Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
when they fucking suck donkey cock at keeping to their own schedules?
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Why do doctors' offices demand patient punctuality...
- Thread starter Baraka in the White House
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backflip10019
Member
This sounds like the genesis of a start-up.
PeakPointMatrix
Member
Ray Wonder
Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Probably doesn't ever rush a patient once they get to them. I would rather have as much time as I need with my doc then be rushed out because the next person has been waiting for 15 minutes.
Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
Heh, 15 minutes he says.
I'd happily keep my mouth shut if I only ever had to wait 15 minutes.
RockTurtle
Member
having shadowed a doctor, i am a bit more empathetic to their lateness since sometimes they get a difficult case/patient.
for example, a routine checkup can be extended cause the patient's heart rate is too high for their age so they have to bust out the EKG machine to make sure everything is ok.
what i don't fuckign forgive though is the doctors who schedule 5+ patients in the same hour and then spend maybe 2-3 minutes max with you, trying to rush you and skipping between rooms in between sessions.
for example, a routine checkup can be extended cause the patient's heart rate is too high for their age so they have to bust out the EKG machine to make sure everything is ok.
what i don't fuckign forgive though is the doctors who schedule 5+ patients in the same hour and then spend maybe 2-3 minutes max with you, trying to rush you and skipping between rooms in between sessions.
My dentist rolled in 15 minutes late last week.
Ray Wonder
Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Or whatever amount. I've waited an hour + before. I get frustrated with it to, but like I said I'd rather have as much time as I need with the doc.
Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
Omegasquash
Member
This is the primary reason I don't have a problem with waiting. If I need some extra attention, then I'd want a doctor to give it. I don't mind it when they have to give it to someone else.
Also, I'm fortunate to have a wonderful primary.
Femmeworth
Banned
I typically have to wait an hour plus to see my psychiatrist. :|
Sequence Six
Member
Doctors usually have enough stuff going on and possibly distracting them/pushing their schedule back that they don't need a late patient adding to the pushback.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
They'd probably end up being more efficient and seeing more patients if they didn't overbook like they do. Any time you build a schedule that doesn't have room for slip it will end up snowballing out of control.
Fun anecdote: a hospital (can't remember which) went from 37 scheduled operation rooms to 36 scheduled operation rooms with one "on demand" operation rooms, and they ended up seeing more patients in the 36 than the 37, with less overtime from their doctors and nursing staff.
Fun anecdote: a hospital (can't remember which) went from 37 scheduled operation rooms to 36 scheduled operation rooms with one "on demand" operation rooms, and they ended up seeing more patients in the 36 than the 37, with less overtime from their doctors and nursing staff.
1. People are late and demand to be seen
2. People end up being very complicated
3. There's a shitty system in place to handle bookings/cancellations
Doctors aren't interested in wasting time. They have a ridiculous workload and if they're delayed, it's out of their control most of the time.
2. People end up being very complicated
3. There's a shitty system in place to handle bookings/cancellations
Doctors aren't interested in wasting time. They have a ridiculous workload and if they're delayed, it's out of their control most of the time.
Gentle Rodriguez
Member
That's insane, worst case scenario I have to wait 30 minutes for mine, which I can understand since sometimes I need more time with her as well. One hour every time though? That's a bit much.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
I'm usually in within 5 minutes of checking in.
SmackDaddy
Member
I don't mind. It's relaxing in there and usually I require services that I cant turn elsewhere for at the hands of a skilled and respectable professional.
That Seinfeld joke is pretty classic though, hehe.
That Seinfeld joke is pretty classic though, hehe.
i am unagi
Neo Member
Even if I am the first person the doctor sees (which I always try to make sure is the case), sometimes I still have to wait up to 45 minutes to see them.
Customer service is god damn terrible in the medical industry. I just don't get it. And what can you do to complain? You either see the doctor when they decide it is convenient to see you ... or die slowly of an undiagnosed illness?
We are powerless.
Customer service is god damn terrible in the medical industry. I just don't get it. And what can you do to complain? You either see the doctor when they decide it is convenient to see you ... or die slowly of an undiagnosed illness?
We are powerless.
onadesertedisland
Member
Something something doctor only spends thirty seconds in the room and nurse does everything here's your $3,000 bill. Thank you, come again!
RockTurtle
Member
PAs do that now.
The Faceless Master
Member
TheChewyWaffles
Member
I thought those appointments were timeboxed fairly well.
CitizenVectron
Member
While it's a tough fact to swallow, it's basically that their time is more valuable than yours.
