Frustration with canceled Doctor's Appointments

[Pea-n-Me]

Doesn’t pay like it once did.

While that’s probably true, there’s so much more. Malpractice insurance, school loans, massive regulations, electronic documentation (that takes time from home life for many), weird hours, sicker patients, more entitled patients and families, more aggressive patients, political pressure, the pandemic and it’s aftereffects, more regulations (again), and it may not be the revered job it once was.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I had a very similar situation and really blame that NP for missing my breast cancer. I feel certain that had I seen my physician, a physical exam would have been done and my cancer discovered much sooner.
I’m going to probably get flamed here that the NPs are great, but that was my experience and it really harmed me.

Something similar happened to my mother. Both NP and MD blew it off. Months went by. Dermatologist took one look at it and said it was cancer. And it was. I think a lot of us have these experiences because we’re patients, too, as well as working in the field. It can be frustrating for us, too.

 

[kymom99]

In September I got a call that my Womans Health doctor was going to be out on a "emergency" and I would need to reschedule my appointment or see the NP in her office. I declined and asked to be rescheduled which was a month or so later. THEN the day before my rescheduled appointment they called again and said that the doctor was double booked and again asked if I could see the NP, this time I agreed. THEN I get there and they say "oh you don't need a PAP for another year." The NP didn't even do an exam AT ALL. Just said see ya next year. And to top it off she didn't send in the orders for my annual mammogram or the refill on my birth control.

I don’t need an order for a mammogram. The breast health center sends me a reminder every year.

 

[luvthatduke]

I've had many of my specialist Dr. appts. changed
during the pandemic & had hoped it would improve, but it hasn't.
Also, several specialists have quit which pushes the rescheduled appts. out even further.
Not to mention the high turnover of staff in the medical offices here.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Doesn’t pay like it once did.

Reimbursement is pathetic.

 

[disneychrista]

I had a very similar situation and really blame that NP for missing my breast cancer. I feel certain that had I seen my physician, a physical exam would have been done and my cancer discovered much sooner.
I’m going to probably get flamed here that the NPs are great, but that was my experience and it really harmed me.

My GP is a NP and she is great. This was the first time I saw this NP and I was kind of shocked that she didn't even want to do a physical exam. I didn't need a Pap the year before and the doctor still did an exam.

I don’t need an order for a mammogram. The breast health center sends me a reminder every year.

That is how I found out she didn't send in the order. I realized I hadn't gotten a phone call to schedule an appointment, so I called them. Since it was just a routine exam they didn't need an order.

 

[BayouQueen]

My GP is a NP and she is great. This was the first time I saw this NP and I was kind of shocked that she didn't even want to do a physical exam. I didn't need a Pap the year before and the doctor still did an exam.


That is how I found out she didn't send in the order. I realized I hadn't gotten a phone call to schedule an appointment, so I called them. Since it was just a routine exam they didn't need an order.

I should have been more proactive on my own behalf. My doctor knew I had a problematic history and was always very thorough. I just felt beaten down at the time, so was passive. Lesson learned. And I bring it up here kinda to make that point. Be your own advocate.

 

[disneychrista]

I should have been more proactive on my own behalf. My doctor knew I had a problematic history and was always very thorough. I just felt beaten down at the time, so was passive. Lesson learned. And I bring it up here kinda to make that point. Be your own advocate.

I had years of advocating on behalf of my daughter when doctors kept telling me that it couldn't possibly be what I was saying. Turns out after 2 years of fighting with doctors that I was right.

 

[slo]

Reimbursement is pathetic.

I 100% agree - very pathetic!
I see it every day.
The Chiropractor I work for gets a ridiculous small amount of money for what he does and he‘s the best.

 

[slo]

Got a call from my Dermatologist's office today. I had an appointment at the end of January. He has decided to take that week off on vacation. The first date open is at the END OF MAY! Although they are putting together a waiting list to bump people up if slots open up.
Six weeks ago I got a call from my Nephrologist's office canceling my December appointment because she has decided to take that week off on vacation. That appointment was only pushed back to the end of January.

