an internist and a neurologist. Whenever I take him for these "scheduled" appointments it is not unusual to have to sit and wait an average of 1-2 hours after the scheduled time to finally be seen!
So I feel your frustration.....

I try to schedule my follow ups in the mornings or first thing after lunch to avoid the long waits..I feel your frustration.

abbey that absolutely sucks...i would definitely file some sort of complaint or at least confront the doc about it. i hate it when docs do that, but i've had the same thing happen...oh, and i know your insurance won't let you switch again, but when this happens to me it's the last time i see that doc...

Hey I do the same thing as Trixxe and I rarely wait more then 5 minutes when I can schuled that way . Also I have never heard of someone haveing to wait on patients that came in after you except in emergeny rooms .

Well, I always schedule my appts. for 8:45 in the AM. I still wait until at least 9:30 or so to be seen. That is how many are scheduled in the "first" appt. slot @ 8:45 with me. This is for a 1 dr. practice. I think it is [censored] that they can do this to us. He must schedule 5 people for the same "first" appt. time slot as me. Sorry Abbey! We feel your pain for sure! TG

Well, after venting to my mother and failing to persuade her to do damage to his house (remember, he's my mother's neighbor), she did point out that my new appointment time, which is right before lunch, might be a good thing because they will all be wanting to get out of there for lunch, so I might make it in before noon.

I mean, I can see a 10 or 15 minute wait, and I am fine with that. But, over an hour, with the patients with appointments after mine with the same doctor....that's just not right. And, I will mention that to him on Thursday, if I see him, that is. And, I've never heard of a difference between patient status....never. It just makes me ill.

I mean, first off, all these tests that I had already had done within the past 6 months, hints about something "new" being wrong with me (like I don't already have enough to deal with), and the freaking expense of it all. Then, on my first appointment with him, he looks me in the eye TWICE, keeps his back turned to me the rest of the time, then writes fills for my BP med and thyroid med under SOMEONE ELSE'S name....this guy operates like no doctor I've ever seen before, and I've seen a lot.

Hell, my choices are very limited as far as doctors that my insurance covers, but I don't know if I can handle a doctor like this one seems to be. He made a bad first impression, and today's incident didn't help. If Thursday isn't any better, I have no clue what I am gonna do. I mean, a ROP can handle some of my problems, but my BP and thyroid have to be constantly monitored....I guess if worst comes to worst, I can have my OB monitor my thyroid and BP and have a ROP do the rest. But, money is so tight as it is.....I don't know if I'd be able to swing the cost of the ROP and the meds every month; the 3 months I used one were a lesson in creative money management.

I know that we ALL know this, but having these chronic conditions, big or small, many or few, is a real pain in the a$$.

Makes one wonder. If they cannot admin simple appointment schedules I would wonder how much to trust their opinions and proceedurures. Sounds like the can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Sounds like an HMO. I can see if someone is really ill they could be put ahead of a follow up, wouldn't you want to be? What I really think the deal was is that the Doc not even looked at your results yet and either was trying to get some time to, or more likely just hoping you would go away. Sorry to hear about this. I don't like to wait more than 15 mins.

It's Simple abbeyart...they feel there time is a lot more valuable than yours...

Well, I feel differently, and I plan to say so when I see him, if I see him, on Thursday. Acting like he did is not a good way to keep patients.

you go girl!

Oh I know Abbey...and I tend to have a short fuse for this practice. I'll tell you what a friend of mine does...(I mean you have to know this guy)..but he actually calls his Dr.'s office at least an hour prior to his appointment time to ask how far behind the doctor is, and then proceeds to tell them (based upon their answer) when to expect him to arrive.

I'm not sure how he gets away with this....but it seems to work for him. Somehow he's taken back promptly. Go figure...

That has never happened to me. I'm always back within 10 minutes. So what if its a followup it should be seen according to appt. I think you need to tell that guy off.

here's the reason. HMOs have cut physician reimbursement to the point that they must be 100% scheduled (no empty appointment times) if they are going to have any income after paying all the bills. and keep in mind that after accruing about $150-200K of debt, PCPs make about $60K per year; interest on medical school tuition rapidly eats that up, for a few decades or so.

now, only about 85% of patients with an appointment will actually show up, so docs have to overschedule. furthermore, PCPs in community hospitals often get called into the ER, they MUST round on patients in the hospital, answer calls from patients, chart patient visits, document billing charges, etc, etc. Because there are many things that physicians must do (and believe me, the amount of charting required by HMOs is stupefying), patients must either schedule appointments months in advance, or in the case of newly-scheduled appointments (like followups), wait.

Many hospitals and some office groups have recognized that waiting is a patient satisfaction bum-out. Consequently, more forward-thinking hospitals have instructed their affiliated PCP groups to clear out patient backlogs, a process that takes about 18 months. once that is done, the PCP groups can open up slots for acute appointments that require little waiting. alternatively, many PCPs have formed "boutique" practices where patients pay an exhorbitant amount outside of medical insurance so that they can be seen very fast.

so, frustration with the existing is understandable, and it is known to group practice administrations. but it is not related to a desire to make people wait, or because of an aversion to working very, very, very hard. it is because HMOs have forced docs to spend so much time doing other things that they simply don't have time to provide much patient care anymore.

hope this helps,

chemsynth

Perhaps you should just mention it to him. Maybe he doesn't realize it? It could be how the front desk is sending the charts back to him. I know in my dr. office, the receptionist, after you sign in, takes your chart and puts in "in line" behind the others that have signed in before you. Maybe they didn't get yours "in line", or somehow overlooked you, and didn't want to admit it. My dr. just simply over books. It is obvious from the fact that I have to wait an hour for the FIRST appt of the day, along with everyone else with the FIRST appt of the day.

