Does this aggravate you???

[dimimi]

I can't stand when doctors, dentists or any other office have the entire office staff take an hour lunch with no one to answer the phones. I understand people need to eat, heck I worked in an office setting for 8 years, but we ALWAYS took our lunches in shifts so that someone was always on the phones. I can't understand for the life of me how a Dr could be open from 10-4 and have their phones closed for an entire hour. It drives me crazy. Ok, rant over..but am I the only one who feels these types of places need to keep someone on the phone while they are open???

Our Doctor opens at 8 for patients but doesn't answer the phone until 9! They are too busy pulling charts. I am sorry, but the day I was there they were just chatting and even after 9 they waited until the person left a message and then called them back! At first I thought I was mistaken, but I watched and the woman let every phone call go to the voice mail.

Yes, I understand she has other things to take care of besides the phones, but obviously it is most convenient for the customer (patient) when they answer the phone!

 

[disfan07]

Doesn't really bother me. Some of my doctors offices close and some do not.

Internist- 12-1
Derm. 12-1
GYN 1-2
Pulm. does not close completely. the doctors work on different schedules (5 doctors in the office)
Cardiologist does not close completely. the doctors work on different schedules
Allergist. She has 3 assistants that are based in her office in the hospital. One is always there to answer the phone. But she always doesn't get a regular lunch break. She eats when she can.

There is always someone IN the office at the front desk during lunch only because the doctors always run over into their lunch so there needs to be someone at the front desk but they won't answer the phone.

 

[Kathi OD]

I'm in the process of looking for a new doctor, precisely because no one ever answers the phone when I call.

I get a message that the office is open, but they're so busy that they'll have to call me back. Of course, they call when I am in class and can't take their message, so I end up playing phone tag for several days before I can get in touch with someone. It's absolutely aggravating!

 

[tvguy]

I'm in the process of looking for a new doctor, precisely because no one ever answers the phone when I call.

I get a message that the office is open, but they're so busy that they'll have to call me back. Of course, they call when I am in class and can't take their message, so I end up playing phone tag for several days before I can get in touch with someone. It's absolutely aggravating!

Yeah, same here. They make no bones about it on their message, "if you have an emergency, call 9-1-1, otherwise leave a message for a call back." The phone never rings in the office. Actually, they do most everything by e-mail now, appointments, prescription refill requests, etc.

 

[TinkPirateMom]

This doesn't bother me. I highly doubt everyone leaves the office for lunch as others have stated they are more than likely catching up on things that can't done with the phone ringing.

 

[crz4mm2]

I work for an attorney who does personal injury work. We are constantly in contact with doctor's offices, to get medical records, schedule depositions, see if our clients are being compliant with the recommended treatment. Sometimes all I need is an address or fax number. There are many things which are needed from doctor's offices other than just scheduling a routine appointment. I SECOND the motion (wait, was there a motion) that there should always be someone in the office to answer the phones.

Is your office open during lunch?

 

[MM27]

I understand that it's probably easier for them to get everyone to lunch at the same time, instead of staggering lunches and being shorthanded for much of the afternoon.

My dentist has a service that answers the phone when they are at lunch, or before and after their normal hours. I called one day to ask a question, not realizing that they weren't opened yet and the guy would not accept that I just had a question and would call back later. Maybe he was bored and just wanted to keep talking.

 

[wdwmom2]

The pedi office I work for is open and the nurse triage phones are on from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (On Saturdays it is from 8 to noon.) We do not shut the phones down for lunch. The nurse that works until closing takes her lunch last, around 3-4 p.m. . Now, the prescription refill and the referral line is not manned during the lunch hour of 12 to 1. And, with those lines, if you leave all the needed info we don't call you back until the items are ready to be picked up.

There are a few times that we do shut the phones down, secretary's day and our Christmas party. Probably a few more that I can't think of now. Even then, patients get the answering service who promply pages the doc on call.

 

[Mermaid02]

I work in an office of 3 surgeons- there are 2 of us and we cover each other's lunch. The only time the phone is "on service" and we are there is during a monthly staff meeting.

 

[Minnie_me]

It annoys the crap out of me! I don't know why they can't take lunch in shifts so that someone is always able to answer the phones.

