Is it possible to find doctor who keeps appointments?

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by bpu699

If two docs terminate you, then the entire hospital system will no loner see you. Guess what. Happens all of the time...

...

I agree with the rest of your post, but the above should NEVER happen. IF widespread and it "gets out" to the public, then you can expect legislation to restrict it.

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

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Zactly, I understand all of our jobs are unpredictable to some degree... but some docs are better than others... like my dentist... never waited more than five minutes... when I show up there is rarely even anyone in the waiting room.

.

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...

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I get there and see three other patients signed in as having appointments with the same doctor at 9:15. How the hell does that work? I don't consider getting led from the waiting room into an exam room to be seen or keeping an appt. They did that last time I complained after a 40 min. wait.

I'm done with this BS. I'd like to keep it nearby, but if it take me 90 min. to get through an appt. at a doctor that's almost walking distance from my house, I'd be better off driving a while and knowing for sure when I'll be seen.

If the explanation I gave above didn't mollify you, and you do leave, you might drop them a note explaining why. That note could contain a (veiled) apology for the scene with the staff. They DO represent the practice (in terms of initial contact) but they are not in control. Even the MDs that run the practice no longer feel they are in control -- at least my friends and relatives do not.

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by RWebb

I agree with the rest of your post, but the above should NEVER happen. IF widespread and it "gets out" to the public, then you can expect legislation to restrict it.

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

Happens in every other business...

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.

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

I send them a bill....after I walk out.

So Mike, do they pay your bill?

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I didn't blow up. But I can't think of any other place I've done business with that has made me wait well beyond the appt. time other than doctors, especially after calling with an appointment reminder two days in advance.

I have never waited even five min. beyond my appt. time at any dentist....

Art, sounds like you have a lot of excuses for not respecting others' time. I don't roll that way and try not to give business to those who do. No one seems to suffer for it, since my doctor was plenty busy today. He won't miss me.

Rick,
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.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by bpu699

.

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?

I've only ever done #1 on this list and usually just ask the head nurse by phone, who then gets the doc. to write it for me.

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.

[Rikao4]

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

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by bpu699

Happens in every other business...

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.

but this isn't just any other business - attorneys and bankers, trustees ahve higher duties to their customers, but the patient-physician relationship imposes higher duties than that

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.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by RWebb

What I SPECIFICALLY DO NOT ADVISE is this: A patient who acts out is obviously doing so because of sever pain. Therefore, sedation is in order.

Yes, as I said, today's visit would not have been a good time to check my BP.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Nonetheless, sometimes patients show up with urgent needs.

The other, and chronic problem, is that the system is geared to minimize the MD's time, and wastage of time. If a patient is a no-show, which is common, then the MD still has a nice stack of bodies there to examine (and bill for). They are also telling you an appt. time of X, when they expect most patients to show up at time X+20 or so (if at all).

Think about how a mechanic's shop operates. Very similar, except the cars wait dociley and most owners never know what is up. This is amplified by the lowering of payments for MDs by insurance companies, the ethical requirements (or non-mandated, but still an --- um -- impetus) to provide care w/o reimbursement, and other factors. One other factor is that the MDs time is worth big bucks -- your isn't. You are a worthless hunk of protoplasm -- got it? (ok, that has changed as has the hazing of residents, interns, yada yada -- but has it changed enough?).


I can guarantee you, no medical office is going to add slack time into their schedule to accommodate patients that run overtime, have some complications, etc. Not today, and definitely not in the foreseeable future.

Now, that said, I don't like it either. I've made my PCP aware of the problem (without staging a scene in the front office [BTW - you did not do that in the gym re the double parking thing...] and it has decreased -- at least for me). A friend of mine in Denver (who is a PhD chemist), just walks up there after 15 minutes, tells them in a calm, quiet voice the time of his appt., what his charge-out rate is, states that he will walk out in 5 more minutes, and then does so. It works for him.

You can expect this to get worse, over all - maybe not for you.

^^^EXCELLENT RESPONSE^^^

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....

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.

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!

[Baz]

I forgot to add...Rick - nice - proud of you for standing up for yourself. Someone has to

[livi]

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..

[Grog]

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.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Grog

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.

Great strawman.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

you need your own reality TV show.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

you need your own reality TV show.

I would watch - better than what's currently available...

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

you need your own reality TV show.

Great idea. Confrontational reality. Maybe give him a carefully selected sidekick and an unseen commentator's overriding voice heard keeping tabs on the ensuing wacky antics of the two as they are happening.

Hey! For a title, how 'bout, "Keeping Tabs on Ricky and Sammy"?

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

you need your own reality TV show.

+1

It would be like the Seinfeld show, but without the humor.

[Paul K]

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.