Dear Patient,

[seenellie81]

Dear Doctor,
Please do not schedule patients appointments every 15 minutes. Some patients take longer then 15 minutes and deserve your time. As much as you appreciate us being on time, us your patients appreciate the time that you spend with us so that you can take your time discovering our illness or ailments and treating us. If you schedule less patients per day you will not have people waiting in your waiting room past their scheduled time as often. This in turn will make people want to be on time.
Sincerely,
Patient that is always on time for their appointment.

 

[stargazer2892]

I think its sad by the end of my last pregnancy if I was home with in 2 hours of leaving (my doctors is 20 min away) I took it as a good visit. Only once in the 13 or so appointments where they on time. Once, the 4 other ladies and I got to talking in the secret second waiting area and turns out ALL of us where scheduled for 2:15 with the same doctor.
Thankfully our pediatrician is much better and rarely have to wait long I think it's normally less then 10 min. Though with a 2 year old stuck in a tiny room they should know not to make us wait to long.

 

[cjbcam]

Dear Doctor, your time is not more important than mine. Stop thinking it is.

Pretty much sums it up. You can give me a mile long list of excuses why doctors are late but you know what? Every person can also have a mile long list why the are running late. If a doctor is always running late do not be surprised when the one day in a hundred you are on time others are late.

 

[CaliBear]

To the people saying that patients bring up extra problems and that's what causes the late doctor, in the past 4-5 years, the doctor always asks me if there is anything else, not the other way around. I believe treating the whole patient has become the way things are done, and I think it is great, but if it is slowing down doctors, then more time needs to be allotted per patient, period. Blaming patients for wanting to talk about their health while at the doctor is illogical. I think some of the blame for delays rests with insurance companies and HMOs wanting to push through as many patients as possible per doctor while some of the blame rests with individual doctors.

 

[mom2rtk]

Every single one of these situations happens about 4 days out of 5 in the clinic I work for and I live in a small city. If more than one happens in the same hour our day is pretty much shot.

If it happens 4 out of every 5 days, then it sounds like the norm. And maybe they should start building in time for it.

 

[barkley]

dear doctor,

I like that your practice is doing random patient satisfaction surveys to see how my most recent appointment or phone interaction with you/your office staff went-but you really should consider extending that survey to include the company you contract with to do your billing. when I get my insurance's explanation of benefits and all or a portion of your covered services haven't been paid it tells me right on the form why. if I take the time to call my insurance company and spend a minimum of 30 minutes on hold just so I can confirm that it was returned for correction due to a billing error on your contractor's part (incorrectly entering the patient i.d. so instead of billing for my annual pap appointment under my name it was billed as though my son had it done or mistyping a date so it appears you're billing for an appointment several months up to a year before the fact) and then take the additional time to call your billing service to advise them that they need to submit a corrected claim-I DO NOT NEED TO BE TOLD THAT THE COMPANY'S POLICY IS TO NEVER RESUBMIT A CLAIM AND "IT'S NOT THAT MUCH JUST PAY IT OUT OF POCKET"

dear doctor-when I've spoken to your on-site office staff they tell me this is not your policy, and you've also told me as well. please take the time to inform the company you use (i'll gladly wait another 15 minutes to see you).

 

[Katelly]

Dear Doctor,
Please do not schedule patients appointments every 15 minutes. Some patients take longer then 15 minutes and deserve your time. As much as you appreciate us being on time, us your patients appreciate the time that you spend with us so that you can take your time discovering our illness or ailments and treating us. If you schedule less patients per day you will not have people waiting in your waiting room past their scheduled time as often. This in turn will make people want to be on time.
Sincerely,
Patient that is always on time for their appointment.

I worked for a doctor that scheduled patients every fifteen minutes. More often than not, patients were double and triple booked every fifteen minutes.

The doctor knew he wouldn't be able to see three patients every fifteen minutes, but they were scheduled anyway as he figured once they were in the office they would just wait. Triple booked appointments = $$$ and that's the way he looked at it. Made for some very angry patients and they always seemed to take out their anger on the front office staff rather than the doctor. So glad I'm not working there anymore!

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

If it happens 4 out of every 5 days, then it sounds like the norm. And maybe they should start building in time for it.

That would be nice if we could but the people who run the health system won't allow it. If the doctors start seeing less patients because of this then the doctors get fired. People need to start putting the blame where it lays....the board of directors that says we have to see 20+ patients in a day and the insurance companies that insist we cover every chronic condition during every appointment or they won't pay.

 

[Lanshark]

Dear Doctor, your time is not more important than mine. Stop thinking it is.

I totally agree.

 

[LisaInNc]

I give them 30 minutes. If my appointment goes later I talk to the receptionist. My time is every bit as valuable as theirs is and if I am 15 minutes late the refuse to see me. I live 5 minutes away from the office so a phone call telling me there was an emergency or a delay would have been decent.

Then I leave. I did that enough times that now they take me when I am supposed to be seen.

I get that things happen, people run late, things take longer than you plan but I also believe in common courtesy and a phone call takes half a minute.

Lisa

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Dear Doctor,

Why do all of your staff take lunch at the same time so I can't call between 12 and 1 pm? And why is it 1:30 when the recording saying you are closed 12 - 1 is finally turned off?

Why do you give me an appointment time and see me an hour later?

Why can't you ever get my billing correct the first time?

Why are you only open past 5 pm one day a week? Why aren't you open on the weekends?



And don't get he started on doctors in hospitals...

 

[Jex]

Dear Patients,

Stop stealing the tounge depressors. They are not for your kids craft projects.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Dear Doctor,

Stop double billing. You can go to jail.

