Help me call the doctor's office!

[AprilShowers]

I know that title sounds stupid, but I'm still fuming mad at them and I don't want to call them.

I'm 99% certain that DD has an ear infection. I called the dr. office yesterday afternoon. This is the conversation we had.

I'd like to make an apt for DD to see Dr.

Well, your dr is on vacation, and dr. B can see her on Thurs.

I don't want to see Dr. B. can someone else see her?

Yes, and Dr. C has openings tomorrow, but you have to call back tomorrow to get the apt. You NEED to call RIGHT AT 8:00a.m. because they will fill real fast!!

I can't call tomorrow AT 8:00, but I'm on the phone right now, can't you schedule it for me now?

Nope, I'm sorry, the best I can do is get her in next week

It went on and on like this and we didn't get the appointment.
Now I'm ticked because they need me to jump through their hoops to get my sick child seen. It makes absolutely no sense to me that they WON'T make an appointment for me when they know they have openings for the next day.

Of course, I wasn't available at 8:00 to call them and I know DD has to be seen. I just don't want to call them and do the whole dance again!

 

[mjkacmom]

We've had several pediatricians, and you can't make a sick visit appointment the day before. Why didn't you want to see a certain doctor just for an ear infection? The last time my kids had ear pain (which I assumed was swimmers ear, rightly, because it hurt when you tugged on the lobe), I took them to urgent care, because I didn't want to call the pediatrician, and have to schedule at late morning or afternoon appointment, when I could just walk into urgent care first thing in the morning.

 

[mickeyboat]

Call them. They might still be able to get her in today. Good luck. Is there an urgent care center available? I have also heard great things about the CVS clinics - maybe there is one of those near you.

I can understand your frustration, but I do see their point. They reserve a few appointments each day for people who call with urgent concerns. If you are willing to refuse an open apointment with a doctor, and you are wiling to wait until the next day, they assume the problem must not be that urgent. So that they don't have to make those judgement calls, they limit the "urgent" appointments to people who need to be seen the same day.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

 

[angwill]

I have a doctor who leaves open a few emergency slots each day but you have to call first thing for them too. Office rules suck but there isn't much choice if that is how they do it. They do it so that if someone has an emergency illness like your DD they can get in otherwise all the appointments would be filled and you wouldn't have the choice to call at 8am and would be stuck with seeing doctor C on Thursday.

Do you have one of those emergency clinics that are open when the doctors are closed so the emergency rooms don't get patients that are not emergencies. I would look for that option and bring her in when they open today.

HTH

 

[lillygator]

with our ped you can't call and just make an appt for right away...but they usually can always fit you in and luckily they have "sick" hours that are walk in/open from 7am to 8am every morning.

 

[laurie31]

That is a very bizarre practice. As you said, you were on the phone THEN. How was calling back in the morning going to be better?

On the other hand, how old is your DD, and does she have ongoig problems with ear infections? I thought the current practice was not to prescribe antibiotics unless the patient is very young, it doesn't clear up on its own, or unless there are other associated problems. You might be just as well off going to the pharmacy for some OTC pain ear drops and watching her.

Link
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/ear-infections-treatment-overview

So if your DD is an infant, I'd be calling back, but I would not be happy about having to do so. If she's older than two, unless she has problems with recurrent ear infections or has other symptoms in addition to the ear infection, I don't think I'd bother.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My doctor's office works pretty much the same way.

Appts for "that day" are Urgent Care appts; otherwise they're "routine".

You generally can't make a routine appt for the next day.

I've fought this battle myself many times. It's a loser. Sometimes you have to suck it up and play the game.

They told you what to do if you wanted her seen, and gave you two options, neither of which you took advantage of.

I would have made myself available come heck or high water at 8am this morning to get an appt with Dr C.

You can go somewhere else but it's not really to your advantage. a) she's not known elsewhere, and b) there is no communication and follow up with your own medical team.

