Doctor's Office - Total Disarray?

[Newell Steamer]

Is it just me, or are most doctors' offices usually in total disarray?

My primary care physician NEVER keeps an appointment on time. If it is for 10am, you won't get to see him until an hour later, the earliest. And, if you show up an hour later, you lose your appointment.

I just came from a specialist, and they didn't have my appointment - even though I had a print out of the e-mail confirm from them.

Another specialist keeps sending the same Rx to my local pharmacy - for a med I finished months ago.

One doctor nearly lost his shit when I didn't have a CT Scan report with me - in my hands,.. yet it was sent and and part of my file with his office. His staff didn't bother passing it on to him... and I guess I should have told them to pass it onto him??

Anyone else notice similar behavior??

 

[Anubis]

not all but most are managed by total idiots, large or small it does not matter.

the hospital in my town is like 8 months behind on billing. and I actually still have not received a bill for a MRI I had done 3 years ago took almost 18 months before I even received the notice that my insurance didn't cover the entire thing and I prob owed them some $

 

[Scarpozzi]

My wife works in a doc office. She's just the opposite. She cannot stand patients that are even 10 minutes late. Many of the physician's in her office do not see patients when they are more than 20 minutes late because then it throws the whole schedule off.

I can understand having to wait if you were a work-in... If you've been on the schedule for more than a few days, you really have no reason to have to wait more than 10-15 minutes.

Occasionally, the people in the front will put people on the schedule when they shouldn't or lose paperwork or just screw up the appointment times. I've seen some offices that run like tops...but most are filled with a mix of clerical staff that don't get compensated well enough to care.

 

[waggy]

yeah some are fricken bad.

the clinic i go to is the same way. Though you get into a room in 15 minutes then you wait in the room for 20 minutes. just to see the doctor for maybe 10 minutes.

My Rheumatologist is far worse. You spend 30-45 minutes waiting to get into a room then another 30 to see him. Though he spends at least 15-20 minutes with you.

the thing that bothers me is that in either place if you are more then 10 minutes late they cancel the appointment. WTF its nto like you were waiting for me..iw ouldn't even see the doctor for another 20 minutes.

 

[zokudu]

They're too busy stealing your social and filing fraudulent tax returns to do their jobs.

 

[IronWing]

Unqualified clerical staff seems to be the norm for clinics. A high churn rate doesn't help.

I had my height reduced by three inches by a short nursing aide who was really bad at math. She wrote down 73" on a sticky then recorded 5' 11" on the chart. I'm actually 74" but she was too short to position the cross piece on the scale correctly.

 

[Red Storm]

Unqualified clerical staff seems to be the norm for clinics. A high churn rate doesn't help.

I had my height reduced by three inches by a short nursing aide who was really bad at math. She wrote down 73" on a sticky then recorded 5' 11" on the chart. I'm actually 74" but she was too short to position the cross piece on the scale correctly.

Whine all you want, you're now a manlet.

 

[alkemyst]

Much of the delays in a Dr office have to do with emergencies, people being late, and people coming in for one thing and then present a laundry list of other problems to the doctor.

 

[nickbits]

Much of the delays in a Dr office have to do with emergencies, people being late, and people coming in for one thing and then present a laundry list of other problems to the doctor.

Shouldn't they plan for that better? Appointments are given out as if none of that happens on a regular basis.

 

[Red Storm]

Shouldn't they plan for that better? Appointments are given out as if none of that happens on a regular basis.

How do you plan for it other than noting how long all your appointments are in a year and adjusting the average appointment time? I'm sure they do that, but as was said, you have people who make an appointment for one thing, then bring up a list of questions when they're in. That's just one thing (that I feel is very common) that will have an impact.

 

[nickbits]

How do you plan for it other than noting how long all your appointments are in a year and adjusting the average appointment time? I'm sure they do that, but as was said, you have people who make an appointment for one thing, then bring up a list of questions when they're in. That's just one thing (that I feel is very common) that will have an impact.

If I had years of data, I'm sure I could figure something out that is better, not perfect but better. For one, I bet you could profile patients based on age (or other attribute) and see if they are more or less likely to have an above average appointment time (charge them appropriately for it as well).

 

[alkemyst]

Shouldn't they plan for that better? Appointments are given out as if none of that happens on a regular basis.

It's impossible to plan for. They set average appointment times based on what the patient is phoning in. If they plan for the worst case on each patient they'd never see many people in a day.

Most of my appts are very routine. I try to schedule at the first available opening so I am usually in and out quickly. Invariably, there are always quite a bit of 'walk-ins' in the morning that declare they are dying.

