Ok, maybe this is trivial, but its turning into a major gripe of mine and I would just like to vent.
Those, darned, annoying, pesky reminder calls from the dentist!!!!
With a family of four, seems hardly a month goes by without someone having a dentist appointment. Ok, so we go to the dentist. I hardly need 3-4 reminder calls about each appointment! It goes something like this--first, they call the home number, but don't leave a message. Then they call the cell, but don't leave a message. Then they call back the home line and cell and leave messages. They call one week prior to the appointment and the day before. It seems I'm averaging one call per day from the dentist.
Its not like we have a history of forgetting our appointments--quite the opposite. We're always there on time. Its the dentist who needs the reminder calls--we sit waiting 30-45 minutes past our appointment time just to be taken to the exam room, then wait excessively (half an hour or more) once in the chair to see the 'great one".
For that and other reasons I'm changing dentists. I'm just fed up with his practices, anyways, and am starting a new year and new benefits period to change dentists. However, how to keep those annoying reminder calls from starting with the new dentist? One thing for sure--I'm not giving them my cell number. I just put that down on any doctor/dentist form where they ask for additional contact in case of emergency, but I figured that was for an emergency, like you croaked in the chair and your next of kin needs to be notified, not just to call to remind you of an appointment. Its especially annoying to get a call on my cell while driving. I'm not one of those people who can handle a call while driving (usually have to fish it out of my purse). When my cell rings I'm concerned its a problem with my kids, ones sick at school, something like that. I only give out my cell to emergency contacts. So I pull over, sometimes have to get off the highway, fish out my cell, thinking its something important, only to find out its the 4th or 5th reminder call for the same dental appointment
Ok, obviously, I don't give out the cell to the new dentist. But the calls at home are annoying, too. Seems they always come at an awkward time. Wonder if I could request no reminder calls, or email reminders only? Only thing is, I've found no matter what you say or do, once they get a number in their system they just keep calling it.
When I worked I made the mistake of giving my work number to doctors and dentists and would get the most annoying, awkward, embarassing calls right at work. Once the doctor left a message with a co-worker to come in and have another urine test done, since the last one revealed a possible urinary tract infection. I didn't need the whole office knowing that! (that was before HIPPA and all the privacy stuff).
Seems those reminder calls violate some sort of HIPPA rule. I jst want to start afresh with the new dentist and not be bothered silly with constant reminder calls. So, is there some way to "opt out" of those calls, other than just telling them, which they seem to ignore? Sort of like opting out of junk mail, etc.
Those, darned, annoying, pesky reminder calls from the dentist!!!!
With a family of four, seems hardly a month goes by without someone having a dentist appointment. Ok, so we go to the dentist. I hardly need 3-4 reminder calls about each appointment! It goes something like this--first, they call the home number, but don't leave a message. Then they call the cell, but don't leave a message. Then they call back the home line and cell and leave messages. They call one week prior to the appointment and the day before. It seems I'm averaging one call per day from the dentist.
Its not like we have a history of forgetting our appointments--quite the opposite. We're always there on time. Its the dentist who needs the reminder calls--we sit waiting 30-45 minutes past our appointment time just to be taken to the exam room, then wait excessively (half an hour or more) once in the chair to see the 'great one".
For that and other reasons I'm changing dentists. I'm just fed up with his practices, anyways, and am starting a new year and new benefits period to change dentists. However, how to keep those annoying reminder calls from starting with the new dentist? One thing for sure--I'm not giving them my cell number. I just put that down on any doctor/dentist form where they ask for additional contact in case of emergency, but I figured that was for an emergency, like you croaked in the chair and your next of kin needs to be notified, not just to call to remind you of an appointment. Its especially annoying to get a call on my cell while driving. I'm not one of those people who can handle a call while driving (usually have to fish it out of my purse). When my cell rings I'm concerned its a problem with my kids, ones sick at school, something like that. I only give out my cell to emergency contacts. So I pull over, sometimes have to get off the highway, fish out my cell, thinking its something important, only to find out its the 4th or 5th reminder call for the same dental appointment
Ok, obviously, I don't give out the cell to the new dentist. But the calls at home are annoying, too. Seems they always come at an awkward time. Wonder if I could request no reminder calls, or email reminders only? Only thing is, I've found no matter what you say or do, once they get a number in their system they just keep calling it.
When I worked I made the mistake of giving my work number to doctors and dentists and would get the most annoying, awkward, embarassing calls right at work. Once the doctor left a message with a co-worker to come in and have another urine test done, since the last one revealed a possible urinary tract infection. I didn't need the whole office knowing that! (that was before HIPPA and all the privacy stuff).Seems those reminder calls violate some sort of HIPPA rule. I jst want to start afresh with the new dentist and not be bothered silly with constant reminder calls. So, is there some way to "opt out" of those calls, other than just telling them, which they seem to ignore? Sort of like opting out of junk mail, etc.
I hear ya!!!
