How long do you wait before leaving. This is to review results from recent colonoscopy (2 weeks ago) - I made appt 1st thing in morning and I’ve waited over an hour so far. This dims am office area only no procedures at this facility - he’s been here. Don’t know if he jus triple books or what but between waiting over an hour now and the face they want to charge me a $45 co pay for specialty dr to go over results is really ticking me off. He’s made me wait before on my esophagus results but it was later in the day and I assumed he’d just had some emergencies push him behind.
I’m thinking this wasn’t urgent as my appt was 2 weeks from procedure - this could be a phone call.
I have a huge pet peeve about waiting. The only thing I can think of is that this doctor might have done rounds at the hospital first thing and was late getting to the office because of an emergency there. BUT, the staff should be letting you know and keeping you informed about delays.
IMO, 30 minutes is already too long. Not a chance that I would still be waiting an hour. I would reschedule for a phone consultation.
Question to ask - Is the doctor even on the premises now?
If I’m not a high risk for cancer, I’m leaving. With my and my DH’s colonoscopy, they reviewed the results with us in the recovery room and depended on the non-patient to understand what was being said. For an office visit where I feel fine, I’m leaving after 30 mins and not coming back if they are ignoring me. I dumped an OB/GYN when her staff kept me waiting twice and neglected to tell me she wasn’t even there. I reserve the right to decide if I stay or reschedule. I’m not a doctor but my time is money just like theirs.
I don’t like waiting either but the last time I had to wait quite a while, the doctor came in and apologized. His prior 2 patients had some things that needed extra time to go over some things with them.
I was very appreciative that the doctor gave a small explication of why he was running late. He also worked through his lunch hour so that his afternoon appointments would be back on schedule.
I don’t think most doctors want to start their day off schedule. They like to go home on time and eat lunch. Many practices have a very ambitious schedule for the doctor to keep. If one patient needs extra time to explain things, it throws the whole day off. If they need to have an emergency consult or make calls, that can throw things off.
My husband has one specialist who runs off schedule pretty badly. He’s a really good doctor and when you see him, he is really through and spends time with you educating you on your disease. He’s called other specialists to consult on H’s specific problems.
H knows the drill and comes prepared to wait. If he doesn’t have to wait very long, bonus.
It was 1 hour and 15 minutes - really couldn’t contain myself but knew if I said anything I’d regret it because he is the Dr managing my Barrett’s esophagus. I had an email, text, and voice mail reminders and that I could be charged if I missed my appt!
2 minutes to review my meds and tell me my polyps (he told me I had 4 immediately after the procedure) were non-cancerous. Definitely a non-billable PA phone call would have worked just fine!
Calming down now that I’m at work. Hope it’s a peaceful day. Thanks for listening.
@threeofthree since you see this Dr on a regular basis, before the next procedure, ask if it’s OK, as long as not cancerous, to just send the report by mail. Reviewing such results following a procedure should not be billable.
Timely, because my spouse’s colonoscopy results came in today, and I was helping him retrieve and review. The doctor went over what he found and anticipated the lab results to show after the procedure. The report is available on line, by mail, and they will call to discuss. I’m not sure why they had to have a follow-up appointment to review results?
That being said, I’ve never left a doctor’s office because of time. And it is impossible to get through a doctor visit in this town in under 2 hours even with an appointment. 3-4 is not unusual.
I’ve never had a follow-up appt for a colonoscopy. We get a convo while in recovery & a letter documenting the results. If I were asked to schedule an appt, my anxiety would go off the charts.
The office staff for the surgeon I’ve had for lumpectomies tells us that there could be waits as the Dr spends whatever time is needed with each patient. As I benefited from that attention, I didn’t mind.
If I wasn’t getting a status, and I had other things to do, I’d probably walk after the hour I allowed for the appt. I’d be up at the desk every 15 minutes, so it probably wouldn’t get that far.
I don’t have another colonoscopy for 5 years but I have an esophagus revisit in 6 months.
I did not say anything to the Dr because I get paranoid that they see me more when unconscious than awake - kind of freaks me out a bit.
I did tell the receptionist at check in that it had been 30 minutes, but she said oh, you’re next though! Then I said it’s been 45 and I sched specifically first thing in morn to not impact work too much. She said shouldnt be much longer. 5 minutes later walked me back to exam room and shut the door - 20 minutes later Dr showed up.
I said to checkout lady I can’t wait over an hour to see the Dr to go over results - she looked grumpy and unhappy that I was complaining. When setting next appt she said maybe you’ll have better luck after lunch - so scheduled for 1:30 pm. Hmmmm -
Wow, have never heard of having to pay for a time slot to receive results of a diagnostic test that are considered negative for pathology. That sounds kind of sketchy to be honest. Waiting for over an hour is a separate but just as inappropriate issue. My docs don’t even call for normal results after a colonoscopy-they tell you right after the procedure that they are not concerned with what they saw, tell me they will send the official results by mail, and I get them soon thereafter.
I have left after an hour before. That is so disrespectful of your time.
I love my family doctor because we are seen on time and, in some cases, early. It’s a very well-run practice. He has a nurse practitioner on the other side who is notorious for running behind - even the office staff recognize it. She does, however, spend a lot of time with you and never rushes you out. I’ve learned that, if I have to see her in a non-emergency situation, to get the first appointment of the day if I can.
I have left practices before where I didn’t feel like I was respected as a patient, and that has included running habitually late with no explanation (I realize stuff does happen, but certainly not every day).
I have a not-nice story to share about a former OBGYN I went to a long time ago. They put me in an exam room, ready to go so to speak. And then everyone went to lunch. Seriously. I was so mad. They apologized all over themselves for forgetting me, but I was moving anyway so I never went back.
I see one doctor regularly who is always running late, and not a little late. I ask when I was scheduling my appointment when he is most likely to be on time, and they now usually give me the first appointment of the morning. It definitely helps.
As for getting non-problem results in person that could have been sent, I hate when they do this, but there are a number of docs who do it. I suspect it’s their only way to be compensated for their time. Ridiculous. Colonoscopies have always been reported back to the non-drugged driver with follow up in writing.
Then again, I have gotten results in writing for blood tests with notes suggesting I change my diet to avoid foods I never eat. In person, I could say as much because if the results aren’t the result of diet, is there something else going on? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
I have walked out of doctors’ offices. 30 minutes is my maximum. I do check first to make sure there isn’t some extenuating circumstance. A century ago, my mother splashed Clorox in her eye. A neighbor raced her to the ophthalmologist who spent a good hour with her flushing out her eye. Since then I appreciate that emergencies do happen, but if there is no emergency, then it’s just bad office management.
I did fire the woman who colors my hair. Four times, she kept me waiting at least 20 minutes. She also kept my DIL waiting 20 minutes the day before DIL’s wedding to DS. (It’s not like DIL had leisurely time to spare that day.) In my world, there are no hair coloring emergencies that justify that delay.
My eye doctor is notorious for making patients wait. He is very good and he takes time with every patient he sees that pushes everybody schedule down as the day progress. I schedule early in the morning when I can to avoid delays. I have waited three hours in his office. I don’t schedule anything else when I go see him.