Facebook
Twitter
RSS
![[Masthead]](http://www.t-g.com/images/nameplate.png)
|
|
Light Rain ~ High: 48°F ~ Low: 29°F Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 |
|
What's the point of appointments?Posted Friday, March 12, 2010, at 10:30 AM
We've all been there - sitting in the doctor's office,watching the minute hand fly by as our 8 a.m. appointment turns into a 9 a.m., 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. appointment.
I can almost forgive it when it's a doctor's office. My GP is having to deal with last minute life or death really important emergencies such as children being brought in with stomach viruses, people with broken limbs, or the GlaxoSmithCline pill pusher salesman who wants to pay him to write overpriced subscriptions for their brand instead of my $5 BigBox Retail pharmacy medicine that works very well, thank you very much ... But when your appointment at the tire service is pushed back -- when you are told that the wait to replace your tire -- an appointment you made three days earlier -- will be three hours, that's too much. You might even say it left me flat. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
Mary Reeves is a staff writer for the Times-Gazette.
Hot topics ooops, she did it again ...(4 ~ 9:36 PM, Aug 10)
We all scream for ice cream!
Everybody, quick, catch a cold and spread it!
I'm baaaack....
No more track at Central?
|
Email link
Read comments (8)
Blog archive
![[Feed icon]](http://www.t-g.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
That is what happens at my childrens' doctor. We have been going to the same office for the past 2 yrs and we have never been seen at our appointment time. Just a couple of weeks ago, my daughter had an appointment at 9:45am. At 10:20am, we were still sitting in the waiting area. She didn't get seen until 10:35am. I have complained and all they say is that "Sorry, we are running behind." We are in the process of changing their doctor because of them constantly making a simple childhood checkup that should be 20 mins at the least, into almost 2 hrs, and most of it is just sitting in the waiting area.
you are exactly right. they think their time is more important than yours. I recently waited at the tire store for over 3 hours when they told me 1 hour. I recently had a doc. appt. drove to Tullahoma to the dr. to find out he had to leave and would not be back that day and i had to reschedule. Don't they have phones? Inconsiderate is all I can say. But if you do that to them they want to charge you for it.
That is easy to solved, After 1 hour, walk up to the receptionists desk and ask for your co-pay back and leave. When they ask why, tell them bluntly and remind them your time is just as precious. The doctor called me personally and apologized; he made a new appointment and hasn't been late in 3 years.
I have grown to expect this from Doctors, hospitals and actually anyone in the health care industry.
But I really hate to have a hair appointment at a certain time and I arrive as I should but the stylist is not even there!!!
I've found 1 doctor, an OB/GYN who is really good about not making patients wait. Karen Fleenor in Tullahoma will call you if an emergency comes up and she needs to reschedule your appointment in the same day. I've never waited beyond 5 minutes past my appointment time in her waiting room. Also, she's just a very pleasant doctor to work with. She'll answer all questions thoroughly. Not a foul word to say about her at all.
i was just in the hospital for surgery. i was all prepped to go & was already in the waiting room to be surgered when an "emergency" came up. i ended up lying there & waiting for 7 hours.
it didnt upset me at all. i remember when i didnt have to wait for medical care. i remember being the priority patient. i remember going to surgery and having them put me ahead of everybody. i remember going to a dr and having him schedule me for surgery the next morning & sending me straight to the hospital. i remember going to the emergency room, and having the people at the desk come running out as soon as i came into sight. oh yeah, it isnt always necessary to wait for a dr. but medical care is one service that i dont want to be the customer with the most pressing need.
i dont mind waiting at a dr appt if it is a real emergency for the dr to take someone before me.not just because they want to come in late or just sit and gossip.and if the dr is going to be late or not come in at all they could at least announce it to to the ones who are waiting ,not making them wait a hr or two and then you find out.drs need to put theirselves in the patients shoes.would they want to wait like they make us wait
I have been going to the same GP for the last 9 years and I have had to wait no less than 1 hour after my scheduled appointment time to get called back to the examining room, no matter what day or what time of day I have the appointment. You might ask, why do I keep going to that doctor? Well I figure the next doctor may not be as nice plus I will probably have to wait about the same amount of time if not longer. If I got to charge a certain amount per hour for each hour I had to wait over the last nine years, I would have several hundred dollars.