Inspired by mtemm.. Would you stay with this pediatrition??

[Piglet]

Took my DD to a new pediatrition last week, because our other one moved to New Mexico and we wanted to have someone that has been in the area for a while, since we are now on our 5th one (my DD turns 6 on Saturday). Well...my DD has a lot of health problems and has a disease that needs constant attention we went to the first appointment and had to wait a little over an 1 1/2 hours to get in. We really liked the doctor after we finally got to see him. But he then ordered some labs and it took almost a week to get the results from his office (and I know they had them the next day). I called them 4 times and finally had to get a bit nasty about it and tell them that I was very concerned about the results and wanted them. I know their office is very busy and I believe they are really short staffed, but we really liked the doctor and he spent a lot of time with us (which is probably why he was running so far behind in the office) and was totally great with my DD.

Would you stay with this doc and just deal with it or would you find someone else?? Keep in mind, I would have to take her to a ped in another town and deal with another hospital, because their were only 2 practices in this town.

Melinda

If your still with me on this.... I am sorry it is so long. Trying to make a decision.

 

[coqui]

I'd stay. I can only imagine that the other one will be as busy. The biggest thing would be: Do you feel comfortable talking to him about issues that may come up?

 

[Disney Doll]

Unfortunately, the state of healthcare today is such that everyone is stretched to the breaking point. While the wait in the office was lousy, and the length of time it took to get the results back was lousy, the fact that you have a good feeling about him as a doctor, and a good rapport etc is valuable.

Perhaps at your next visit, you could mention that it took you 4 days to get the test results, and,since your DD has a chronic illness, is there a way to "flag" her chart so that you get the results quicker, as you rest easier knowing what the test results are etc.

Often, the doctor doesn't have a handle on the clerical side of the office, and mentioning it makes all the difference.

 

[Kallison]

If you really like the Doc I would put up with the inconveniences. I would also let him know nicely, most of the time the Doc's are completely clueless as to how the office is being run. My Doc is also my son's Sunday School teacher, so she learns a lot from the Moms at church. She always seems surprised by what we tell her.

 

[Krisu]

The Doctor I work for is Family Practice so we have a lot of Pedi patients. He runs late a lot but is very caring, concerned and thorough. Wouldn't you rather have to sit a bit but then get good care. I agree to mention to him about the lab results. if they did have them you should have been notified sooner. My boss sends a lab letter to every person who has labs and they all know this, so we are happy when they say they haven't gotten their letter since sometimes that means we never got the report from the lab. Sending letters takes a lot of time but it does ensure that no one falls thru the cracks. No news is not necessarily good news. Another indication for you would be how fast they can get you in for an illness.

 

[annemariec]

Piglet,

I agree with the other posters about the doctor. If you and your DD like him, it'd be good to stay.

One thing to consider when making your appointment is to ask which day of the week and time of day is less in demand. The receptionist will often times know "trends" with the office. And it is helpful to the receptionist to spread their appointments rather than cluster them. (If that makes sense...)

Mostly I've found the best time is early morning. If it's a really high demand doctor, I generally try to book the first appointment of the day. No long waits and I'm in and out pretty quickly.

Annemarie

 

[aahmom1]

Another opinion, seeing a Dr. that consistently makes you wait that long will drive you insane. My Dr. is always very prompt and never makes me feel rushed, on the other hand there is another Dr. in his office that makes you wait forever. You can literally hear him in another room chit chatting away, while you're sitting there waiting. While you're the one he's talking to it's not bad but if you're on the other side of that wall you wanna scream. I would say, take your child in for a normal, every day visit, if he makes you wait an extended time, time him, I would say find another Dr.