Skip the wait at the doctor's office!

I read this article online today and thought it was good enough to post..Most of this makes sense and is good advise BUT being in the field for close to 20 years , there is always that 'gray area' with my comments in red!


Skip the Wait at the Doctor’s Office.

Get better care and faster service with these tips:
You made an appointment to see your doctor weeks ago and arrived at her office on time. So why are you stuck sitting in the waiting room for more than an hour? "We have a broken system, and many doctors are packing their schedules to make ends meet," says L. Gordon Moore, MD, a family care practitioner and faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. and that is true. Seeing 30 plus patients a day will almost surely create the schedule to fail from the moment the doors open. Be aware that person before you with the "simple' cough could turn to an admission to the hospital and that 10 minute appointment just sent the doctor's schedule behind 30 minutes.
Even the most punctual among us are late on occasion, so waiting 15 to 20 minutes to see your doctor isn't a big deal. But waiting longer than that isn't just annoying; it could actually hurt your health. "Research shows that patients who spend too long in waiting rooms are less likely to seek the follow-up care that they need," Dr. Moore explains. yes, very true you find yourself not wanting to come back and deal with it and not only that, the patient is so annoyed and upset his pressure rises and he becomes angered and one of those 'problem patients', not quite fair is it?. While the key to solving the problem of long waits primarily lies in the hands of doctors, there are some things patients can do. Try these tips for speedier service:
1. Ask for the first appointment of the day. You will almost always be seen promptly if there's no one in line in front of you. very true!
2. Get your checkups in the off-season. When scheduling a routine appointment, ask the doctor or her office staff if there's a time of year that tends to be slow, says Martha V. White, MD, research director for the Institute for Asthma and Allergy in Wheaton, Maryland. "For some practices, summer is relatively quiet, but ‘seasonality' varies by location and specialty," she says. summer IS better
3. Call ahead. Before you head out, call the doctor's office and ask if he's running on time, suggests Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, an internist in Atlanta. If you find out he's currently 30 minutes behind schedule, you can leave your home or office a little later instead of spending that time flipping through expired magazines in the waiting room. which can work for you or against you! Most large practices don't like to commit to that in case the doctor suddenly gets back on track then he wonder's where his patients are.Plus there are patients that complain about the schedule, decide to come in later because they assume the doctor is 'always ' late, then the patient gets a late fee because he was 15 minutes late or worse yet, a 'no show' fee because he didn't show up for 30 minutes and was dropped from the schedule! and of course the pressure rises again, the anger, you get the picture.
4. Always make an appointment. Some patients who feel sick just show up at their doctor's office, and many places will try to accommodate patients even if they haven't made an appointment. But without an appointment, the wait will be longer because the doctor won't be expecting you and will have to squeeze you in between other patients, says Robert Carr, MD, a family physician in Southbury, Connecticut. If it's really urgent, go to the ER. yes, chest pain, acute pain go immediately, but waiting in the ER for flu symptoms, and other primary care aliments you will find you will wait hours upon hours for an over tired doctor that doesn't know any of your history, and the charges are through the roof!. If its not life threatening, stick it out and wait for your personal doctor.
5. Find a new doctor. If your doc is perpetually late and you don't have time to wait-and really, who does?--it's probably time for a change. When shopping for a new doctor, remember to ask whether the doctor usually runs on time (in addition to all those important questions about credentials and bedside manner). One quick way to find this out, says Dr. Moore, is to ask the receptionist how essential it is that you snag the first appointment of the day. "If she highly recommends it, that's a bad sign. If she says it doesn't make a difference, that's good because it means the doctor is generally prompt all day long." good advise, but most receptionist's won't honestly know how to answer that question without feeling they will be giving a negative light to their practice. Word of mouth is usually the way to an honest answer!
And finally, be reasonable. While your time is valuable and an organized doctor should allow ample time in her schedule to deal with sick patients who need same-day care, emergencies do happen.all the time! "I'll never forget the man who, while I was on my knees working on a woman who had collapsed in the hall, walked to within 10 feet of me and asked when I was going to see him," says Dr. White. "Even if you don't feel well or you have pressing business, there may be somebody else who is even more ill or has more pressing needs." One of the most common statements I heard from patients was " My time is just as valuable" and in the big picture that IS true, but leave room for margins of error and you will be more peaceful. If you can't and life is just to hurried for you that day then schedule your appointments on a day off. Remember , you could be the one that collapsed and that urgent care could be saving your life..The golden rule!