I am a teacher, and my ONLY break is between 12:00 and 1:00 --- the EXACT same time as the doctor's offices' lunch breaks!!!

Most of my colleagues get another break during the day, but I don't. My two "planning periods" are back to back.

 

[Andtototoo]

Is your office open during lunch?

I have never worked in a place that closed for lunch in my life. My workplaces have always staggered lunches so that there is phone or face to face coverage.

At my last workplace, they have a benefits officer who handles health and life insurance for more than 1000 clients. The vast majority of her calls came in during the lunch hour because that's when people can make those calls. I can only imagine the complaints they'd get if they told clients that she was out to lunch and could not answer their questions during the only time they have available.

 

[lsyorke]

It annoys the crap out of me! I don't know why they can't take lunch in shifts so that someone is always able to answer the phones.

I am a teacher, and my ONLY break is between 12:00 and 1:00 --- the EXACT same time as the doctor's offices' lunch breaks!!!

Most of my colleagues get another break during the day, but I don't. My two "planning periods" are back to back.

I have worked in both situations. I can tell you that it is MUCH better for patients to have the office closed for an hour, than running the whole afternoon short staffed. I currently work without a scheduled lunch hour and we work shorthanded for 3 hours to allow for lunches, OR we don't get lunch at all. When I worked where there was a "lunch hour" it usually included inservices during that time.

See, nurses like to have that hour to do exactly what you want to do.

Everyone is legally entitled to lunch and if a call to a doctor is critical people will find the 2 minutes to make an appointment.

 

[SandrA9810]

My last eye doctor has a lunch break from 1-2pm. It didn't bug me so much when I was living there. But I've been trying to get in contact with them for some time now to get my prescription. Being that I'm three hours time difference, it's a pain to finally get the right time, because by 2pm in California, they're closing up shop.
They also say on their voicemail not to leave multiple messages, as it slows them down returning calls. Out of the dozen times I left just one message (giving them like 3 days to respond), I never heard a call back.
Ohh and they're also closed by 1pm on Friday.

 

[shortbun]

That doesn't annoy me. What annoys me is when we have to get things done on base and their lunch break is from 11am-2pm.

Yeah, my peds and internists both do this. Several docs there-several nurses-big office staff-two hour lunch. Since I've been there, I know they always are still seeing patients the first half hour but I would think they could overlap their lunches and only be closed an hour. The other thing that bugs me-repeated busy or terminal hold at my doctor's office. I've left doctors for that.

 

[Jenn310]

This is something that always amazes me, but probably because I worked in a doctors office and we never turned our phones off/closed at all. Everyone that answered the phones just had to go to lunch in shifts.

 

[JKMJ441724]

But none of that NEEDS to be done at that exact second. It can wait an hour.

I agree that it doesn't HAVE to be done during that exact moment. It makes life at this office much easier. At any given moment we have about 600 OPEN cases. So if it doesn't get done right then, it gets moved to the bottom of the pile. Which then gets the client mad, which gets the attorney mad, which makes me want to say "screw it, I'm going DisneyWorld. It'll just get done when it gets done."

I guess what really bothers ME, personally, is the offices that I routinely deal with have an answering service during lunch and they will only take messages for "emergencies". Anything else, even for those who want to schedule appointments to come in for treatment have to call back. There are many times that I would be content, HAPPY even, if I could just leave a message in someone's voicemail. I think voicemail is the greatest thing since the ball-point pen. There are times that I would rather talk to a machine.

Is your office open during lunch?

Yep. We always have a receptionist up front, and a legal assistant on standby at lunch-time because our phones never stop ringing.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I'm more annoyed with my Doctor's office hours in general. They are only open past 5 one day a week.

 

[Mermaid02]

I'm more annoyed with my Doctor's office hours in general. They are only open past 5 one day a week.

Our office is never opened past 3 for in office appts and no weekends. They are surgeons so they are oncall for emergency surgeries etc- but no office hours. I think it's reasonable for folks to take off from work if they need an appointment.

 

[SaraJayne]

Yes, it does aggravate me. So much so that I've changed doctors over them being "unavailable" in the middle of the day.

 

[luvmy3]

No, it doesn't bother me at all. When my kids are sick, I call first thing in the morning and request the 1:00 appt because thats the first one after they re-open the office. No waiting and we are in and out, I love it!