Wag
Member
zorlaczerohero
Banned
This. My wife is a GP, she works as fast as she can. But a patient turning up 30 minutes late and then demanding an audience fucks up the whole day. Also whilst an average appointment may only be 5 minutes or so, when she sees someone with a mental health issue or other involved problem it may turn into an hour long appointment, imagine every cry for help thread on Gaf at least once a day. And she has to deal with that alone, and still try to keep the other patients happy. The sense of entitlement some people exhibit is fucking sickening. I've known a few Dr's that are shit at time keeping, just like the sound of their own voices and can turn a 5 minute appointment into a marathon. But they are the exception, most Dr's will try to get through the patients as quickly as possible. Any holdup is ultimately caused by other patients.
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
i changed doctors finally because my old one was a pain in the ass. Sometimes I would be waiting in the waiting room for an hour, or hour and a half. Mind you this is in the waiting room once I got a room it would be roughly another 10-20 minutes. Had enough of it esp for an appointment for me takes like 2-3 minutes tops. So found a new doctor and liking him so far
Delta Assault
Member
It's secretly a con to advertise various lifestyle magazines and issues of National Geographic to consumers.
Lionheart1827
Member
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
This to a point however the receptionist is a a moron at my doctor, once she booked in 4 people with me included all to have an appointment at the same time at 1:20....this is common where they over book and it is annoying.
Try having a patient that uses 45-60 minutes due to a traumatic anxiety/depression situation in the middle of appointments that are only supposed to last 10 minutes. Try telling every patient that walks in that they only have 10 minutes.
Yours is a complaint that many share, and also one of someone who doesn't understand being a family doctor.
There should be a mandatory service in the UK for the NHS, it would put a lot of patient's expectations in check
Yours is a complaint that many share, and also one of someone who doesn't understand being a family doctor.
There should be a mandatory service in the UK for the NHS, it would put a lot of patient's expectations in check
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
"Everyone takes longer than I have scheduled!" isn't a justification for long lines, it's just the symptom of the office being bad at scheduling.
Keep track of appointment in/out times, average times over eight weeks, change scheduling patterns to reflect actual times spent with patients plus 10% to account for the doctor not being behind schedule and actually having time to sit with a patient.
Keep track of appointment in/out times, average times over eight weeks, change scheduling patterns to reflect actual times spent with patients plus 10% to account for the doctor not being behind schedule and actually having time to sit with a patient.
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
This I understand mental illness is a serious situation however which I have suffered, and there was a time in my life where no one would help me or I wasnt afforded enough time, I already felt hopeless. A few appointments ago a woman came in and said she was feeling depressed and suicidal and no one would help her. The receptionist told her to wait and see if the doctor would see her, in the end I gave her my appointment because I could not bare the thought of her going home and killing herself because no one would help her, I would permanently feel guilty when i could have helped the woman get the help she needed and quickly. I had a cold, I would live, but would she?
What sucks are doctors that setup dates but setup 2 or 3 patients at the same time slot. I asked my dentist why I always had to wait for so long to get my teeth checked, and she said that she usually makes that many dates because people cancel on her all the time, that way she can be sure she gets at least one patient and money, since they usually charge for session.
I don't know how it is in the US (or other countries) but in the UK there isn't really much choice.
For example; 9000 patients, 7 GPs, 5 days per week, and you want to keep it to at the most 1-2 weeks needed to book in advance, some appointments available on the day, some only available for urgent appointments, appointments for telephone calls, time for home visits, time for a break at lunch.
Sessions run from 8.00am to 12, then 3pm to 7pm. You need time to process referrals, dictations, meetings, managing patients who need special attention. All on a set budget to specific rules set by the government. Also, don't forget to satisfy government requirements regarding data collection. And emergencies. And managing the practice. And reading letters from consultants.
And eventually finding time for an actual life
This. Doctors' offices have years of scheduling experience, and not accounting for average and predictable delays is poor time management. People are not robots. When I take freelancing jobs I build in extra time based on long experience dealing with people and their various failings to be exactly on time, taking longer to get you what you need, and so on. It's totally normal and if I consistently delivered late, I'd be out of a job very quickly. The only reason doctors get away with it is that they are all generally late, so people have little power. (However the primary I'm seeing now is generally pretty on-time, so there is hope.)
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
Those are all things that make the task of scheduling more difficult, not impossible. At a certain point the limit of what your staff can do in a day has to be recognized, continuing on regardless is how you end up with poor quality in all respects.
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