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and re bad patients - most people are not feeling well, hence not behaving well; keeping patients in a state of infantlism by the machinations of the system (as per above much more widespread historically than today) is likely to result in infantile behavior by said patients |
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When was the last time you saw your dentist and: 1) Asked for medications of any kind? (Gee, can you refill my 8 meds...) 2) Asked to change the meds because they were too expensive 3) Complained of chest pain 4) Followed up on your ER visit 5) Wanted your meds prior auth'd 6) Brought a stack of disability paperwork 7) Saw the dentist after he spent a grueling night working a 36 hour shift 8) Asked to get your cleaning, and, oh, by the way, I want veneers put on TODAY, because if I come back I have another copay 9) Reviewed all of your blood work, and had it explained to you 10) Asked to have your disability paperwork filled out? This is not a slight against dentists. If I were smarter and wiser, I would have become one... Dentists don't have to deal with medicare... Rarely see you if you don't have your copays, and, they avoid a whole lot of issues we have to deal with. Clearly, they have figured it out better than the MD's have... |
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If I walk into an accountants office and am impolite, difficult, and perhaps abusive...what happens? MAYBE one of the other partners sees you and gives you another chance. You screw up again, then what happens? Do you think each of the other 8-10 partners will see you? Uh, no. I don't think folks understand just how abusive patients believe they have the right to be... And the doc's threshold for abuse is fairly high. |
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There is a lot of assumption in your response. I hate being late - just ask my office staff how much I ride them about getting patients in on time. I am pointing out what physicians deal with every day. And if we ignore patients trying solely to keep on schedule, then we arent taking care of them or respecting them. YMMV. |
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I have never been with a doctor for more than about 10 min. at one time (other than one I dated;)). I have never had stitches, never broken a bone, never gone to the ER, never spent a night in the hospital. The most urgent thing I've ever asked for was Augmentin on a weekend when a sinus infection was killing me and I had a business trip coming up the next day. I am not a difficult patient either in health or in personality. I use the words "please" and "thank you" more than anyone I know. I look people in the eyes and have a firm handshake. I am never, ever late for anything. And I was in no way rude to anyone at that office today. In fact, when the lab tech came to the waiting room for someone else and saw me, she commented that her "other favorite person is here today." Again, they're busy enough to not miss me, but I am as easy a patient as they'll ever find. When I lived in VA I spent many hours driving to my doctor, dentist and bank because I am pretty loyal to those who treat me right. Even though other jobs made those places very inconvenient to get to, I kept going to them. This current doctor is as convenient as one could ever be to my house. But they're going to lose me because they have zero respect for my time. |
you may have had a relationship with your former Dr..
everything you note.. shows you don't have one now.. like you said.. a phone is all it took before.. make nice with the staff.. your RX will be filled BEFORE you can find another Dr.. blame it on 'fly stress' Rika |
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What I SPECIFICALLY DO NOT ADVISE is this: A patient who acts out is obviously doing so because of severe pain. Therefore, sedation is in order. |
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There's no way a doctor's office can set up appointments to allow adequate time to accommodate each patient, not run overtime, and still stay in business. Most doctors struggle to make a living on par with other professionals with the same level of schooling and training. I think it's true....they have to over-book - otherwise they wouldn't make enough $. That wouldn't be good....:rolleyes: Fortunately I've never had any illnesses or been sick in my entire life. I'm extremely healthy and so usually do not seek out any doctors (knock on wood) except my last checkup I think about 11 years ago and even then I think I called 1/2 hr. ahead of my appointment to see if "we" were on time. :p So yeah...maybe call ahead the day of your appointment and see if they are on time might be a way to address the issue....or find an office who manages time better....not every office operates the same - no pun intended! :D |
I forgot to add...Rick - nice - proud of you for standing up for yourself. Someone has to :)
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Very relevant issue and perhaps one of the worst parts of the trade. A real occupational hazard and cause of tremendous stress. I believe most physicians have a very strong urge to meet with the patients every need. It is a matter of both empathy, professionalism and personal pride of doing good. Unfortunately we are, to a large extent, caught up in a system based on money which effectively forces us into a robot-like roll. No matter how fast you run to accommodate and fulfill other peoples needs, you are almost always running late in one way or the other and it is an absolutely awful feeling. Here we are, pretending to be the answer to what most people value the most - their own and their families health. And no matter how much we bend ourselves, no matter how prepared for the days job when we come in the morning, less than five minutes later the first hick-up in the schedule is a fact. A colleague calls in sick, a hysterical mother with her 4 weeks old baby at your door and right there you know the whole day will most likely be off schedule. Like the rabbit trying to catch the turtle, in vain, you rush between patients scheduled appointments, telephone calls, a thousand questions from nurses, medical students and patients just dropping in. At the end of the day, if you are lucky, a good hearted nurse serves you a cup of coffee as you missed the lunch, all the while you ponder how many bad decisions you hopefully have managed to avoid and how many things you most likely have forgot to do.
That said, I went to the doctors with my daughter a month ago and had to wait for 45 minutes. I made that very clear to them.. :D |
Sorry to inform you that you have 4 weeks to live. Now could you go outside and cry? I have a guy who can't sleep on an airplane next. :rolleyes:
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you need your own reality TV show.
