For the first visit I think it is standard and I arrive a few minutes early without them asking.

When you're a current patient I hate it and think it is inappropriate.

Anonymous wrote:
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, if you commit to seeing me within 15 minutes of my scheduled time. 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.

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:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/prevention/why-is-my-doctor-always-late

Am more than willing to wait for a good doctor. I know he is running late because he is giving more time to patients who need it. I have been the beneficiary of such extra time. And IME these good doctors are the first to apologize for being late.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be the new trend, with every single medical provider. I can't stand it. Appointment at 11:00? Please arrive at 10:45. Of course, we won't acknowledge your presence until 11:34, so you'll be mystified as to why you needed to arrive so early. And you won't be placed in an examining room until 11:48, and the doctor won't see you until 12:08.

21:22, that's ridiculous. If it's for the first appointment, fine. I get it. But every single appointment??? When no one acknowledges you? No way.

Ridiculous that the rear of the world isn't as capable as you? You need your presence acknowledged in what way? You go up to the desk and sign in. That's your acknowledgement. So you don't go up to the front desk and let them know you are there? We can add that one to the list of why they need extra time, to hunt down patients who are there but can't follow the sign "check in here"
And you can't think of a reason why a doctor would be running late?
Your insurance has to be verified every single time. People lose their jobs, don't pay their premiums all the time. People don't pay their bills.
If you only want to be seen with perfect people like yourself than cough up the money for a concierge practice.

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, if you commit to seeing me within 15 minutes of my scheduled time. 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.

We have one provider that runs on time all the time (the per) and I bust a$$ to get there on time out of respect for their good practice mgmt. Other things bug me there administratively but not wasting time in the waiting room is one that helps me let the other things slide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be the new trend, with every single medical provider. I can't stand it. Appointment at 11:00? Please arrive at 10:45. Of course, we won't acknowledge your presence until 11:34, so you'll be mystified as to why you needed to arrive so early. And you won't be placed in an examining room until 11:48, and the doctor won't see you until 12:08.

21:22, that's ridiculous. If it's for the first appointment, fine. I get it. But every single appointment??? When no one acknowledges you? No way.

Ridiculous that the rear of the world isn't as capable as you? You need your presence acknowledged in what way? You go up to the desk and sign in. That's your acknowledgement. So you don't go up to the front desk and let them know you are there? We can add that one to the list of why they need extra time, to hunt down patients who are there but can't follow the sign "check in here"
And you can't think of a reason why a doctor would be running late?
Your insurance has to be verified every single time. People lose their jobs, don't pay their premiums all the time. People don't pay their bills.
If you only want to be seen with perfect people like yourself than cough up the money for a concierge practice.

1. It doesn't take 45 minutes to verify insurance. It doesn't take 15 minutes. In fact, before computers, doctors even managed to see patients. Wow!!!
2. I'm not the one asking to have my presence acknowledged!!!! They are!
3. I can think of many reasons why the doctor may be running late, all of them good reasons. You have missed the point completely.
4. This may astound you: my insurance, etc. can be verified AT ANY TIME.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously ......... if one has an appointment time at 11, the odds of the doctor seeing you within 15 mins of the appointment time are almost zilch. They are habitually late and one ends up seeing them between 30 mins and 1 hour after the appointment time with no apology for having kept you waiting.

Is there any other profession where a "customer" is just kept waiting routinely and that is considered to be the norm?

In my home life:
Waiting for cable, plumbers, electricians, heating and cooling techs
Any type of service call where they give you a "window"
Flight delays and cancellations at airports

In my professional life:
Change of dates for court dates, rescheduled court dates
Jurors being kept for hours and dismissed
A meeting that has scheduled and cancelled and rescheduled 5 times so far this summer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be the new trend, with every single medical provider. I can't stand it. Appointment at 11:00? Please arrive at 10:45. Of course, we won't acknowledge your presence until 11:34, so you'll be mystified as to why you needed to arrive so early. And you won't be placed in an examining room until 11:48, and the doctor won't see you until 12:08.

21:22, that's ridiculous. If it's for the first appointment, fine. I get it. But every single appointment??? When no one acknowledges you? No way.

Ridiculous that the rear of the world isn't as capable as you? You need your presence acknowledged in what way? You go up to the desk and sign in. That's your acknowledgement. So you don't go up to the front desk and let them know you are there? We can add that one to the list of why they need extra time, to hunt down patients who are there but can't follow the sign "check in here"
And you can't think of a reason why a doctor would be running late?
Your insurance has to be verified every single time. People lose their jobs, don't pay their premiums all the time. People don't pay their bills.
If you only want to be seen with perfect people like yourself than cough up the money for a concierge practice.