 

[AprilShowers]

Call them. They might still be able to get her in today. Good luck. Is there an urgent care center available? I have also heard great things about the CVS clinics - maybe there is one of those near you.

I can understand your frustration, but I do see their point. They reserve a few appointments each day for people who call with urgent concerns. If you are willing to refuse an open apointment with a doctor, and you are wiling to wait until the next day, they assume the problem must not be that urgent. So that they don't have to make those judgement calls, they limit the "urgent" appointments to people who need to be seen the same day.

I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

I turned down the other doctor because she is a crappy doctor. No ifs ands or buts. I vowed to myself and my children that they would never be seen by her again. (and she didn't have an apt. till Thursday anyway)
I was calling for a "sick child" appointment, which in my opinion isn't "urgent" but a need to be seen soon kind of thing. I WAS NOT calling for a well-child check or something else that could wait. I have NEVER been told in 17 years by this office that I must wait till next day to call when I've had a sick child.

And there is no reason for a receptionist to ASSUME anything is or isn't urgent. That's my call to make not hers.

 

[Disney Doll]

If recurrent ear infections aren't a problem, take her to a walk-in.

 

[*BTMRR*]

This is how our office works. It's frustrating but I think it's a fairly common policy. There's a certain number of "acute" appointments available each day and you have to call right at 8am on THAT day for one of those. The rest of the slots are already filled with people having non-urgent appointments that they scheduled days/weeks ago.

You can however ask to talk to a nurse and they will get back to you and sometimes they will be able to break the scheduling rules.

I hope your DD will be well soon.

 

[mickeyboat]

I turned down the other doctor because she is a crappy doctor. No ifs ands or buts. I vowed to myself and my children that they would never be seen by her again. (and she didn't have an apt. till Thursday anyway)
I was calling for a "sick child" appointment, which in my opinion isn't "urgent" but a need to be seen soon kind of thing. I WAS NOT calling for a well-child check or something else that could wait. I have NEVER been told in 17 years by this office that I must wait till next day to call when I've had a sick child.

And there is no reason for a receptionist to ASSUME anything is or isn't urgent. That's my call to make not hers.

That's exactly the point. Their protocol is that if your concern is urgent (by your standards) they will get you in that same day, maybe not with your own doctor, but they will get you in. Those appointments are reserved for those situations, and are not available for advance scheduling.

The receptionist is absolutely not making the call as to whether your DDs problem is urgent, you are because you refused the appointment that was available.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was calling for a "sick child" appointment, which in my opinion isn't "urgent" but a need to be seen soon kind of thing. I WAS NOT calling for a well-child check or something else that could wait. I have NEVER been told in 17 years by this office that I must wait till next day to call when I've had a sick child.

And there is no reason for a receptionist to ASSUME anything is or isn't urgent. That's my call to make not hers.

It's just the medical lingo.

There are three types of cases:

Non-urgent, aka routine, or well child, as you call it

Urgent

Emergent

The appt you requested is an urgent appt.

And those can only be made, generally, the "day of".

Somehow they blurred the lines a bit to offer you an urgen appt 2 days away, probably because Dr B was covering for your own doctor.

 

[AprilShowers]

Thanks for all your replies! I DID call the doctor, and she is being seen by Dr. D this afternoon.
It all just confuses me because (maybe it's a new policy) but not something I've EVER run into before.(17 years with this office)
It just seems silly for me to have to call back for something that is available now. (waste of my time and hers kwim?)

Oh well, I jumped through their hoops and DD will be seen.
The funny thing is that DD is 15 and has had two ear infections this year. She's a swimmer, but neither infection occured during swim season or after swimming. It has been several days and not clearing up. Soooooo trying to be a good mom and getting her in, just didn't need the headaches of waiting and calling back.

ETA: I WISH we had a walk-in option. It's a small town.

 

[Kath2003]

This is standard practice in the UK. If you want a non-urgent appointment you can call any time and request a doctor.

