I just walked out of a Dr appt after waiting 45 min

[Tess in the Burbs]

Am I crazy and will they mark me as a bad patient??? :lol:

 

We waited 45 minutes in the waiting room. When I arrived I asked if they were behind and I was told 2 people were in rooms and I was next to be called for that Dr. I went and asked after 30 min and they said I was next...but after 45 minutes I got up and changed the appointment to Monday.

 

They called the nurses desk but no answer so they have no clue why it suddenly got so behind.

 

I haven't walked out before. Do you after so long? I felt bad for my kids who had already waited so long but goodness, I have things to do today!

[MariannNOVA]

Go, Tess!!!!!:hurray::hurray::hurray:

 

I know that the practice I use has a sign that says if you have been waiting more than 10 minutes, please let the check in desk know.

 

If there was no such sign, there is a Patient Rep who is always cruising the Waiting Room asking everyone how long they have been seated and waiting and what time their appointment is.

 

If there was no Patient Rep, I would probably give them 20 minutes to call me from the waiting room, and then speak to the check in desk. If they weren't going to get me in a room AND seen within 10 minutes, I would re-schedule.

 

Only one time did dh and I have something like that happen (we didn't leave) -- but it was in the pernatologist's office and a patient had just had a bad u/s so we understood that our doctor was going to be running late.

 

Your story, however, clearly isn't anything like that so I would want the practice to be a bit more accountable.

[5knights3maidens]

When we go to our dd's DAN/primary doctor, sometimes we call ahead (depends on the time of the appt.). He can be running behind 30/40 mins....or so. He is an excellent dr. and is very thorough with his patients. :001_smile:

I have never heard any bad comments about him. :001_smile:

[Twilight Woods]

I go to a solo practitioner so I have never had to wait that long without knowing.

[fairfarmhand]

the only time I would wait like that would be at my OB/GYN office. I figure baby deliveries can mess anyone's schedule up.

 

Anyplace else, I would politely ask for a reschedule. They are probably relieved that they have some extra time in the schedule for catch-up!

[Aubrey]

I waited 30 min a couple of weeks ago. The lady at the front office had the gall when scheduling my next appt to tell me that they have to take emergencies first. That's fine, but I was the only. one. waiting. No emergencies.

 

Oh, she said. Well, it takes some time to get the office up & running. I was the 1st appt of the day.

 

I will not be going back. I'd decided to walk out at 30 min, so the nurse called me just. in. time.

[Jean in Newcastle]

At my Drs' office I have to pay my co-pay when I check in. Did you have to do that and did you get a reimbursement? I would be steamed if I had to pay a co-pay on an appointment that didn't even happen because they were so late.

[Cassy]

I've waited 50 mins in a doctor's waiting room and so wanted to walk out, but had a very sick child with me (plus 3 siblings :glare:), so had to wait. I suppose there was also the slight feeling that having already invested 50 mins of my life I was darn well going to see a doctor before leaving :tongue_smilie:.

 

But a protest walk out is cool :D.

 

Cassy

[Tess in the Burbs]

it was a family practice and they weren't behind when I came in because I asked.

 

In fact when I said I wouldn't wait any longer she begged me to stay! I rescheduled and don't pay a co-pay, so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

I just don't want to be marked as a bad patient! :tongue_smilie:

 

But no, no signs or people offering to help. in fact one other lady asked too but she was taken back in a few minutes.

 

My dad's rule: 15 min for family, 30 for specialist.

 

I don't mind 30 minutes but 45 and I wasn't in the room didn't have any positive potential :001_huh:

[JudoMom]

No, I wouldn't have left.

 

I really like all of our doctors. My primary runs behind, but he also spends as much time with me as I need and I never have felt rushed. I assume he's behind because he takes this time with his patients, and to me that is a quality that is worth the wait.

[Parrothead]

I've left appointments before but only because I've been given the option to reschedule or wait. Usually the reschedule is because the doc I'm waiting for got called to or is also covering the ER.

