My mother-in-law had a procedure this morning that she needed me to drive her too. They booked it for 10 am this morning. I figured it would be easy in and easy out. Only it never is with doctors and I need to learn that life lesson once and for all. It was 1:15 pm by the time they got her back. It was 3 pm by the time we finally got to leave. So that’s 6 hours spent at the hospital and I was only expecting to be there 1.5 hours.
I wish doctors were better judges of how long things take and would book accordingly. It is becoming so rare to get back to an appointment on time….even when you are the first appointment of the day.
Nicole Barrett says
Unfortunatly working with multiple doctors, this happens on a daily basis. They do not wish to be behind. At our office, we take many diabetic emergency patients. Most who wait themselves before calling because they do not want to bother anyone. But due to that when they end up coming in, they are coming in on an overbook because they are an emergency. So what is a 15 minute slot for one person has become a 15 minute for two and that emergency is going to take at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. But we cannot turn them away. We hope that most people would apprieciate that. Especially when someday it may be you. Always make any appointment, no matter what it may be, first appointment in the morning or first appointment after lunch. Then you will less likley have to wait for any appointment. Good luck to you and your family. I hope all is well.
Melanie says
I always thought they scheduled one appt. for every exam at the same time – so if the Dr. has 5 rooms, they’ll have 5 appointments for 10:00, 5 for 10:30, etc. I never go to the Dr. early because I’ll never get in early, so why bother? If we don’t show, they have no problem charging for a ‘no show’ – yet they’ll waste hours of our time, like our time is worthless. My DD had an 8:30 appt. a couple weeks ago. The office opened at 8:00 – yet they didn’t get to see her until 11:15 a.m. Honestly, how far behind can they get in 30 minutes? It’s ridiculous. I know that emergencies and ‘unforseen’ circumstances arise, but they should allow for that in their scheduling. Everyone would be happier.
RK says
This is what I don’t understand:
My ob/gyn *always* keeps me waiting at least a couple of hours. Now, I understand that you can’t predict when babies will be born, and that is part of the problem, but I don’t think that’s always the reason. If it is, I wish she would tell me! Just a simple “I’m sorry, I hate three deliveries this morning, so I’m behind by two hours.” But the appointment itself always takes about 5 minutes! She is so rushed!
Then there’s our pediatrician, who rarely keeps us waiting more than 20 minutes or so, but she always patiently answers all of our questions.
You’d think it would be the other way around!
I do think scheduling is part of the problem.
Molly says
Sorry about your long wait, K. Glad your MIL is ok in the end. Hope today is a good day :)
Tophat says
I was suprise to find out from my husband. That in the hospital he works in that if you are there till a certian time you and your insurance is charged for a 24 hour stay. Something to think about. Made me upset to find this out.
Kelly says
I’ve been caught in this trap so many times it’s ridiculous. I’ve finally decided at the ripe old age of 30 (LOL!) that doctor’s aren’t worth my time. At the age of 26, having been a diabetic for 18+ years, with osteoporosis, and a myriad of other problems, I had been to just about all the education classes any doctor’s office could suggest. I had enough knowlegde I could actually teach some classes and a few nurses along the way, and not to mention, I’d had 3 years of nursing education myself. I woke up one morning, literally stepping out of bed, broke a tiny bone on the underside of my big toe. I couldn’t even touch my foot on the ground it hurt so bad. Long story short, I ended up in at least one doc’s office or another for this test or that test, cause they were confused as to why this would happen to a 26 year old. This went on for 18-19 weeks in a row. I finally had had enough. I was a young, single mom trying to make a living, go to school full time and raise a child by myself. I cancelled the rest of the appointments and said forget it. It was way to much stress to deal with and I finally learned they were just soaking up my time and money to get more copays for no info. Since then I bet I haven’t been to the doctor 10 ten times….yes in 5 years, I’ve been less than 10 times (mind you I’m still able to get prescriptions for the things I need). I’ve saved who knows how many copays, hours and hours of wasteful time, and soooooo much stress! And I’ve learned to forget the first appt of the day, just schedule to be the last one… I look at it this way, the longest you’ll wait is about 30 mins to an hour. The docs are ready to leave too and they sure don’t want to hold up kids crying in the office and such (so make sure your kids are a little whiny when you go!). I get an early afternoon off at work too!