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, if you commit to seeing me within 15 minutes of my scheduled time. 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.

That would be insurance fraud. Doctors can't make independent deals with patients, or waive copay a, as it is a violation of heir contract with the insurance company, unless it falls within the (very strict) guides for doing so in cases of extreme hardship.
You don't seem to understand that YOU doing all these things doesn't matter. The rules are for EVERYONE. You need to get your finances in order and get yourself to a concierge service so you don't have to be bothered with the common people who, as ridiculous as it is to you, Miss Perfect, need someone to read the paperwork to them
And a flippant "emergencies happen?" Nice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems to be the new trend, with every single medical provider. I can't stand it. Appointment at 11:00? Please arrive at 10:45. Of course, we won't acknowledge your presence until 11:34, so you'll be mystified as to why you needed to arrive so early. And you won't be placed in an examining room until 11:48, and the doctor won't see you until 12:08.

21:22, that's ridiculous. If it's for the first appointment, fine. I get it. But every single appointment??? When no one acknowledges you? No way.

Ridiculous that the rear of the world isn't as capable as you? You need your presence acknowledged in what way? You go up to the desk and sign in. That's your acknowledgement. So you don't go up to the front desk and let them know you are there? We can add that one to the list of why they need extra time, to hunt down patients who are there but can't follow the sign "check in here"
And you can't think of a reason why a doctor would be running late?
Your insurance has to be verified every single time. People lose their jobs, don't pay their premiums all the time. People don't pay their bills.
If you only want to be seen with perfect people like yourself than cough up the money for a concierge practice.

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, if you commit to seeing me within 15 minutes of my scheduled time. 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.

Seriously ......... if one has an appointment time at 11, the odds of the doctor seeing you within 15 mins of the appointment time are almost zilch. They are habitually late and one ends up seeing them between 30 mins and 1 hour after the appointment time with no apology for having kept you waiting.

Is there any other profession where a "customer" is just kept waiting routinely and that is considered to be the norm?

Anonymous wrote:

I feel like this is a waitress thing... don't criticize until you have done it. Your appointment is at 11 with the doctor. Everything has to be done before the doctor will see you. The person checking you in has things to do, they need 15 minutes to ensure those things are done.

If they are running late it is because other people showed up late or not 15 minutes early and receptionist is running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

There are tons of things they need to do to make sure you are ready for the doctor.

I think you need to try the job for a day before you criticize.

Regardless of whether they need 15 minutes to get things ready before they see the doctor, our of basic respect for your time, why can't they tell you that at the time that they schedule the appointment so you can schedule your life accordingly? To me, that is basic courtesy.

Because if they tell you your appointment is at 10:45 and you see the doctor at 11 you feel as thought the doctor was 15 minutes late.

If you are told you will see the doctor at 11, but arrive at 10:45 to do paperwork then you know when you see the doctor at 11 that was on time.

I feel like this is a waitress thing... don't criticize until you have done it. Your appointment is at 11 with the doctor. Everything has to be done before the doctor will see you. The person checking you in has things to do, they need 15 minutes to ensure those things are done.

If they are running late it is because other people showed up late or not 15 minutes early and receptionist is running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

There are tons of things they need to do to make sure you are ready for the doctor.

I think you need to try the job for a day before you criticize.

Regardless of whether they need 15 minutes to get things ready before they see the doctor, our of basic respect for your time, why can't they tell you that at the time that they schedule the appointment so you can schedule your life accordingly? To me, that is basic courtesy.

I arrive AT my actual appointment time no matter how early they tell me to be there. And it never makes a difference. I still have to wait for the EFing doctor.

Yeah, it doesn't bother me because I just say yes and then come at the appointment time instead. After showing up 15 minutes early multiple times and then sitting there and waiting for another 30 minutes, I don't intend to continue arriving early for what is clearly no reason.

I arrive AT my actual appointment time no matter how early they tell me to be there. And it never makes a difference. I still have to wait for the EFing doctor.

The way I see it, the earlier I get there the longer I have to wait.

I feel like this is a waitress thing... don't criticize until you have done it. Your appointment is at 11 with the doctor. Everything has to be done before the doctor will see you. The person checking you in has things to do, they need 15 minutes to ensure those things are done.

If they are running late it is because other people showed up late or not 15 minutes early and receptionist is running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

There are tons of things they need to do to make sure you are ready for the doctor.

I think you need to try the job for a day before you criticize.

Anonymous wrote:It is like the airlines. Your flight is at 2..but boarding is at 1:30. Umm who cares when take off is expected if I have to be there at 1:30. That is the time of the flight.

Wow.