Reply to Anyone else hate it when your provider tells you to arrive 15 minutes before the appt time?

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Reply to "Anyone else hate it when your provider tells you to arrive 15 minutes before the appt time?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Of course there are reasons doctors can be running late.  Emergencies happen.  But when a doctor is running late every single day, that speaks to a mismanaged practice.  I'll make you a deal - I'll get there early to fill out paperwork, [b]if you commit to seeing me within 15 minutes of my scheduled time[/b].  If you don't, you waive the copay and pass along whatever amount the insurance company pays you for the appointment.  Deal?

I didn't think so.  [/quote]

Sure, as long as you don't mind that at a certain time in your appointment, the doctor will cut you off and end your appointment.  You still have more questions about your upcoming surgery? you'll have to schedule another appointment to ask.  I found a problem and want you to go next door, get a blood test, but instead of having you come back in and discussing your results, call the office and reschedule for next week to come in and we'll discuss it.  Oh, your xray came back and we didn't get the view that we wanted, talk to the receptionist and we'll reschedule you to come back in two weeks to retake the xray and talk about it then.  You call and you're sick and you need to see someone today?  Sorry, but the doctor is booked solid today and we can't squeeze you in.  She has an appointment a week from Monday, how's that?

There are 1001 reasons why their day gets booked up and backed up and most of them have to do with patient care.  A doctor cannot tell whether your appointment will take 15 minutes or 45 minutes.  They don't want idle time, so they book the appointments closer together and run late rather than booking them further apart and having downtime for the doctors and staff between appointments.  If they have to factor in downtime and fewer appointments, they'll raise the rates of the appointment.  As it is, so many insurance companies pay them so little for basic appointments that they really can't afford to allow downtimes between patients.

Here is a good article from the doctor's perspective:
[url]http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/prevention/why-is-my-doctor-always-late[/url][/quote]

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