tawna says
Have to say I LOVE this advice! Totally put a smile on my face! Wish I would have thought of this when my kids were younger and I was trying to be ‘supermom’! lol! (Now I know better…)
toni says
I was married to a dr for almost 20 years and i have many friends that are doctors or married to one. i can say doctors are selfish only care about themselves. They are not patient and would never want for anything…..but they dont care if they make you wait.
Once i was at the drs for an appt……..i waited for close to an hour. the dr laughed and said i needed to run home to let the dog out……i knew you wouldnt mind waiting.
Tricia H says
There are so many reasons doctors run late- emergencies, poor planning, overbooking to try to get a full schedule due to cancellations, patients who run late, etc. So sorry you had to experience this- a letter is warranted -as healthcare becomes more of a business than a service field better treatment will build a doctors success.
Kelly K says
I saw a specialist yesterday who scheduled my appt for 9:45 but told me I had to be there by 9:15. Really??? I also had to book a procedure to be done (need it NOW but will get it in January???) that appointment I have to be there 45 minutes BEFORE my appointment time!!! Something tells me I’ll be in the ER again before January!
When my kids were little I would always have to wait to be seen for their appointments yet the one time I was about 10 minutes late they tried to say they couldn’t see my child because I was not ontime for the well check and they are scheduled for specific time frames. I argued the point b/c they always keep me waiting anyway… and I ended up waiting until they saw her anyway!!
Brynna says
While I can understand appointments later in the day (spending more time with pts or something), I too get frustrated about the first appointment thing. When we had my daughters back surgery, she was only 9 months old. Of course she couldn’t nurse from like 1-2am on, and she was the first appointment of the day at 8am, so we had to be there at 7am. We didn’t get in until 10:30!! THAT is ridiculous for a very young child who cannot eat, is hungry, fussy, in a strange place, etc. And to make matters more annoying, after we’d been waiting for a while the nurse came in and told us “He’ll be here eventually….he’s always late.”
Rebekah says
I think everyone understands that circumstances can arise that throw our schedules off, but its the general lack of communication to the patients about ACTUAL wait time and often no apology whatsoever when you are actually seen. It always makes me much more patient and understanding of the wait if someone actually comes out to the waiting room to say “We’re running a little behind today. We’re very sorry for the inconvience, but please bear with us.” My kids Pedi office always kept us waiting at LEAST 3 hours every visit and one Friday afternoon appointment I walked in 3 minutes late and they refused to see us! That was the fault of the receptionist who was ready to go home and when the office manager found out I got a personal phone call and appology from the physician. Also had a neurologist office who put my mother and I in the very back exam room and actually forgot about us until they came in to close up for the day! That was frustrating!
katie says
I have waited up to 5 hours for a reg. doctor’s appointment. I LOVE my doctor, she is fantastic…but it is always a long wait. Her nurse actually told me that I just shouldn’t plan anything else the day that I have an appointment. Really frustrating…but not enough to make me leave I suppose.
Shara J. says
A few thoughts on this topic…
~ My GYN is awesome. She takes as much time as necessary with each patient. If it causes her to run behind she doesn’t try to rush through the next patient just to make up for lost time. Oddly, she is the only doc I see that doesn’t ask you to arrive early…
~ My kid’s pediatrician has a rule that you must arrive 15 minutes prior to your appt. If you’re not at least 5 minutes early you will be rescheduled (ugh…what is the purposes of a 9:45 appt if you’re really supposed to be there at 9:30???)
~ on the other hand, despite arriving 15 minutes prior to my appointment I am always kept waiting, whether in the waiting room or in the exam room, for as much 30 minutes before the dr makes an appearance. Apparently my time is less valuable…I cannot understand how, with everyone forced to arrive early, I am always kept waiting…
~ I am being monitored for pre-Glaucoma so I have an eye appt every 3-6 months. I always schedule the 1st appt, each time – 9:00am. I’ve yet to be called back to the exam area prior to 9:30. If it’s his 1st appt how can he always be running behind???