[joannqn]

I once left a specialist office after sitting in an exam room with two young children for an hour. I went to the billing department and told them that I would NOT be billed for the appointment in any way shape or form. Of course, I've never managed to get my knee checked by a specialist since (and it still bothers me more often than not years later).

 

I put up with very long waits at my pediatrician's office. He's just too good to give up, though I do start to get frustrated after an hour.

[athena1277]

45 min is nothing compared to the horrid gastro doctor dh went to one time. The office would basically schedule everyone for 8am of 1pm. Dh goes in at 1pm, the waiting area gets so packed it is literally standing room only. Then they call patients back in the order they arrived. People actually waited all afternoon. This doctor thought he was God's gift to medicine, but we quickly learned he was an idiot.

[wapiti]

45 min is nothing compared to the horrid gastro doctor dh went to one time. The office would basically schedule everyone for 8am of 1pm. Dh goes in at 1pm, the waiting area gets so packed it is literally standing room only. Then they call patients back in the order they arrived. People actually waited all afternoon. This doctor thought he was God's gift to medicine, but we quickly learned he was an idiot.

 

This is exactly how it was ten years ago, with a certain specialist my dd used to see at our local, well-regarded Children's hospital. I'd be there with my 6 month old baby, at 8:00. On more than one occasion, we were seen three and a half hours later, so missing two naps. And the doc wondered why she was screaming and uncooperative. But it was so hard to get the appointment to begin with that we stayed, plus I was basically chicken.

 

There's another specialist we see who has had a few long waits, once on purpose because the doc got backed up and once because they forgot about us (some miscommunication between the office people and the nurses). Both times they apologized profusely.

[happypamama]

Unless it was an OB office, or they could otherwise tell you that there was some emergency (I can understand if they needed to squeeze in a sick child or something, for instance), 45 minutes, if you were on time, was ridiculous. I understand having to wait if I'm late, but I think more than about 10-15 minutes is unacceptable. 10-15 would account, IMO, for every patient before you taking a tiny bit extra time, and that wouldn't bug me too much, but 45 -- no. I'd let them know that you waited that long and that you weren't happy about it.

 

(I have noticed that when I have all of the children with me, if I'm right on time, they do tend to get me in and out of there faster, especially if it's not a particularly kid-oriented office. Not much to do + long wait = kids getting bored and noisy. So that's handy. :) )

[chicagoshannon]

Years ago my mom instructed her insurance company to pay only half of what the doctor billed. She waited for 2 hours so she billed him for her missed time at work. lol This was after she called the office before leaving work to see if they were on time and they said they were.

[Margo out of lurking]

I have left a practice for that reason; dh liked his doctor a lot and chose to stay. Yes, there are sometimes circumstances beyond a doctor's control, but in my case, it was a pattern of the office in how tightly they chose to schedule their patients.

 

I've never heard of a patient rep who cruises the waiting room, wow!

 

If you were polite, I wouldn't worry that they marked you as a "bad" patient.

[nono]

I don't see any problem with politely telling the front desk that you have no more time to wait due to other obligations and will have to reschedule.

 

The only way you'd be labelled a difficult patient in a sane place is if you had a very short timeframe before rescheduling (like 15 min) or if you delivered your message all in a huff.

 

When I was working, I had to cut a wait at 45 minutes, because my schedule was tight. Nowadays, I have much more flexibility, so I might wait past 45 minutes if the situation presented itself.

[Lovin Learnin]

Once I had been waiting longer than 30 min. so I went to the reception desk to ask why it was taking so long. I was told that the doctor was behind but would get to me soon. Shortly after, a woman walked up to check in for her appointment. The receptionist told her, with an attitude, that since she was 15 minutes late for her appt she really should reschedule because the doctor doesn't have time to wait for patients who show up late. The patient pleaded to keep her appt so the receptionist said she would let her "this one time." She continued to lecture that poor lady about the importance of being on time until she looked up and saw me and remembered that I had been waiting for this SAME doctor for 35-40 minutes already. The double standard of "my time is more important than your time" made me so furious I got up and asked to reschedule my appointment. They took me back to a room at that point but I still waited another 10 minutes.

