Well, we were getting ready to leave at 7:30 this morning and I received that dreaded call, the Dr's. wife had a set back and he is out until after her second surgery and recovery. My next appointment is April 11, on a Sat. I'm sorry I understand she's sick and he needs to be with her, but what about his patients. I just called back and had a few words with his Nurse (not nice words) I'm tired and sick and want to know what is wrong, I told her, this was the 4Th time since Nov. he's rescheduled me. I've been trying to see him since last Aug they sent me to him from my G.P. office, he scheduled me for Nov, they canceled, I got to see him Dec 17th. was suppose to return in Feb after taking my meds for 2 months, had test run Feb 17 for appointment the next week changed appointment from Weds to Friday, cancelled that one and scheduled me for today how I'm rescheduled till April. I've been rescheduled 3 times since Dec. and everyone who knows me knows I've been sick for over a year and getting worse. There are 3 other Dr. in his office she said, but they have their own patients and are booked till June. I want to go to another Dr. but have to start the whole process. Go back to my DR he runs test sends them to another Dr and he decides if I need to come to them, then schedules appoint, blah blah blah, She is putting me on a wait list in case something comes open sooner. DANG IT I'm tired of being tired...I just want to go to sleep and sleep a week. I'm disappointed and feel so bad,Sorry to dump on everyone but I just don't understand what are the rest of his patients doing. When I went to him in Dec. he seemed to think it might be my adrinal gland causing my Sugar and Thyroid to mess up, well don't you think he would be a little concerned for his patients. He has been in his office for 2 weeks, I guess he is getting all his old patients taken care of and the devil with the new ones.I have an appointmnt with my GP this week and will let him help me decide what to do.
Sorry to hear about your postponed Dr. appt. Depressing!! I hope something comes open for you soon, so you can get things figured out and get better!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. I would be mad, too! I'm so sorry. I wish there were something I could do to help.
ReplyDeleteDang it Molly!This is getting ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree Dr.'s are very annoying and don't really listen to their patients, have ran into this with my Mom and Father in Law, I hope it all works out for you, you are in my prayers
ReplyDeleteI can see both sides to the story...having worked in the medical field before, I can understand the patient's frustration when all they want is to see their physician and get to the bottom of what's medically taking place in their body. However, I can see the physician's side as that is his wife and it is very much understandable that he would want to be with his wife to take care of her. That's what any spouse would do. But to put patient's off for that long and that many times....I don't agree with it.
ReplyDeleteThere were very few and far between times that the doctor I worked for would take off unscheduled or at last minute due to an emergency or what have you. But...depending upon the schedule we would work those patients in as soon as absolutely possible. If it were something that medically needed attention sooner than we had time for on the appointment book, I would schedule them on a Saturday morning and tell the doctor what I had done. He was ALWAYS willing to oblige to this. We normally didn't work past 11am so it wasn't like we were there all day, so it worked out.
I would also very carefully inform the patient that this was an appointment that was NOT a normal working hour so if they did not make the appointment they would have to call in for another appointment and it would be at the earliest regularly available time. They were also informed up front that if they did not make this after hour per sea appointment that they would NOT be placed on the cancellation call list for anything that came open sooner than the regularly scheduled appointment. This was only fair to the other patients.
This most often worked out to the satisfaction of the patient as well as the doctor. I will admit, not everyone of our staff was happy to give up a few hours of their off time, but I would remind them that while the doctor was away they had plenty of office down time and therefore they were already compensated for it. (If the doctor was out of the office I would give the staff the option to work 1/2 the day or take it off completely -- w/out pay.) 99% of the time they opted to take the day off w/out pay, while I stayed and worked the full day; which I didn't mind because if that phone rang & a patient needed something at least I was there to assist them as best I could. I couldn't see leaving patient's left out in the cold completely.
You could say I wasn't the favorite person in the office but after all, I was there to do my job and take care of the patients not be everyone's good time buddy. I guess that's why I was the Office Manager and they weren't. But boy did they love me come payday when I wrote their checks out! *grin*
I have to say, although I loved my job and the patient's I don't miss it that bad. When hubby told me he wanted me to quit and become a full time homemaker, it was hard at first to leave my job (after all I had been there 13 years.) But once I left there and got a taste of F/T home keeping...I knew this is where the LORD meant for me to be. I wouldn't change a minute of it either.
Hummmm... maybe this is a sign...maybe you need to see another doctor... even if it means going through the whole process again... maybe new test would show something more that would help them help you??? Just a thought. Love ya!!
ReplyDeleteI am really angry with that doctor. He is very unprofessional. And those other doctors in his practice could take up the slack, but they are too lazy. It really makes me mad. It's ridiculous to keep rescheduling. Too bad so sad about his wife, but that's ANOTHER doctor's job, and this doctor KNEW that he was taking on a profession where you are supposed to be there for patients come hell or high water. He took the PLACE of another person hoping to be a doctor.
ReplyDeleteI'm just so mad.
I think doctors need to be a little more caring about their patients. I would be quite upset, too.
ReplyDelete