I think sometimes the dr's just don't know how their practice is being run. But, I would definately mention it to him and see his reaction, then go from there. Good luck! TG

My kids and I have the same doc, family practice. But every time one of us goes to see him, it`s at least 2hrs. or more, before we leave. And, he`s only in the room 5 min. It`s hard enough having to wait, but with kids, the hard becomes the terrible. Give him an ear full Thursday!

I heard of a banker in pittsburgh that had to wait 2 hours for his dentist. Anyway, he made roughly 250.00/hr and when the bill came, he deducted his time from the bill and submitted the difference. since this charged you if you miss an appt he had a decent enough case that the dentist decided tojust drop it. If everyone did this (even if you finally paid, but just decided to make them go trhough the hassle), it would probably remedy itself quickly.

it's kind of hard to imagine - but I have a great uncle that's a very retired family practicioner. He used to do frigging house calls - and it's not that long ago. how things change.

Sorry Abbey.I hope your next appt. goes better.I always ask for the last appt of the day,and I always wait about 15-30 minutes.Good luck.

So sorry Abbey. I always ask for the last appointment before lunch. The office staff may drag a$$ all morning long, but when it gets near lunch time, it is amazing what they can get done!

I would be willing to bet that your doctor has no idea how long you are waiting. Mention it to him, and I bet you will not wait the next time.

You had to wait b/c you were a follow up appointment? I have never heard of such. They should go by appointment times. Just b/c you are a follow up does not make you less important than anyone else. I could understand if an emergency came up, but this was obviously not the case.

I am pretty sure that if you let them know in a nice way that you are not going to accept this kind of care, then things will change. This is JMO from working in a doctors office.

Good luck to you.
Dragoodle

Give him a piece of your mind Abbey...really do it!
You did not deserve that at all!
As for my doc..I absoloutley hate him, I mean H-A_T-E (with the capitals and all)...but, finding a new doc is next to impossible in Canada right now...on the flipside of the hate issue...I never, ever,, ever wait. I walk in..and walk straight back into his office...
why so easy you ask?
Well...because he's an anal retentive basterd (spelled wrong on purpose of course!)
But, he also gives me what I need and does it well enough. He never forgets and he often, like for 4-5 months in a row refills my scripts without asking to see me...
So, that's my story...
Sharky

I love it when you post...Miami...I lol everytime I see your avatar...love it...

I work in a doctor's office so I can tell you that they just don't care. It's all about money to them. They get more money for new patient visit then they do for follow up visits. Trust me it's all about the bucks. Working there has really opened my eyes as to how some doctors can be so greedy. Sorry about your bad experience.

I would definitely say something to the doctor. He's probably too busy to see what his office staff is doing. I've already waited at my doctor for 8 hours. No matter what time my appt. is, I always wait at least 1 hour just for them to call me back to take my BP, pulse,etc. Then they ask me why I am there today,and send me back into the waiting room to wait for at least another hour until one of the rooms open up. My doctor even has a physicians asst. working with her. I thought it would get better when they hired the PA, but it got worse. It's totally ridiculous. And when you finally see the doc or PA, its for 5 minutes, then one of the nurses come in with your rx's and your on your way. I always pack a lunch to go to the doctor, and so do alot of other people.

I don't have any insurance. I did try to switch doctors, but instead of asking my medical history, the first question was, " What kind of insurance do you have?". When you tell them none, they say at the moment the doctor isn't accepting any new patients, but we'll get back to you when there is an opening. It's all a big money racket, if you ask me.

I'm just as disgusted as you Abbey. Good Luck on Thursday, and I would definitely say something to the doctor about your experience.

Take Care,

Lori

I just recently switched my PCP, and he doesn't have appointments! First come, first served and when I went recently, I was in & out of there very quickly. I really like this system, cause I can go when convenient to me since he even offers Sat. hours for us working people. IMO, a much better system.

I wish mine was like that. I don't know why that made me as ill as it did yesterday, but it just did. I was royally ticked off. I don't care what profession you are in; if you have a scheduled time to meet with someone, that's when you meet with them. Hopefully, I will actually get to see the doctor Thursday, and I will be saying something to him about yesterday's whole mess.

Well with what this doctor (who is an internal medicine doctor) charged me for my initial visit (well over $1,000), he's not hurting for money. But, I will take the advice of calling before I leave and see how backed up he is. I did that yesterday, too, and was told if I went in a little early, I could get out earlier. That didn't go as planned, but I will try it again Thursday.

Twins--please check your PMs

chemsynth

Abbey, From your last post about this guy, not looking at you, etc., my gut feeling is he is trying to discourage you from being his patient. He's been more than rude, got your name wrong "accidentally", makes you wait for hours (come-on, surely all the people who went before you were NOT new patients!).

He has shown all the typical behaviors of a brush-off, for whatever reason. Please, try to find someone else. His cruelty will escalate. You deserve to be treated humanely.

Let us know what happens on Thursday. Clara