Now, I understand appointments being canceled for emergencies, but I would expect Doctors to do a little planning ahead for vacations so they don't book appointments for weeks they are taking off.

Maybe it's just me, but my vacations were always planned 6 months to a year in advance. And my wife's (former) employer required all vacation requests that were based on seniority be submitted by September of the year before the vacation was being requested in.

I’d be aggravated too.
It wasn’t to smart to tell the canceled patients about the vacation - they should of just said that he is unfortunately going to be out of the office at that time. It would still be aggravating, but not as aggravating as hearing he decided to take a vacation.

 

[clh2]

Preplanning wouldn’t be hard. If I physician gets 6 weeks of time off a year, they should just block 1 week every 8 weeks. Then, when they actually schedule their actual vacation, they could simply reschedule the patients into the “off week”, with not too much inconvenience.

My husband had an appointment rescheduled for earlier in th same day recently. The Dr ended up having no afternoon appointments except for DH. They moved it up a couple of hours, allowing that Dr to take the afternoon off.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

This happened to me this summer. I had an appointment scheduled for several months and a few days before my appointment I received a call from the doctor's office wanting to reschedule my appointment. As it turned out they gave my appointment to someone else. Needless to say, I was very aggravated. My appointment was with a dental specialist, I decided to go a different route, instead of getting an implant I'm getting a bridge which will be faster and cheaper.

I think that it might be an incentive to prospective students considering the medical field if we were to excuse some or all of their educational debt with stipulations. They would have to spend a minimum amount of time (5 years?, fill in the time stipulation) working in their communities, local medical groups/hospitals serving the community. We need more doctors and the cost to become one is astronomical, this would not only help the students, but it would help their communities and our country as well. I think it would be a win-win for all.

 

[monsterkitty]

None of my Doctors that I am aware of ever work in the hospital. Hospitalists do all that.

Neither one of them work in a hospital.

 

[barkley]

None of my Doctors that I am aware of ever work in the hospital. Hospitalists do all that.

none of mine with my current medical group did either-it's simply become a necessity due to hospital demand. an example would be (for your area) a sutter or uc davis doctor that works in a sutter or uc davis within the name practice (so affiliated in name with the parent company). in the past the doctors generally only went to their local hospital in the case of wanting to check in on one of their own admitted patients BUT NOW because those doctors are affiliated with those hospitals 'the powers that be' are utilizing provisions within their employment contracts that permit the hospitals to require them to work at the hospital as well. it becomes a balancing act for the doctor in a practice.

this would have been much less common years ago when many of the doctors (at least where we lived) were in private practices. they had privileges at the hospitals that surrounded them but were not contractually tied to them as an 'employee'. the only thing back then that would have come close to what we are seeing now is the kaiser model-every doctor within that system was a kaiser doctor. we have 4 major medical groups/4 hospitals-it's the exception to find any kind of practice that doesn't have one of their names within the title of their practice name (too expensive and risky to be entirely independent these days i guess).

 

[barkley]

My appointment was with a dental specialist, I decided to go a different route, instead of getting an implant I'm getting a bridge which will be faster and cheaper.

we've been seeing the opposite here. we've had so many cleanings with dentists cancelled/rescheduled/cancelled due to staffing issues that we just asked his periodontist's office if instead of doing 2 per year at the dentist/2 at the periodontist (follow up to major gum/bridge surgery) we could switch to all 4 at the periodontist. sure, it will cost more but we need to stay on top of the issue-they are able to accommodate us. that reminds me-i need to contact the dentist's office to explain the arrangement and schedule an exam only appointment.

thanks for the reminder!

 

[Travel60]

DD is in primary care. She also has two young kids with usual assortment of school and preschool-related illnesses. So, she sees the issue from both sides.

Her practice had so many no-shows that they instituted a policy of two no-shows in a row means you don't get another appointment. Go somewhere else. Also, chronic late arrival gets a "last appointment of the day" designation.

