Need some doctor's office advice (not medical advice) please?

[Haole Girl]

I am seeing one of the best, if not the best in this area, orthopedic surgeons this week. His office has messed up every single appointment I've ever had. They call to either cancel or reschedule every time (usually at the last minute). I am not exaggerating. It also took over two weeks of playing phone tag to get the appointment for an MRI (already over with, thankfully).

When I questioned why they needed to reschedule my appointment for this Friday, just today, the appointment scheduler asked me, "Have you ever dealt with a surgeon before?"

My question - and where I could really use some good advice - is do I even mention it to the doctor? I don't want to offend him, but treating me as if my time is not as important as his sucks. :-(

Any advice?

[mwdem]

1. I would definitely mentiion it to the dr.

Your time is just as important as theirs. I didn't have a problem with my "specialists". so your dr. should be made aware of what's going on. Let me know what you're going to do. :hug:

[Haole Girl]

2. Maybe at the very end of my next appointment

I was thinking about saying, "Since it takes me weeks in advance to get time off, in my job, what is the best way of insuring my appointment times are not changed around only a day or two in advance?" But, it sounds so sarcastic.

Thank you, mwdem. :hug:

[mwdem]

3. You have to believe that your time means as much as theirs.

Believe me, I've so been there. Yet, there are some doctors (surgeons) who do think they are God. It can be tough.

[MissMillie]

4. I think that's very reasonable

When I was in the last months of my pregnancy, and the schedule of appointments was every other week, and then every week and then (when I went beyond my due date) twice a week, I always got scheduled to see the doctor that was on call.... :wtf: and lo and behold, when I'd show up for my appointment (yes, I'd actually travel into the office before finding out), they'd have to reschedule because the doc I was supposed to see was delivering a baby.

Finally, when making my appointments, I said "schedule me to see one of the doctors that is not on call!"

Nothing worse than having to go back and forth from the docs every other day, especially when it feels like you're walking w/ someone's head between your legs!!!)

[Haole Girl]

7. OBGYN doctors are bad about that

Glad everything worked out ok for you! :hi:

[Bossy Monkey]

5. Set out the problem calmly, stressing how much you respect his reputation as a surgeon

(this may qualify as sucking up, but that's still legal) but pointing out (still calmly and certainly not sarcastically) that you have to apply weeks in advance to get time off from work for your appointments, and ask if he can instruct his scheduling assistant not to reschedule your appointments unless it's with several weeks' advance notice. You would think that regardless of how busy or important he is, there would be some Very Important Patients that he wouldn't jerk around like this, maybe by keeping one day a week sacrosanct for them. Your mission would be to persuade him to let you join such a group. (People working in surgeon's offices are free to tell me that I'm living in fantasyland; I'm very happy to say that I haven't had any truck with any surgeon since infancy.)

Alternately, you could go at it from the other end, and try to get more flexibility from your place of work. It's possible I suppose that a note from such a doctor to the effect that you need surgery but because of his hectic schedule it's impossible for his office to make firm appointments weeks in advance might help. Don't see how it could hurt anyway.

[Haole Girl]

8. I like this advice, thanks

It will be difficult for me to be calm at any doctor's office. Still, I can be good at the sucking up part. lol

[astonamous]

6. Surgeons are the worst...

Obviously, a surgeon can't always know when he is going to be called out of the office for an emergency procedure...accidents happen. But, I would think that an orthopedic surgeon doesn't run into life and death knee replacements and has to drop everything to rush into the O.R.

If they had a firecracker as an office manager, the appointments wouldn't always have to be rescheduled. The Dr. should have the courtesy to at least try to see the people in his waiting room and that would eliminate some of the rescheduling.

I would speak to the Dr. Your time is just as valuable as his and maybe more so. There are websites where you can post your experiences with Doctors on the internets ;) and then make him aware of it. A bad reputation for clinical treatment is just as bad as surgical.

[Haole Girl]

9. He specializes in spinal injuries...

so I can understand a last minute change more than a two-day advance change. I truly fear he got a good spot on the golf course (is it called a 't' time?) and just decided I wasn't "worthy". Then again, that could be my inferiority complex talking. :crazy:

Thanks for your suggestion.

[astonamous]

15. Emergency spinal surgery? Just kidding...

that could be life or death.

It still wouldn't hurt to chat with him. Keep it upbeat and I'm sure he will be understanding. It might not help, but one never knows.

I use to tease a dermatologist about being "on call". I had acne and could totally understand the dreaded big zit on the end of one's nose and a big date on Saturday night. Who would have thought that dermatologists get called in to look at skin cancers, skin ulcers and all kinds of nasty, scary things that time can be of the essence? I quit teasing him.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

25. Burns, too ...........

A friend who's a dermatologist really opened my eyes when he was up all night once with burn patients.

Skin - the largest organ we've got.

Yeah, we learn as we go along, don't we?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

23. Spinal injuries?

Well, then, you already know the answer to your question - as much as it sucks for you.

No one can predict when accidents are going to happen, and when there's a spinal injury, those surgeons are at a premium and time is of the essence, so, yeah, office appointments are forever getting moved around.