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Hey! For a title, how 'bout, "Keeping Tabs on Ricky and Sammy"? :cool: |
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It would be like the Seinfeld show, but without the humor. |
Short answer- no. I am thoroughly sick & tired of this. Then when you get to the room, they take your pulse to make sure you are actually alive, then make you want another 15 minutes.
I generally make appointments for 3:00 and write off the whole rest of the day. |
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I guess I've been lucky lately all but once. I had a first appt with a specialist and I waited a half hour. I noticed others there before me still waiting. I mentioned the wait to one of them and they said the doc runs late. Another half hour rolls by and I'm back to talking to the others who are still outside in the waiting room. I'm told that an hour is pretty normal, actually. And that he's worth the wait.
I said not for me and left. I was pissed that I had to pay for parking at this mothball's office. |
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BTW, yesterday when I posted on this thread, I was actually at my dentist's office. I was 30 seconds early for my appointment. They had me in the chair within 1 minute. And it's a busy suburban practice. My primary-care MD's office, on the other hand, still hasn't called me back... |
I've waited for two hours for a doctor’s appointment and it is frustrating for sure. I have seen a hand specialist whose office runs on schedule to the minute, and you only get the time allotted for your visit, in a very efficient way.
Either way I make concessions for emergencies and other patients needs. |
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and tell me when they are filming it, Hugh can be the safety consultant |
Saucy title. It'd catch on big on Bravo.
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I found a local Dr who never makes me wait, gives me the time I need and is very thoughtful, deliberate, thorough and knowledgeable. My father told me about her and I've gotten 3 others to start seeing her as their primary physician as well. There are good Dr's out there who know how to keep appointments, you just have to find them!
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sorry - but posting about your wife does NOT count
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UPDATE
Got a very long voicemail from the doctor himself today, as in like five minutes long. It was through his office's message service that calls me and, via recording, tells me to call another number, enter my SS# to hear a message. Sounded like the doctor was at his desk and just rambling a long apology, then flipping through my lab work papers and explaining his concerns and why he wants me to come it. He did say to ask for the first appt. of the day and that this wouldn't happen again with me. So I'll call tomorrow if I get a cell signal and try to set that up for later in the week. |
It's called a "courtesy call"
Example: "Hello: "This is Dr. Marcus Welby's office, Dr. Welby has been called into consultation concerning a patient in intensive care, with Dr. Steven Kiley. Your appointment will therefore be re-scheduled for 10:15 AM today, instead of the original 9:30 AM. See you at 10:15 AM today. Thank you". Land-call Cell I-Phone |
Furthermore: Any professional, can and should make that courtesy call (notification call, cell, e-mail, I-phone) for notification of an adjustment of an appointment time. A simple patient chart preference, pre-arranged contact reference.
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At the same time, the staff will be filming you for that reality show on MDTV called "Bad Patients and How to Get Even." |
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I had an app't this morning. He took me 5 minutes early - as usual. He even wrote me a script for Percocet just because I wanted some as an emergency away-from-home-kidney-stone reliever & the label had worn off my last stash. My wife was one of his first patients decades ago so we get great service. He usually spends most of the time talking about biking in Croatia or some strange place. For specialists, I have never waited more than 10 minutes. It must be our damn socialist medicine . . . ;)
Ian |
I went in for an eye exam today. I had an 11:30 appt. arrived at 11:15, told that the Dr. is not in yet. No problem, I'm early, as usual, 11:30 comes and goes. I'm the first patient, he does not make rounds, so he's just late. At 11:50 I depart. Went to another shop, as a walk in, new glasses will be in next week. Never going back to All Vision.
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As a physician, I hate to make people wait. If someone has to wait then I apologize immediately. Unfortunately to reiterate many posts above, each patient and problem does not fit a specific and predictable time slot. The other thing I find is if one person is made to wait, then the expectation is that an abundance of time has to be given to that patient and thus one patient that runs over early in the day can equate to a multitude of expectations for the rest of the day and there is never time to make up the delay.
Just remember, physicians for the most part know that it sucks to wait. There is no incentive to make you wait. We know people develop attitudes about making them wait. We are not eating bon bons in the back office. I tell patients that I give each person the time they need and the next time they are in and their problem requires more time so that it delays another patient that they should consider this before they develop an attitude. |
I had a root canal yesterday. Scheduled start was 2:00. I walked in at 2:00 and was in the chair 10 seconds later. My dentist never keeps people waiting.
I have an annual exam this afternoon at 1:30. Guaranteed to wait at least 45 minutes, perhaps even an hour, sitting amongst a dozen barely living geriatrics. But I really like my doc and his nurse so I'll endure the wait. One day some dude is rooting around in my mouth for a couple hours. The next, some dude is rooting around in my nether regions, hopefully for less than a couple hours (this time). Can it get any better than this? I submit that it CANNOT! |
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I rarely have to wait long to see my doc. I get there and about 4 paragraphs into an article I go to the exam room. Get temp, bp, etc. Wait a few more minutes and the doc comes in and goes over everything, asks if there is anything else I need to talk to him then I go back to work. I can usually be back to work in under an hour and I have to drive across town to get to the dr's office.
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No wait today. Great exam. Somebody get me a cigarette.
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