 

Ugh

[jujsky]

Good for you! My mom did that once after waiting over an hour for an appointment. The doctor called her back personally and apologized. She has never waited more than 15 minutes for an appointment since then.

[Wabi Sabi]

I waited over an hour for an appointment yesterday. I would've left, but it took several months to get this appointment in the first place!

 

The doctor ended up rushing through my appointment and wouldn't take the time to answer my questions, presumably because she was so behind, it was very late in the day by this point and she still had a waiting room full of patients.

 

The kicker is that she told me to schedule a follow-up appointment for 3 weeks, but when I checked out the scheduler told me she doesn't have a single appointment available until the beginning of August. So much for 3 weeks, eh?

 

Sigh. I'd switch doctors, but unfortunately she's a specialist and I was referred to her specifically because two other doctors have been unable to help my particular condition. There isn't anyone else I can see.

 

By the way, this was a dermatologist- not an OB or anything like that.

[Teachin'Mine]

I am amazed that everyone has such short wait times. We think nothing of waiting 30 or 45 minutes. I've had appointments with more than 2 or 3 hours wait. Top of his field, so everyone knew it was an all day affair. Obviously that's the exception, but even regular doctors and dentists usually have long waits.

[Sparkle]

I've done it before, in fact more than once. It's especially bad at my dr's office because it's metered parking, and you either have to go out and feed your meter (sometimes blocks away) and/or end up moving your car. I hate it.

[LaxMom]

I left an ultrasound appointment after waiting (with the required full bladder) for an hour recently. When I inquired at 30 minutes, I was told I wasn't there at the correct time and the receptionist didn't know why my doctor's office would have told me that. I made the appointment, she told me the time multiple times, then asked me to come a few minutes early for paperwork.

 

When I was finally called (30 minutes after the time the receptionist told me was the "correct" one, 24 minutes after the only other person had come out and left), I made a complaint to the u/s tech, who rolled her eyes and told me if I was soooooooo uncomfortable I should just go to the restroom and then we could start. Wha?!?!

 

I would have left 30 minutes before, but my drivers license was in the back. Also, the other woman there for u/s, and the people who came in for x-rays and MRIs while I was sitting there were called by first and last names, what they were there for was discussed loudly and in detail... It was a HIPAA nightmare.

 

I was informed by my snarky ex-doctor that the radiology practice would never see me again. What.ever. (she won't be, either... What's up with above and beyond rude healthcare "professionals"?!?!)

Edited June 24, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse
unfortunate iphone auto-correct

[tex-mex]

No, I wouldn't have left.

 

I really like all of our doctors. My primary runs behind, but he also spends as much time with me as I need and I never have felt rushed. I assume he's behind because he takes this time with his patients, and to me that is a quality that is worth the wait.

:iagree:

I would have waited too. But that is just me. One thought I had was basically the doctor never really finds out if you left or cancelled. But the entire front desk staff from this point on WILL remember you as impatient or fussy... I would hate to see it backfire on you. :confused:

[tex-mex]

I am amazed that everyone has such short wait times. We think nothing of waiting 30 or 45 minutes. I've had appointments with more than 2 or 3 hours wait. Top of his field' date=' so everyone knew it was an all day affair. Obviously that's the exception, but even regular doctors and dentists usually have long waits.[/quote']

Agreed.

 

Two weeks ago, my terminally ill MIL had to endure a 9+ hour wait in the ER. Whomever triaged her obviously thought a 74 yr old woman with terminal cancer, hasn't eaten beyond a TBsp of food for weeks, seriously dehydrated, acting dellusional, and in massive pain to the point of being debilitated -- was not urgent and could wait to be seen. It happens. :glare:

[Krista in LA]

Go, Tess!!!!!:hurray::hurray::hurray:

 

:iagree:

I always have to wait and then they wonder why my blood pressure is so high. :confused: I wish I had the courage to walk out. Maybe next time I will!

 

I had an appt that was right after lunch, they assured me multiple times that I would be first since I actually had to wait 1:45 for my appt the previous week for a biopsy. I even arrived early to make sure. The dr stolled in 10 minutes after my appt was supposed to be. A drug rep came in soon after that and he spent the next 45 minutes talking to her and making me wait when my appt only lasted all of 5 minutes for him to remove the bandage. I love this dr, but I made sure I let them know how irked I was.