Oye!
Tricia H says
Because he does not value your time- you can go elsewhere… but is it worth it? You have to decide …
Shara J. says
RE: “you can go elsewhere… but is it worth it? You have to decide …”
I know..it’s probably an age old question. I absolutely adore all of the physicians we use. Some are even out of network yet we continue to use them because of the care they provide. I wouldn’t change my kid’s pediatrician for anything. So…you take the good with the bad and find solace in the fact that you’re lucky enough to receive quality health care.
bobbie says
Same here I was scheduled today for 10:30, we left at 2:30 it is a 5 minute procedure but that does not matter. They schedule the time and we were there for 4 hours always, when it used to take 1 hour. Geez I barely got to school with like 5 minutes to go..Totally bad for us.
Dee says
For your mom to wait 3 hours and 15 minutes before being seen is unacceptable. The least they should have done is let you know approximately how far behind they were running and let you take her out for some lunch. What if she were diabetic and her sugar was running low? A doctor’s time is important, but so is the patient’s. And as for patients that say, “Could you see this relative that’s with me?” the doctor should say, “No, but I’d be glad to see them if they make an appt. See the person who schedules them on your way out.”
Kristin from Couponing to Disney says
She is diabetic and her sugar was way high! Because she hadn’t been allowed to eat since midnight the night before. It was an awful situation for her. But the procedure went well and everything was just fine.
Anne says
@breabella
I agree.
I was at my GYN for my annual yesterday. She was wayyyyyyyyy late. She appologized several times. I even joked that a baby must not of been able to wait. LOL She said No, one patient was more complex than expected and everything was thrown off. THIS IS NOT LIKE HER TO BE LATE. She is the one of the kindest, careing Doctors I have ever met and I have met a lot. I have a child with special needs and have seen more than I care to count in specialists.
breabella says
Oh, I almost forgot to add…we as health care professionals don’t like it when we fall behind either. We want to get home to be with our families ASAP.
Breabella says
I am Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, and the wife of a physician. You may be surprised to learn that the reason most doctors and NPs run behind is because of our patients! The patient who has an appointment to be seen for their blood pressure may be the one who says “oh, by the way, can you look at this mole?” or asks you to see another family member “as long as they are here”. Just a few of these a day can throw your whole schedule off. In a situation like a procedure, there is usually an unforeseen circumstance that puts us behind. Insurance issues, medication issues, unable to start an IV…there are millions of reasons!
Hope your MIL is doing well.
Kelly says
Breabella,
You said it best….there are all kinds of unforeseen circumstances that put the schedule behind. So my question is, why not plan ahead for the unforeseen and schuedule patients every 30 minutes instead of every 15? Or schedule every 15 minutes, but skip one appt every two hours? Seems like everyone would be happier in the long run.
Melissa says
I used to work at the ped’s office my boys now go to and same thing there. We had parents piggybacking their kids- come in for one child, ask to have the other(s) seen too. Sometimes it was that the patient was uncoroperative or something about the visit was more complicated. We did have one Dr that was a specialized JRA doc as well and as a general rule, he was almost always an hour and a half behind. His patients (the ones that one saw him, etc) didn’t care because he is the best at what he does. His non- regular patients hated it.
candice says
if i ever have to have some type of procedure done i try to do it really early…like first person early…. Sorry you had to wait so long but maybe someone before you had complications and they had to deal with that…. but they should be more prepared
Karen Sch says
Sorry you had to sit and wait that long. I hope the procedure went well! I sometimes wonder why they don’t have special times and extra people built in for emergencies. (Or do they?) There has to be a solution to this! Or the next thing you know they will be giving a time range like the cable companies!
Becca Filley says
At the kid’s doctor office they have actually scolded us for being 10 minutes early because they are always running behind.
RK says
Now THAT is just plain rude of them!