Most are just looking for a note to get out of work in my opinion. They go from acting healthy when talking to their friends and then gravely ill when someone on staff needs to speak to them.

 

[alkemyst]

If I had years of data, I'm sure I could figure something out that is better, not perfect but better. For one, I bet you could profile patients based on age (or other attribute) and see if they are more or less likely to have an above average appointment time (charge them appropriately for it as well).

Charges are based on billing codes.

 

[nickbits]

Charges are based on billing codes.

Right, so charge them for a level 3 appt instead of level 2.

 

[Brovane]

Much of the delays in a Dr office have to do with emergencies, people being late, and people coming in for one thing and then present a laundry list of other problems to the doctor.

I switched Doctors about a year ago and the new office I go to is much more organized. Everything is computerized. I hardly have to wait more than 20 minutes for a doctor. Everything flows really smoothly in the office, despite them being spread out and space constrained. They are outgrowing their current office space and have more space across the hallway with a separate waiting room. Despite this it still flows smoothly. Much more smoothly than my old Dr's office who had his wife as the office manger. They even do walk in appointments if you are sick and I have been in and out in under 60-mins with script in hand with no appointment. I really think it comes down to the quality of the staffing.

 

[Slew Foot]

Most clerical staff in medical offices are morons, thus the total disarray of the front end

 

[JEDIYoda]

They're too busy stealing your social and filing fraudulent tax returns to do their jobs.

That's all you have to add to this thread...

 

[alkemyst]

Right, so charge them for a level 3 appt instead of level 2.

That's sort of what happens already, but you can't get the time back that may have overlapped another patient.

It's all part of general medicine. Many specialists are much better at time management because they only offer certain services. A GP can't turn you away really because you went over the time they anticipated.

 

[alkemyst]

I switched Doctors about a year ago and the new office I go to is much more organized. Everything is computerized. I hardly have to wait more than 20 minutes for a doctor. Everything flows really smoothly in the office, despite them being spread out and space constrained. They are outgrowing their current office space and have more space across the hallway with a separate waiting room. Despite this it still flows smoothly. Much more smoothly than my old Dr's office who had his wife as the office manger. They even do walk in appointments if you are sick and I have been in and out in under 60-mins with script in hand with no appointment. I really think it comes down to the quality of the staffing.

Are you seeing 'any' doctor versus a doctor you request?

Larger practices utilize several doctors/nurse practitioners and can be more efficient, but you don't get to pick who you see.

 

[Anubis]

Unqualified clerical staff seems to be the norm for clinics. A high churn rate doesn't help.

.

well its hard to get good clerical staff when you only pay them 12$ a hour.

that's what the ones at the local hospital make

and the majority of delays are not caused by emergency's, GPs do not really have emergencies
its caused by over booking and the hospital thinking every office visit should only take 10 min. so they cram as many in at once and it slows everything down. because all they care about is the almighty $

 

[alkemyst]

well its hard to get good clerical staff when you only pay them 12$ a hour.

that's what the ones at the local hospital make

and the majority of delays are not caused by emergency's, GPs do not really have emergencies
its caused by over booking and the hospital thinking every office visit should only take 10 min. so they cram as many in at once and it slows everything down. because all they care about is the almighty $

Even in private practice pay rates for office staff are very low.

 

[maddogchen]

Nope, my appts usually start on time and last for 15 mins. I can also see my appts online through their system so I know they have it scheduled.

 

[DrPizza]

I can't recall waiting more than 5 minutes for an appointment that I showed up on time for. And, last week, I showed up for a 7am dental appointment; got there at 10 to 7 because I expected to have to update medical info on a form. Before I was done checking off yes or no questions, I was already being brought back to the chair. Then, after a referral to an endodontic specialist, I had an appointment that afternoon for 1:30. Again, I was a bit early, but at 1:30 on the dot, they escorted me to the room for (joy!) a root canal. And, it was wonderful. (Broke a tooth and I was in severe pain.)

 

[cbrunny]

Move to Canada, where healthcare is about healthcare, and not about profit.

 

[Slew Foot]

I can't recall waiting more than 5 minutes for an appointment that I showed up on time for. And, last week, I showed up for a 7am dental appointment; got there at 10 to 7 because I expected to have to update medical info on a form. Before I was done checking off yes or no questions, I was already being brought back to the chair. Then, after a referral to an endodontic specialist, I had an appointment that afternoon for 1:30. Again, I was a bit early, but at 1:30 on the dot, they escorted me to the room for (joy!) a root canal. And, it was wonderful. (Broke a tooth and I was in severe pain.)

The dentist made more by seeing you then a GP makes in a full day seeing clinic patients, they can afford to space things out a bit and hire smarter staff.