[Jean in Newcastle]

There were some posts about wait times a while ago. I thought of them while at my primary care doctor's a couple a weeks ago. I walked in, got in line, signed in (with time of arrival) on a clipboard, paid my co-pay, sat down and was called within 5 min. I was seen by the PA immediately and then waited for 5 min. for my doctor in the room. I was in and out of the doctor's office within a half hour. This is my norm. I am so grateful. I would not put up with the waits that I hear about on this board. But as dh points out, we are in an urban area with lots and lots of doctors (of all specialties) to choose from.

 

I did have one doctor who had a time problem. I used to have to regularly wait up to 20 min. at his office. He must have had people complain because he had his process analyzed by someone who specializes in streamlining medical care for patients. I can't remember what they are called. They must have made good suggestions because there is no longer a long wait. I know they did rearrange when they see new patients, who typically take longer with the doctor.

[Plucky]

:iagree:

I would have waited too. But that is just me. One thought I had was basically the doctor never really finds out if you left or cancelled. But the entire front desk staff from this point on WILL remember you as impatient or fussy... I would hate to see it backfire on you. :confused:

 

Yep, no one wants "difficult" written in their file. :lol::lol::lol:

[mom4him]

I never walked out but I did change Dr's. When I had foster children I was using one clinic here in town and it could literally take 2 1/2 - 3 hr. That just drove me up a wall so when I started with the two that we adopted I changed to a Dr that is by himself. One time I have waited 45 min. and that was when he had an emergency. Normally I am in and back out with in 30-45 min.

[Jeannie in NJ]

when my teen dd was going to a knee specialist, she had an appt each 4 to 6 weeks. I would take her and our wait was from 2-4 hours each time. The parking lot was always full and we were lucky to find seats in the waiting room. And there was no coming later than your appt. time, they would cancel you if you did not sign in on time. Our next door neighbor would watch my special needs son as there was no way I was taking him to dd's appt with us.

 

On the other hand, when my dc both had pneumonia last year, twice we had to take ds to er and once for dd. Dh would drop us off at the er at our nearest hospital and before he could park the car, all 3 times, my dc wer immedialtly wisked back to a room and put on a i.v. The hospital told me that their policy is that no children are ever to be kept waiting, that even all the paperwork can be done later. Actually, I had to go in once for a kidney stone and they took me right away so I actually think that their policy is that no-one is to be kept waiting. Only after I was taken care , including CAT scan and blood test then did someone come to get my insurance info.

[Murphy101]

Waited longer than me.

Unless it's critical or a hard to get into specialist, I never wait more than 20 minutes before rescheduling or just canceling.

 

I figure unless it's one of those exceptions, it doesn't make sense to spend more time waiting than seeing the dr.

[LuvToRead]

A 45 minute wait would be considered short in my town. We drive an hour each way to the Dr., because even with 2 hours on the road, it is still shorter than waiting to see a Dr. here in town. I've waited as long as 3 hours. The sad thing is, I grew up thinking 2 hour waits were normal.

[tex-mex]

Yep, no one wants "difficult" written in their file. :lol::lol::lol:

HAAAAAAAAAAAAA... :lol:

 

Girl, you know those ladies in the front office run it all! They are the gatekeepers! Remember that Seinfeld episode with Elaine asking what the doctor was writing in her file? Don't mess with them. LOL ;)

[Teachin'Mine]

Agreed.

 

Two weeks ago, my terminally ill MIL had to endure a 9+ hour wait in the ER. Whomever triaged her obviously thought a 74 yr old woman with terminal cancer, hasn't eaten beyond a TBsp of food for weeks, seriously dehydrated, acting dellusional, and in massive pain to the point of being debilitated -- was not urgent and could wait to be seen. It happens. :glare:

 

I'm so sorry. That's awful. :grouphug:

[AnitaMcC]

I have walked out before. I wait 30 minutes and then check about the delay. I will wait if I receive great customer service and I have the time to wait. I understand that there are times that a delay is not in the control of the staff or doctor. Emergencies happen, etc.