 

[dakcp2001]

I pick up shifts in the surgical department. You have a pre surgery appointment so you can get cleared for elective types of surgery. You miss it, your surgery is cancelled. Period. That makes surgeons angry, so we pretty much have to take people when they come. We schedule 70 appointments a day. Last month 63% of our patients were "more than an hour late". Only 9% checked in within 15 minutes of their scheduled appointment time. People come whenever they want. It' really makes you lose your faith in humanity. And you get 2 auto calls with reminders the week leading up, and one human calling you the day before. People suck. If you come at your scheduled time, you are seen within 15 minutes. If you come whenever you want, you wait. Sometimes a little sometimes a lot. If you call ahead to say you are late, we can work with that. It is extremely difficult to staff appropriately since surgery volumes fluctuate at different times of year, and since most people don't come at their appointment time.

 

[Mokat76]

I pick up shifts in the surgical department. You have a pre surgery appointment so you can get cleared for elective types of surgery. You miss it, your surgery is cancelled. Period. That makes surgeons angry, so we pretty much have to take people when they come. We schedule 70 appointments a day. Last month 63% of our patients were "more than an hour late". Only 9% checked in within 15 minutes of their scheduled appointment time. People come whenever they want. It' really makes you lose your faith in humanity. And you get 2 auto calls with reminders the week leading up, and one human calling you the day before. People suck. If you come at your scheduled time, you are seen within 15 minutes. If you come whenever you want, you wait. Sometimes a little sometimes a lot. If you call ahead to say you are late, we can work with that. It is extremely difficult to staff appropriately since surgery volumes fluctuate at different times of year, and since most people don't come at their appointment time.

Really? People suck? All people? Pretty sweeping assessment. Hope I'm not in the market for a surgeon in your area. And BTW, I'm on time for my appts.; my drs. and their staffs? Not so much.

 

[lsyorke]

I pick up shifts in the surgical department. You have a pre surgery appointment so you can get cleared for elective types of surgery. You miss it, your surgery is cancelled. Period. That makes surgeons angry, so we pretty much have to take people when they come. We schedule 70 appointments a day. Last month 63% of our patients were "more than an hour late". Only 9% checked in within 15 minutes of their scheduled appointment time. People come whenever they want. It' really makes you lose your faith in humanity. And you get 2 auto calls with reminders the week leading up, and one human calling you the day before. People suck. If you come at your scheduled time, you are seen within 15 minutes. If you come whenever you want, you wait. Sometimes a little sometimes a lot. If you call ahead to say you are late, we can work with that. It is extremely difficult to staff appropriately since surgery volumes fluctuate at different times of year, and since most people don't come at their appointment time.

Working in a doctors office the "no show, no call" is a huge problem, despite reminder calls the day before. Being reasonably new to office nursing I was shocked at how many patients just don't show, some over and over again. Due to this we do some double booking, especially a "known no show". We don't make patients wait for long, but then there are those days that all heck breaks loose.

I've had to put policies in place that if someone is 15 minutes late, they have to reschedule(which ticks patients off too), it's only fair to those who show up on time.

Something to keep in mind is that most offices are down to a skeleton staff, due to insurance reimbursement decreasing every year. The electronic medical record requirements would blow your mind, I know it did mine(to say nothing of the cost). The are SO time consuming it's ridiculous.
Add that all together and sadly, sometimes one has to wait.

Believe me, most offices are not purposely trying to aggravate you,and they are just getting by financially. The "closed for lunch" is necessary, or no one gets to eat, including the doctor.

 

[dakcp2001]

Really? People suck? All people? Pretty sweeping assessment. Hope I'm not in the market for a surgeon in your area. And BTW, I'm on time for my appts.; my drs. and their staffs? Not so much.

So that makes you part of the 9%. And yes, people suck. 67% ish of them. Please note that many are MORE than an HOUR late.

 

[Belle0101]

Dear Doctor,

Why do all of your staff take lunch at the same time so I can't call between 12 and 1 pm? And why is it 1:30 when the recording saying you are closed 12 - 1 is finally turned off?

Why do you give me an appointment time and see me an hour later?

Why can't you ever get my billing correct the first time?

Why are you only open past 5 pm one day a week? Why aren't you open on the weekends?

And don't get he started on doctors in hospitals...

BBM

Reminds me so much of my doctor's office. They open at 8AM but don't turn the automated messaging system off until 8:30AM. Lunch breaks are the same as you posted, with the automated messaging system being turned off at 1:30PM.

Even then you can only talk to a receptionist to schedule appointments. Anything else (questions for the nurse or doctor, calling for lab results, billing questions, etc) you have to navigate the menu system (press 1 for ..., press 2 for ...) and leave a message.

But the best ... I called on a Friday with a question regarding a reaction I was having to an injection. I called at 4:05PM and the answering service answered. I said that I thought the office was open until 5PM. The person confirmed that I was correct but at 4PM on Fridays the office switched off their phones and calls were routed to the answering service.

I asked her to page my doctor. She said they were not allowed to page the doctors until after 5PM. Even then, I would need to call back after 5PM, she couldn't write my request down. So, between 4 and 5PM on Fridays you cannot contact the office, for anything, not even the answering service can.

 

[themilesfamily]

Here's a good article for everyone.

The nine REAL reasons your doctor is running late.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/healt...asons-your-doctors-running-late.aspx#/slide-6

 

[Disneychick75]

Here's a good article for everyone.

The nine REAL reasons your doctor is running late.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/healt...asons-your-doctors-running-late.aspx#/slide-6

What would go well with the excuses, even good ones, is for the receptionist to let people in the waiting room know the doctor has been delayed. This way if someone is pressed for time or just doesn't want to wait, they can reschedule.
The reason a lot of us are responding the way we are is because it is arrogant for someone to think that their time is more important than ours. There is no other place that I go that takes appts that treats my time so callously.