A friend of mine is a regular orthopedic surgeon, an all-round bonecutter, and he gets yanked from here to there. He's continually exhausted, just trying to keep up, but - as he explained to me - his malpractice insurance premiums are $50,000 a year, and that means - he's one of two MDs in his practice - he has to make $1,000 clear a week before he even starts earning anything else. It's not a glamorous profession, and his time is continually being chewed upon.

So, I suspect that's what's going on with your physician, but it surely wouldn't hurt to ask him why this happened. My guess is that he'll tell you what you already know - that accidents happen - but if it makes you feel better, do it.

You never have this kind of problem with a rheumatologist or an endocrinologist or a dermatologist, but I once had my annual eye exam canceled while I was already in the examining room when a guy had a construction accident, sustained a terrible eye injury, and my ophthamologist was the go-to guy for that specific kind of surgery. So I had to reschedule.

And he explained it all to me when I next showed up - we're friends - and the happy ending was that the guy's sight was saved.

In any event, I hope this maybe makes it a bit easier to understand for you, but, still, it bites. I just wish you good luck.........................

[Haole Girl]

24. Thank you for your response

I'm going to remember what you said. And it is the reason I will not say or do anything to "burn bridges". Besides, it's good to get a second opinion before having one's spine operated on.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. You are so welcome.......

You always want to get a second opinion, that's for sure. And if you are going to turn your well-being over to someone, it's better - I think - to know that seeing you makes him or her smile. Not that you're sucking up - because he's working FOR you - but, you know, we've all got to understand what kinds of pressures some people are under, the things we never think of, the things we never see.

Good, good luck, kiddo ...................

[Wapsie B]

10. Sounds like there's a disorganized personality running the office.

Those are some of the worst kinds of places to deal with. Other than mentioning it to the Dr. in whatever method above there's nothing you can do to change the way their office manager runs tings.

[Haole Girl]

11. Then I go back to the beginning...

thinking if it can't be changed, why say anything?

[Wapsie B]

12. Good point.

Other than having another person in that job I don't see there being much recourse. Telling the Dr. may make one feel good for awhile. But that's about it. Maybe if that clinic is part of a larger health corporation I'd go to the manager above the office manager.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. Surgeons are the worst, but all doctors are very protective of their staff.

If you confront him about this, he will likely dismiss you as a patient.

So, you should weigh how badly you want to be seen by him against the inconvenience.

Surgeons are the reason we say MD spells GOD. No bedside manner, but you know what? I'd rather no bedside manner and an exceptional skill set. I can get my hand holding elsewhere.

[Haole Girl]

14. I know, I know

They have me right where they know they have me. It's so frustrating. :cry:

[mwooldri]

16. I'd lean on the office staff a little more...

If you have had multiple cancellations, then point it out to them and state that you have been waiting for X long to see this doctor. Request for the soonest possible appointment that you can get and also advise that if the surgeon has someone else cancel or no-show for them that you can show up pretty quickly.

I've had my psych nurse cancel on me once or twice but not multiples in succession. My wife has had another doctor in the OB-GYN practice stand in for hers if he had to go out deliver a baby or other emergency. I however can not remember a single time where my son's urologist cancelled an appointment on him. Ran late, yes but cancelled? Nope. His surgeon happens to be one that is a world class leader in his field, often on TV... but he hasn't cancelled.

You could ask them about their cancellation policy - often they'll charge for a no show or cancellation within 24 hours. Ask if it works both ways...

Oh yes, raise it with the doctor when you get to see him (eventually). Ask him if he knows any tricks to get to see him specifically and quickly and not get multiple appointments cancelled. Maybe ask him about his work??? is he doing any special research that's keeping him from clinicals?

Just ideas, Mark.

[Haole Girl]

17. Thank you

I've thought about it more, now that I've had time for it to sink in more.

I'm leaning toward going to another doctor. It's going to be a drag to start from the beginning with another. But I think I've found one just as qualified... and closer to where I live.

[carlyhippy]

18. nature of the beast, he is a surgeon, there will be cancellations

however, this seems extreme. Surgeons have emergencies all the time, and they can only work on one person at a time. It sounds like he is way overextended, is there another surgeon you can be referred to?

[Haole Girl]

20. You read my mind

I'm not going to burn any bridges, but I'm going to see a doctor (very qualified, also) closer to where I live.

The saga continues...

sigh.

[Catshrink]

19. Send him a bill for your time.

I think things like this have held up in court. The one I'm thinking of involved a long wait in a dentist's office.

I just changed primary care docs because he always kept me waiting 45 minutes. They double booked all the time and I decided I'd had enough. Even if I had the first appointment of the day he'd be 30 minutes late. I saw no reasonable excuse for that.

[Haole Girl]

21. I've heard of people doing that

One attorney actually won a case like that. Unfortunately, I don't have the fight in me right now. I really don't.

[Catshrink]

22. I understand that....

after a while one an get so run down it's easier to just change docs. If you do that, it might help (or at least may you feel better) to write a polite letter to the doctor explaining why you changed and detail the rescheduled appointments and how they inconvenienced you. Will it change anything? Probably not. You'll most likely feel better. If enough people do this something might change.

When I changed docs on the insurance company's website, there was a place for feedback on why I wanted to change. I checked long wait times.

Good luck!