<p>My primary care provider referred me to a specialist. The specialist’s office called today to schedule and they can’t see me for 7 weeks! As I was referred due to a health problem, I was surprised and concerned that it will take that long. I did ask to be put on the waitlist for cancellations and plan to call my PCP tomorrow to see if they can pull some strings to expedite the process. Based on my discussions, I don’t think my PCP intended me to wait that long. </p>
<p>Also, the specialist is one year out of residency so not super experienced.</p>
<p>Anyone have similar experiences or thoughts on this?</p>
<p>Don’t even get me started… I’d end up writing one of the longest posts ever on CC.</p>
<p>Suffice it to say, after a very bad three months of some debilitating health issues, I decided to leave my much-loved family practice physician’s practice, because he was the best one there and most difficult to get in to see. I switched to an internist who runs a concierge practice about three weeks ago, and things move much more quickly. One of the specialists he recommended I see was able to get me in in three days when I dropped his name to her. But she’s cash pay up front, then I have to submit to insurance.</p>
<p>One thing I have learned from a couple of my friends who work in medical offices is to call that office every morning and ask if there have been any cancellations. Evidently, cancellations during the holidays are very, very common. Another one of the specialists that I wanted to see happened to have a cancellation the afternoon of the morning i called. When you do call, give the office your cell phone number and make it clear that you’re willing to drop whatever it is at the moment and come straight there if they get a last-minute cancellation (if this is possible for you).</p>
<p>My new internist did specifically tell me that when I called the specialists office, if it was going to be more than a couple of weeks to get in, to call him back and he would see what he could do for me; so yes, primary care physicians can help expedite the process</p>
<p>Yes, my primary docs generally have a LOT of success in getting me in to see the doc I need to. I agree that it is a good idea to call every morning NICELY and ask if there are any cancellations and let them know you’re available by cell at the number you give them to come as soon as they can give you any cancellation ONLY IF YOU WILL. My internist and my allergist WILL make time to see me if and when I need it, the same day if it’s urgent or soon thereafter if less urgent. </p>
<p>My internist is very popular, but he somehow manages to fit in those he really needs to see. I fall into that category and he says not to hesitate to page him if I ever need to (so far, thankfully never have needed to in the decades he’s been our doc).</p>
<p>Calling the primary doc to ask their help in getting in to see the specialist sooner sounds like a great idea to me as well. Remember to be as flexible and available as possible to make scheduling as easy as possible and be extra nice–lots of sick folks and vacations make scheduling very challenging for staff.</p>
<p>Long waits are the norm in my medical group, for primaries and specialists. Two to three months isn’t unusual. Your primary may not be able to get you in sooner to that particular doctor (remember, everyone else with appointments ahead of you also has a health problem), but may be able to find another specialist with a shorter wait time.</p>
<p>teritt’s suggestion of calling every day to see if there are cancellations is probably your best bet. Also ask if they have a waiting list; that’s better, because they call you when there’s a cancellation.</p>
<p>I have finally got my medical reports (it took a huge effort on my part to get them) and I am running to someone less skilled because this doctor’s skills are of little use in my care if I can’t get a question answered, and the office is so difficult to deal with. Besides, fortunately I don’t need his skill level at this point to get treated adequately.</p>
<p>Speaking from experience here - a 7 week wait is kind of normal in my part of the country, and there’s probably nothing your PCP can do about the wait. It may be a function of your insurance (do you have an HMO) or just the demand or both. As LasMa suggested, everyone “in line” ahead of you also has a serious health problem.</p>
<p>Keep calling though. Make yourself heard - you are your own best advocate.</p>
<p>Did I mention that once that my PCP told me I might have thyroid cancer and referred me to a specialist who couldn’t see me for 6 weeks? When I protested, I was told, “Oh, don’t worry. If it is cancer, at least that’s a good one to have.” Cold comfort!</p>
<p>My dh is a pediatric specialist whose schedule is always full. A certain number of slots are always kept open for emergencies or existing patients who develop complications - these inevitably fill up, as well. The best way to get in to see my husband or one of his partners ahead of the queue is for the referring physician him/herself to call one of the docs. This happens all the time because referring docs are nervous about issues in his field, some of which are critical and some of which can indeed wait weeks before being addressed by a specialist. So my dh is besieged with calls from friends and colleagues, which are frustrating because they’re asking for more time than he has. He accommodates as many as he can, depending on what the referring docs tell him. </p>
<p>doschicos, I hope you find that your referring doctor can indeed pull some strings. Perhaps they’ll suggest another specialist for you. Does your insurance place limitations on finding doctors within a certain distance?</p>