 

But at the same time if the delay is a common occurance, then I feel it is poor business management and I will not wait more than 15 minutes after my appointment time. I would change doctors/clinics in this case. My time is of value too. Doctors should not schedule so many appointments if they can't stay on a reasonable time schedule.

 

There have been a few times that I have shown up for an appointment and am told "the doctor will see you shortly" and then 30 minutes later I go to check about it, and find out the doctor hadn't even arrived yet!!!!!!!

 

Once when I checked in I was told a doctor was running a bit late arriving and he "should" be arriving in 15 minutes (I arrived 15 minutes early so no problem). The doctor arrived an hour after my appointment time. And did the staff let me know that the doctor was running even later than expected? No... I was completely ignored. I went up to check about the delay 3 times before the doctor arrived. When doctor finally arrived, I still was not seen for another 30 minutes. I did wait for that appointment as it was very important for me to get my cardio test results... but I never went back to that doctor/clinic again.

 

What really gets my goat is that I have seen signs posted that patients arriving 10 or more minutes late may not be able to be seen and if so would be charged as a "no show". While a patient is expected to show up 15 minutes before appointment, but could end up waiting an hour or more after their appointment time before being seen... and no patients do not get reimbursed or discounted.

Edited June 24, 2011 by AnitaMcC

[suzziesnowflake]

Yep, did the same thing the other day! Hey, I waited 2hrs with 1 of them in the room with 2 kids.There was still 2 kids in front of us. This was only for a recheck. I HAD to leave b/c oldest ds had an ortho appt. on the other side of town that I made 6 weeks ago and rescheduling was not an option. Sorry but my time is valuable too. I was mad but what can you do. I know from now on that if possible to schedule appts 1st thing in the morning or right after lunch.

[kolamum]

In the US we use to wait for at least an hour or more at our Dr's office. I.HATED.IT. The ONLY reason I never left was it was a friend of the family. What burned me more was how often a nurse would drag him out after he FINALLY got to us. :glare:

 

Once, while pregnant, I sat so long I fell asleep and they FORGOT about me and sent the Dr to lunch. I honestly think because I never took a stand I got pushed around. BUT, if I saw the non main Dr, as in the nurse practitioner or one of the other Dr's in the building I was seen promptly.

 

Here? I refuse to wait. And, thankfully I've only had to do so once for longer then 5 minutes. The Dr was profusely apologetic; apparently there'd been an emergency which I knew going in so I wasn't too stressed about it. My kids had a long chat with the home nurse who was in office and she was delighted with their geographical knowledge. ;) She was awe struck they were home educated. And amused that my 5 year old wanted her to come to his party.

 

That said, I admire you for walking out!! I suspect if more people did it would lesson the wait time, and not just because people are walking out. Kwim? I'll also say, though, that the Dr we use to see said many times that often he'd get the senior citizens in who just wanted to chat him up. He felt if he could start something for them to all get together and chat it would free up his schedule a LOT.

[AnitaMcC]

I am shocked that so many of you think that a 2 hr wait is expected or is considered normal. I see doctors at the Veterans Administration and I never have had to wait that long.

 

I think 85% of the doctor appointments (me, kids, and Dh), we wait up to 20 minutes before taken in to exam room. Usually I have at least one appointment every month. Recently I took all four kids in for their annual physical. We were in and out in under an hour. This is the norm for our pediatrician. I will miss him when we move.

Edited June 24, 2011 by AnitaMcC

[Lovin Learnin]

I see a specialist 4 times/yr at a major teaching/research hospital who has only been late (more than 15 min) once in the 6 years I've been seeing him. Once. And that was for an emergency. This doctor is considered one of the top in his field. If he can be on time I don't see why most other docs can't. I would think anyone could keep a fairly accurate calendar if they truly respected other people's time.

