Should you expect a provider who has a strict cancellation policy to be prompt?
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Anonymous
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I made an appt with a provider who doesn't accept insurance and has a strict 48 business hour cancellation policy. My appt was on Monday at 2:15 so I would have needed to cancel the Thursday before to avoid paying full price ($285) for canceling. Of course, my son got sick over the weekend and I stayed home with him on Monday. I rigged up childcare to make this appointment.
I got there a bit early even though I had filled my forms out online already. I sat there and waited. 2:30 hit and I confirmed with the receptionist that my appt had in fact been at 2:30. The receptionist told me that the provider was running a bit behind. I felt peeved that I would be out $285 for rescheduling since my son was sick but this provider felt it was ok to waste clients' time by running late. I felt that if the client before me had arrived late then their appointment should have been cut short. I didn't say this, but did stew a bit about it. I'm very patient when waiting for a provider who accepts insurance and has a reasonable rescheduling policy, but this rubbed me the wrong way. I know I have the ability to not return to this provider if I'm unhappy with the policies, but this was my first time with such an experience. Is this typical of providers who don't accept insurance and have strict rescheduling policies? Just wondering what's typical to expect. |
Anonymous
| I think many try to, but sometimes it happens. You don't know why the provider was late, and you're making assumptions that support your outrage. What if he'd taken you on time for what you presented on the phone as a routine issue, but instead it turned out to be something far more complex that needed to be dealt with urgently? Should the doctor send you away anyway and tell you to make a follow-up? Or do you think your doctor should take the extra 10 minutes to make sure you get appropriate and necessary care? |
Anonymous
| Was this a therapist? |
Anonymous
| OP here. It was a dietician. |
Anonymous
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Is this a provider whose clients may need sudden crisis intervention. I have been the parent of the child who torpedoed the pediatrician's schedule for the day. I have also had an ENT visit disrupted because a kid who was inpatient needed emergency surgery. I found out later that the kid whose life was saved that day was someone I knew.
So if it's a medical specialist then I would have sympathy. Others, less so. |
Anonymous
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Was this a psychotherapy appt? Like a counselor or psychologist? Then I agree with you.
Otherwise, no. There are no set "start and stop" times with MD appointments. It is impossible to tell when the appointment is scheduled if, for example, the tingling arm is going to be cervical root impingement or the person has a MI (heart attack) in your office. I exaggerate, but you get the point |
Anonymous
I posted while you did. Not a field with a lot of crises. |
Anonymous
15 minutes late? Was your appointment cut too or did you get the full 50 minutes? |
Anonymous
| So how long did you end up having to wait? I'd say 10-15 is an acceptable grace period in this circumstance. |
Anonymous
Being told "no alcohol" can be a crisis 
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Anonymous
| I have no issue if a doc runs late. We go to a facility attached to a hospital and the docs often do dual duty. I am just grateful that if it was me who needed the emergency care, they would be there. I don't mind waiting (sometimes hours) for some docs who then take the time with me to try to help me vs. giving me a blow off. Most of the ones I have been to that run on time are pretty lousy, rush through things and generally don't care. Its hard to keep to a specific schedule depending on the patients needs. I would have called regarding the sick child. Some are more flexible than others. |
Anonymous
It was 20 minutes late before she came to get me. The appointment ran an hour. She touts her ability to meet with clients according to their needs and not subjective to insurance's 50 minute standard. The receptionist told me at the time of the appointment that my initial consultation should run 75 minutes. Not a huge deal in the scheme of things. If I hadn't needed to find childcare arrangements and was able to reschedule then I probably wouldn't have cared as much. -OP |
Anonymous
| It wouldn't bug me if it was for a medical doctor, but it would bug me for a provider like a dietician who presumably isn't dealing with medical emergencies. |
Anonymous
| It doesn't bug me to have to wait for a doctor, but the double standard (they can't wait for me but I am allowed to wait for them) DOES bug me. It presumes their schedule is more important than mine. Yes, this is probably objectively often true but I doubt it always is. |
Anonymous
+1000 |