Rude People

[herfrds]

Just wondering if anybody else has run into this recently too.

The rude people I have run into all work at my doctors office. This is the nurse and the receptionist.

Had an appointment today and was running late so I called to let them know. I was 15 minutes late. I hate being late but DH ran over the electrical plug to our trailer and had to fix it.
When we got to town and was just 10 minutes from the office I got a message on my phone telling me that they were booked solid and I might as well turn around and go home and reschedule.

This same person last week told me to come in at 10:45am and when I got there, got told that they were going to call me and I did not need to come in at all. Nurse started chewing me out for coming in at all.

What is with these people?
If I was acting this way to a patient or a customer my rear end would be hanging from a flag pole.

 

[mom'sfolly]

It is very typical to lose an appointment slot if you are 15 minutes late. Doctors usually don't have the ability to switch their schedules on very short notice. In a busy office most visits are scheduled 15 minutes apart, meaning that you are taking someone's place if you are late. Not rude, just policy.

 

[herfrds]

So it's not rude to tell me to turn around and go home? It was only an hour and fifteen minute drive or roughly 70 miles.
Not rude to tell me to come in and then tell me I didn't understand them?
Not rude of the nurse to chew me out for coming in?

Rather funny that the walk in Doctor I saw said if I had been even an hour late he would have seen me.
Rather funny he kept me waiting for 30 minutes on my last appointment, but cannot wait 15 for me.

Guess it's called a double standard.

 

[KristyHall]

Many general practitioners double book to make ends meet. Unfortunately the general practitioner, AKA the family doctor, makes very little compared to a specialist or a hospital doctor yet they still have to pay the same bills (insurance, rent, utilities, school loans which can range in the 100s of thousands) as the better paid doctors. Because of this they simply can not take someone who is late or inconsistent.

Yes you are a customer, but you are also a customer to a high demand field where the staff get yelled at and abused daily. Where they are often over worked and under paid. Where people are always looking over their shoulder, and more patients than just you may be late, or confused on an appointment, or so on. Some who are very sick.

Sometimes that means if you are late and someone comes in who is very sick, they will get your spot because they need it, the person is there and you are not, and they can not waste time holding a spot open for someone who may or may not be there. If you feel they are being unfairly harsh, rude, or neglectful then you have a choice of going to another doctor. yes it is a head ache, but it is still an option.

Also the walk in clinic is just that. A walk in clinic, designed for more emergency circumstances but not as serious as what one would use the ER for. They can be very good, but it also means they are more expensive, and the wait time may not always be the same, appointments may not be scheduled, you are more likely to be bumped for an emergency, and you may not likely have the same doctor each time so establishing a client doctor relationship can be more difficult.

 

[herfrds]

Actually Kristy the walk in Doctor has seen me numerous times. Same doctor. I see no reason to go to the ER for a sinus infection or an ear infection. If he was taking on patients instead of staying in the walk in part of the clinic I know myself and numerous others would be at his door. He has referred me to a fellow Doctor at his clinic. The receptionists there are much nicer.

As a cashier I get yelled at, chewed out etc so I know what you are talking about BUT at least I am willing to go the extra mile.

 

[conny63malies]

If they wait for you they make the next person late, the person after that and so on. Imagine everybody being just five minutes late, a doctor will use a lot of money waiting for everybody. In her mind she did you a favor by telling you to turn around . Would you rather driven there to be told you cant be seen?

 

[herfrds]

conny the receptionist did that to me last week! I had been advised by the ER doctor to call my doctor the next day to be seen. Asked me if I could come in and I did. Was then told that I misunderstood them and go home.
That was a loss of over an hours pay and we had a trainee covering my shift on the ambulance. Yeah I have a right to be mad.

Oh this doctor kept me waiting for 30 minutes the first time I saw him.

Waited for over an hour to see DD's doctor.

I have NEVER gotten into to see any Doctor on time no matter what time I schedule it. Whether it be first in the day, first after lunch or last one of the day.

The whole issue is customer/patient service.

 

[oldrooster]

conny the receptionist did that to me last week! I had been advised by the ER doctor to call my doctor the next day to be seen. Asked me if I could come in and I did. Was then told that I misunderstood them and go home.
That was a loss of over an hours pay and we had a trainee covering my shift on the ambulance. Yeah I have a right to be mad.

Oh this doctor kept me waiting for 30 minutes the first time I saw him.

Waited for over an hour to see DD's doctor.

I have NEVER gotten into to see any Doctor on time no matter what time I schedule it. Whether it be first in the day, first after lunch or last one of the day.

The whole issue is customer/patient service.

I had the staff at my doctor's office mad at me because I was early! I had scheduled my dentist appt. for early in the morning, and the doctor's appt. late in the morning so if they had to give me a filling, or had a delay in seeing me I would still be on time for my doctor. Granted I was a little over an hour early, but they have about 3x (or more) more seating then I have ever seen paitents in the waiting room (usually 2-5 people and seating for 25-30), I told them I was willing to wait, I explained why I was there early (I was not going to drive 20 min. home and then wait 15 min. to drive 20 minutes back to town!) and that I was willing and ready to wait my turn, but I also explained IF they had a last minute opening, or where running ahead (or someone was running late) I was there and could be seen earlier and that way they would free up time later in the day so they wouldn't fall behind, they still where mad over the fact I was there. Also since I had both appts. in the same day it is very unlikely I would forget one or the other, and since I scheadule them on my day off I am in no hurry to get to work or home.....

 

[Alaskan]

Wow...... People just want to be mean.

 

[MalMom]

Herfrds, I am sorry that there was some kind of a miscommunication at your doctor's office, causing you to drive all that way just to be told you didn't need to come in. Obviously in that situation there was some kind of a miscommunication, and they should have been sure you understood what their instructions were. There is no reason for them to be rude to you when you got there. Instead they should apologize for not making it clear, and then make sure you understand the next set of directions.
I work in the medical field, and I know how hard we are pushed to be on time, and see as many people as possible, in a short amount of time. I also was a cashier working my way through college, so I understand good customer service. Sadly, most GP's have their schedules packed as full as possible just to stay in practice. Our patient's get upset if we are running late, but they also expect us to wait on them. That puts everyone else behind then, and causes everyone who was after them to be late. Where I work (I work in surgery, not at an office) if someone is late, and the next person is there, we try to flip, flop, them so both patients get their surgeries, and no one is made late. However that is not always possible. So yes, it is a double standard, that you had to wait 30 min to see your doctor, but he can't wait 15 for you, but just think of how upset you were having to wait those 30 min for him. I think they should have offered to still *try* to see you, if you didn't mind waiting to see if there could be another opening, but I think you also need to understand that they can't push all their other patients back every time someone is late, or they could be there until midnight. It is a hard situation.
If you are really unhappy with the service you are getting form the staff at your doctor's office, you could try writing a nice letter to your doctor explaining your concerns. Understand though, that a lot of people complain to the medical field. Some complaints are valid, some are not, so you may not see any results, however you could at least stress customer service excellence and how you feel they could improve on that. Good luck.