For her own kids, she is fortunate that DH can usually work from home but sometimes she has to cancel. Kids come first. They try to reschedule within a week or so which means doubling up/no lunch and it's very stressful.

When I go in for my annual, I have list of every test/visit I've had for the year - mammo, pap, dentist, derm, whatever. Also every medicine or vitamin. My primary says I'm one of the few patients who does this and it saves so much time. He says with some people "it's like pulling teeth" to get a history. My DD echoes this.

 

[tvguy]

none of mine with my current medical group did either-it's simply become a necessity due to hospital demand. an example would be (for your area) a sutter or uc davis doctor that works in a sutter or uc davis within the name practice (so affiliated in name with the parent company). in the past the doctors generally only went to their local hospital in the case of wanting to check in on one of their own admitted patients BUT NOW because those doctors are affiliated with those hospitals 'the powers that be' are utilizing provisions within their employment contracts that permit the hospitals to require them to work at the hospital as well. it becomes a balancing act for the doctor in a practice.

this would have been much less common years ago when many of the doctors (at least where we lived) were in private practices. they had privileges at the hospitals that surrounded them but were not contractually tied to them as an 'employee'. the only thing back then that would have come close to what we are seeing now is the kaiser model-every doctor within that system was a kaiser doctor. we have 4 major medical groups/4 hospitals-it's the exception to find any kind of practice that doesn't have one of their names within the title of their practice name (too expensive and risky to be entirely independent these days i guess).

Like I said I am not aware of them being called into the hospital to work, and my cancellations were stated to be because the Doctor was going on vacation that week. Like I also said, I can understand an appointment being canceled for an emergency like the current covid/rsv/flu surge, my complaint that there apparently is no system in place to have Doctors set their vacations far enough in advance that they don't book appointments that week.
Yes, all but one of my Doctors is part of the Sutter Medical System, and have Sutter in their practice name. My Nephrologist is an exception. And looking at her profile she is "affiliated" with Sutter, Mercy and UCDavis hospitals. But when I had a kidney biopsy, she ordered it, and she went over the results with me and devised a treatment plan, but the actual biopsy was done by a Nephrologist who works (according to his profile) exclusively at the hospital, and has no office.

 

[tvguy]

Neither one of them work in a hospital.

Not sure what you are saying. Yes, Hospitalists do work in a hospital, that is all they do.

 

[kymom99]

DD is in primary care. She also has two young kids with usual assortment of school and preschool-related illnesses. So, she sees the issue from both sides.

Her practice had so many no-shows that they instituted a policy of two no-shows in a row means you don't get another appointment. Go somewhere else. Also, chronic late arrival gets a "last appointment of the day" designation.

For her own kids, she is fortunate that DH can usually work from home but sometimes she has to cancel. Kids come first. They try to reschedule within a week or so which means doubling up/no lunch and it's very stressful.

When I go in for my annual, I have list of every test/visit I've had for the year - mammo, pap, dentist, derm, whatever. Also every medicine or vitamin. My primary says I'm one of the few patients who does this and it saves so much time. He says with some people "it's like pulling teeth" to get a history. My DD echoes this.

My history is in MyChart. I look it over before each appointment

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Got a call from my Dermatologist's office today. I had an appointment at the end of January. He has decided to take that week off on vacation. The first date open is at the END OF MAY! Although they are putting together a waiting list to bump people up if slots open up.
Six weeks ago I got a call from my Nephrologist's office canceling my December appointment because she has decided to take that week off on vacation. That appointment was only pushed back to the end of January.

Now, I understand appointments being canceled for emergencies, but I would expect Doctors to do a little planning ahead for vacations so they don't book appointments for weeks they are taking off.

Maybe it's just me, but my vacations were always planned 6 months to a year in advance. And my wife's (former) employer required all vacation requests that were based on seniority be submitted by September of the year before the vacation was being requested in.

In these circumstances, I'd probably look for other doctors.