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Message |
    
Tom N
Citizen
Username: Tjn
Post Number: 145
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:09 pm: | 
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I had an appointment today with a specialist who only comes to my doctors office once a week. This was my first visit with this doctor and I had a 10:00 appointment, which wasn't the best time for me because I would be missing a half day of work for which I wasn't going to be paid for. Anyway, the doctors office calls me today during the downpour at 9:30 to ask if I was still coming in. When I told them I was, they said they would see me then. Upon arriving at the office, the receptionist proceeds to tell me that she is very sorry but the doctor just called and due to the weather, she would not be making it in so I would have to make a new appointment. It wasn't that bad out so it was more likely she didn't want to come in. So besides getting PO'd over of my wasted time, income and aggrivation, I couldn't help to also think of how it's a common practice when a patient cancels an appointment with no notice that they have to pay a fee. Funny how when it's the other way around, we are just out of luck. |
red
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 6237
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:12 pm: |
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That is ridiculous. Especially sine they call you a half an hour before you get in.... |
Soparents
Supporter
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 1895
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:15 pm: |
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I am sure they knew when they called you (that's WHY they called you) It really sucks. I have been in the same position and it's horrible. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14906
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:59 pm: |
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Tom N, bill the doctor for your time. I'm totally serious. My father has done this. It's only fair. You were clear in your communications. He owes you. Stand your ground. He has no ground to stand on. He can choose to skip the appointment if he's willing to pay the price for your time. Not otherwise.
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Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5584
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 12:54 am: |
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Actually Tom it was a male doctor. LOL But I like your idea! |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14914
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 12:55 am: |
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I beg your pardon?
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Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 1380
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 3:59 am: |
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Uhh?
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SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 1954
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 5:56 am: |
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JTA was pointing out that Tom R. made a mistake in his gender reference to Tom N.'s doctor when using the term "him" instead of "her" but the irony lies in her own mistake of using "male" when she probably meant "female"...
Cough syrup and posting after midnight don't mix.
Just a joke, Just The Aunt... |
Nob
Citizen
Username: Nob
Post Number: 286
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 4:45 pm: |
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Tom R -- did the doctor give your Dad a discount for inconveniencing him? That's great. |
frannyfree
Citizen
Username: Frannyfree
Post Number: 204
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 10:14 am: |
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My father did the same thing. He ran a very large business and hated waiting for Doctors. He would send the doctor that kept him waiting a bill for $100.00 per hour. This in the day when top lawyers were getting the same. The doctor inevitably called him upon recieving the bill. His time was valuable and this got the message across. After that, they NEVER let him wait longer than a few minutes. By the way, he never made them pay. He just wanted to make a point. It ALWAYS worked.
Sometimes, you just have to take a stand. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14919
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 10:24 am: |
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My father's story played exactly like frannyfree's father's story, though my father ran a small business instead. Not that that matters.
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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3536
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 4:28 pm: |
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Tom & Franny, that's GREAT. I love it. I've thought of doing that, and perhaps even made jokes about it, but never thought that anybody actually did that. But your posts made me realize... why NOT? Our time has real value. A doctor and his staff have to have the ability to schedule appointments without taking everybody else's time for granted. If that means they have to add a 5 or 10 minute buffer to each appointment to make up for things that take longer than expected, so be it. I can deal with waiting 15 minutes to get into the doc's office. After that, I'm annoyed. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14926
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 10:09 pm: |
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Mind you, I cut them more slack than that. Sometimes our GP, Dr Orenberg falls quite a bit behind. He tells me why. And it's always a real emergency. I am glad to know he will drop other patients to handle my emergency, should it ever come up.
Also, we should know that insurance companies now require tight scheduling in order to pay doctors half-decently. It sucks, but it's out of the doctors' hands.
Tom N's problem wasn't aggressive scheduling. It was a doctor too wimpy to drive in the rain. That is far more disrespectful than tight scheduling.
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anon
Supporter
Username: Anon
Post Number: 2821
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 11:24 pm: |
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Tpm N: Get a different doctor. You wouldn't continue to patronize a supermarket, dry cleaner or barber who treated you so shabbily. Why respond any differently to a doctor. There are plenty of doctors of all specialties all around.
Tom and franny: Maybe your dads were the same guy, living two lives! |
Peter G. Magic
Citizen
Username: Pmagic
Post Number: 163
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 8, 2006 - 2:30 pm: |
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As a physician I see no excuse for that kind of conduct. Now if the doctor was called away for an emergency such as an operation, that would be different. But never for the weather! |
Eats Shoots & Leaves
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 3482
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 9, 2006 - 11:02 am: |
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I'm guessing the support staff was ticked off also, and so instead of lying that the doctor had an emergency, they told the truth. Bet this doc does it to them a lot. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8280
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:01 am: |
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Last December, I was driving TS to the doc to have her cast removed. She'd called him the week before to tell him that her foot felt swollen inside, but he couldn't see her until the next week.
So, there is an accident on 24 and she calls to tell him that she's going to be 5 minutes late. He tells her that he has to be somewhere at 6p and can't wait for her; she needs to reschedule (appointment was for 5:30p, how close was he going to cut it?). She tells him that she already called him a week ago, he couldn't see her then and that she's right at the exit ramp.
No deal. She has to reschedule. She says "it's coming off if I have to take it off myself". He says "go ahead". We go home; she does. She calls the next day and says "what now". He sends her an Rx to start PT.
A week later, he informs her disability company that she removed her casts AMA and missed the appointment.
It was very ugly. He wrote her a letter of apology.
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