<p>Doschicos: I am surprised that a practitioner who is only 1 year out of residency is booked 7 weeks in advance. Do you live in a very rural or isolated part of the country? Is this practitioner the only one of his type in the area? If that is so, perhaps 7 weeks is a reasonable time to wait for an appointment. I live in the Northeast, very near to a large city, and I have never waited 7 weeks to see a specialist. You are right to ask your PCP to advocate for you but if he/she is unsuccessful, continue to call daily and ask about cancellations as others have suggested. The squeaky wheel gets the oil as they say!</p>
<p>Thanks for all your thoughts and comments and please keep them coming.</p>
<p>I do not have any restrictions placed on me by my insurance so, thankfully, that is not an issue. </p>
<p>I am on the waitlist and will call my PCP’s office to see how she feels about the wait.</p>
<p>I live in northern New England near a small city. Decent medical care as people are drawn to the area for lifestyle reasons. I am within driving distance to Boston, so willing to travel if I feel it will get me the best care. </p>
<p>I definitely understand people’s point that others ahead of me have health issues as well. However, although I am not a “high maintenance” person normally, I do believe in advocating for myself when it comes to my health and medical care. If there’s any time to make sure you are getting what you need in a timely manner, I can’t think of anything more important than doing so for a health issue for yourself or a family member. Definitely not a time to be passive although I will remain polite. :)</p>
<p>I would not wait for them to call YOU regarding a waitlist opening. Call them every few days for an update. I find that specialists leave gaps in their schedules for “just in cases” and the closer it gets to the date, open them up for appointments. That being said, prepare yourself to grab what you can get, even if it’s inconvenient. Good luck, and I hope you feel better.</p>
<p>I am fortunate to live in a major metropolitan area with two great medical schools. I have never had to wait more than a week for an appointment for anything. </p>
<p>7 weeks could be the difference between “It’s good we caught it early” and “It’s spread”. I would ask my PCP for a referral to another specialist.</p>
<p>Whether this is a problem depends on the nature of the medical problem (and to some extent, on the degree of your concern about it). </p>
<p>Some things can easily wait 7 weeks; others can’t.</p>
<p>You may want to ask your PCP whether there was a reason for referring you to this particular specialist or whether it would be just as appropriate to seek others who are on your insurance plan. Sometimes, the PCP makes a referral because he/she knows that the specialist has a lot of experience with your particular condition, but in other cases, there is no reason why one specialist would be preferable to another.</p>
<p>I recently saw a patient who was referred to a specialist in a VERY large city. The referral was “declined”, the patient was told, because the patient didn’t need to see him.</p>
<p>frazzled, I’m just curious: When your DH and his partners already have a full schedule, how do they manage to see these patients ahead of the queue at the request of the referring doctor?</p>
<p>There is a small amount of “downtime” built in each day, which is usually taken up by staff meetings or business responsibilities - this is the first block of time filled for that kind of patient, and he does the other stuff after office hours. If one of the slots for emergencies or existing patients with complications isn’t filled, a patient who’s jumping the queue goes there; otherwise it’s not unusual for my dh to work through lunch or come in before office hours start for the consultation itself. Then any tests are squeezed in during regular staff hours, which results in everyone waiting longer than they otherwise would.</p>
<p>doschicos if you are within driving distance of Boston, I would research specialists in the Boston area to see if someone can see you sooner. Maybe you could start with your PCP and ask for names of specialists in the Boston area. Tell your PCP that waiting for 7 weeks to see the local specialist is not acceptable to you. He or she might be able to make an appointment for you like some of the other posters have suggested. Even if your health issue is not potentially life threatening, waiting 7 weeks is a long time when you are worried and concerned. In addition, you want to find the best specialist out there for your problem. And if you are not comfortable with seeing someone who has only finished their residency in the past year, then you need to keep looking. </p>
<p>As the parent of a child with a potentially very serious chronic illness, I learned this 5 years ago when she was first diagnosed. I wasn’t unhappy but I wasn’t completely thrilled with the specialist we were seeing near our home. A friend who is a pediatric nurse practitioner basically said to me that since we live a little over an hour away from a world class medical center, that my daughter should be followed by the very best physician I could find. My friend asked me why I was fiddling around with someone who was a specialist but who was not as specialized as the physicians at the medical center who focus on my daughter’s disease and nothing else. No matter what happens in the future with my daughter’s health, I feel very good about the doctor who sees her. And fortunately, she is doing well now.</p>
<p>Just wanted to say I was reading this thread Thurs night, and thinking very much of my son, who has been waiting to see a specialist for a few weeks, and he’s been uncomfortable, and the appointment isn’t until Jan.</p>
<p>So I stayed home from work yesterday, and was on the phone right at 8 am when they opened. And I was able to get him in, he has a new medication, and is very happy. Thanks CC!</p>
Remember to be as flexible and available as possible to make scheduling as easy as possible and be extra nice–lots of sick folks and vacations make scheduling very challenging for staff.</p>