If you're sick with something that needs seeing to, you call up (or go in) on the day and get an appointment. They try to fit you in with your own doctor as far as possible but you will get seen that day. Most surgeries run 2 hours of urgent appointments in the morning and an hour or two in the evening. If you're seen for anything routine or something non-urgent, you get a longer appointment time (usually 15 minutes) rather than urgent appointments which get 5 minutes.

 

[robinb]

The funny thing is that DD is 15 and has had two ear infections this year. She's a swimmer, but neither infection occured during swim season or after swimming. It has been several days and not clearing up.

My DD came down with Swimmer's Ear (an ear infection on the outside of the eardrum) right at the end of the summer swim season. The medicine she was given retailed for $150 for a tiny bottle ! Thank goodness we have health insurance that covers prescription drugs.

She was seen the same day I called for an appointment. I'm glad that you were able to get into see a doctor today. I probably would have taken Doctor B (the one you didn't like) in order to have her seen today. She might be a bad doctor in general, but how much can she mess up an ear infection, KWIM? I hope your DD feels better soon.

 

[wdwmom2]

The receptionist is absolutely not making the call as to whether your DDs problem is urgent, you are because you refused the appointment that was available.

EXACTLY!!!

 

[mchames]

My DD came down with Swimmer's Ear (an ear infection on the outside of the eardrum) right at the end of the summer swim season. The medicine she was given retailed for $150 for a tiny bottle ! Thank goodness we have health insurance that covers prescription drugs.

She was seen the same day I called for an appointment. I'm glad that you were able to get into see a doctor today. I probably would have taken Doctor B (the one you didn't like) in order to have her seen today. She might be a bad doctor in general, but how much can she mess up an ear infection, KWIM? I hope your DD feels better soon.

Wouldn't happen to be CIPRODEX, would it? My DD9 has had recurring ear problems for years. I swear I should buy stock in that company for the amount of money, we've spent on ear drops. Even with health insurance, we still drop $100+ a teeny weeny bottle! That stuff is like liquid gold!

 

[robinb]

Wouldn't happen to be CIPRODEX, would it? My DD9 has had recurring ear problems for years. I swear I should buy stock in that company for the amount of money, we've spent on ear drops. Even with health insurance, we still drop $100+ a teeny weeny bottle! That stuff is like liquid gold!

I don't have the bottle in front of me, but that sounds right. AND it recently went up in price. The last time we had it 18 months ago it was "only" $100 and now it's $150! Thank goodness my co-pay is only about $20. I did tell the doctor that the drops were very expensive and perhaps she should consider another alternative for people without insurance.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Wow, just crazy!

I scheduled an immunization appointment for my son who is entering middle school. I called two weeks ago. The appointment was SUPPOSED to be yesterday. My husband arranged to take the morning off, so I didn't have to take the rest of the children.

The appointment was for 10:00am. I get a call at 8:00 saying the doctor refuses to give the shot until he has his well visit. His well visit isn't due until around his birthday at the end of October. I explain he needs the shot now for school.

They say the best they can do for me is get us in at the end of September. Again, I point out that school starts Monday and he needs the booster shot so he can attend school.

After 20 minutes of debate I get a well check appointment on Thursday. Of course a day that my husband can not take off. They act like they are giving me a pot of gold with that appointment.

I just don't get our health system today. (I can get the shot at the health dept. but don't want to wait hours for it)

 

[Deb in IA]

That's exactly the point. Their protocol is that if your concern is urgent (by your standards) they will get you in that same day, maybe not with your own doctor, but they will get you in. Those appointments are reserved for those situations, and are not available for advance scheduling.

The receptionist is absolutely not making the call as to whether your DDs problem is urgent, you are because you refused the appointment that was available.

Exactly.

You were offered two options - appointment Thursday with Dr. B, or today as an urgent add-on with Dr. C. The rules for urgent add-ons are they have to call on the day of the visit. What if they had several other patients wanting to be scheduled early for the same day add-ons? Do they make them wait for 8 am, and yet, take your request a day early?