[WishboneDawn]

I'm in Canada if that makes a difference. 10 minutes is about the longest I wait to get into my family doctor. I give a lot more leeway to specialist appointments. My ultrasound last week was about a 45 min wait but then there were no real appointments, you just showed up when the clinic opened, took a number and waited to be called.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I've waited 1-2 hours before.....UGH and hate it....been thinking about changing my family dr to another one-especially in the afternoons he has a tendancy to get backed up regularly (not sure why).....hubby says it's about that way at any place in our town now.....I've left and changed appts a couple of times but not as many as I would have liked to---totally your decision if you felt ok about it then it was the right thing to do in your situation.....

[Happy]

My father in law used to send the doctor a bill for the time he spent waiting. He was self employed so *his* time was valuable...just like the doctor's.

He usually got an apology and better wait times....never any actual money, though...

[Aggie]

DD had an appt at a new optometrist last month.

 

The office staff got us into the preliminary exam room on time, then right to the regular exam room where we were to wait on the good doctor.

 

10 minutes later I see him walk into another exam room, so I went to the receptionist and asked her how far behind the dr was. She mumbled that he went into the wrong room.:glare:

 

I asked and asked how long it would be before he saw us and she would. not. give me a straight answer. Finally, she said, "Ten minutes." She was either telling a lie or the dr wasn't a very good one.

 

HA. Right. I told her that in 10 minutes we'd be walking out of there. And we did. But not before I made it *very* clear to the front desk women that this was completely unacceptable and we would not be back.

 

My cousin is a physician and she said it is unbelievably difficult to find good office help. But a great physician with a poor office staff is just awful.

[Homeschooling6]

Thankfully, we don't have to wait. Our doctor is so kind to schedule us all in at the same time. We usually take up the morning hours. Although that is for our once a year check-up.

My children rarely get sick enough for us to make a dr. visit. Another thing we are thankful for because our doctor is an hour away.

[Farrar]

45 mins is the outside I would wait, but I've done that for our pediatrician, who I adore.

 

I once had to wait nearly 4 hours to have a routine appt to see an ob. Luckily he was the backup doc I set up for my midwife, so I only had to see him the once to get on his roster. Because that was nuts.

[Bee]

and never gone back several times. I'll wait 30 minutes before I complain. I don't mind waiting if I just called that day for an appointment and they've squeezed me (or a sick child) in somewhere. But if I've had an appointment made more than a week in advance I don't think I should have to wait that long.

[jenangelcat]

Am I crazy and will they mark me as a bad patient??? :lol:

 

We waited 45 minutes in the waiting room. When I arrived I asked if they were behind and I was told 2 people were in rooms and I was next to be called for that Dr. I went and asked after 30 min and they said I was next...but after 45 minutes I got up and changed the appointment to Monday.

 

They called the nurses desk but no answer so they have no clue why it suddenly got so behind.

 

I haven't walked out before. Do you after so long? I felt bad for my kids who had already waited so long but goodness, I have things to do today!

 

45 minutes is on the low side for doctor's in my experience.

[Dobela]

I threatened to walk out once and I was then seen very quickly. Amazing how they do not want you to leave. I would be concerned though that you will still be billed for the visit. Here it is common for people to be billed if they don't give 24 hours notice of cancellation.

 

And yes, I have waited a very long time before. Once there was a medical emergency in the back. The staff was so consummed with caring for the patient that they failed to inform the front office so they could inform those waiting. Another time however, about 15 years ago, I was already in my room and had been there for close to an hour. I cracked open the door as I was considering leaving when I could hear the dr in the hallway discussing basketball scores with someone on the phone. When he finally came to my room I gave him and earful and never went back to him.

[BMW]

We have to make our co-pay when checking in... and I don't know how it would get reimbursed unless I handed them cash and asked for cash back. I am thinking about asking, though. Every time I use our pediatrics office (Kaiser... I cannot switch to another place/Dr.), I have a long wait time. We arrive on time, check in and wait at least 30 minutes. It really does frustrated me. One time I was late because the appointment was scheduled at the same time a local high school got out, which is on the same road, and I could not get through the traffic and arrive on time. I had to wait 2 hours because "other people who arrive on time should be seen first". Grrrrrrr. If it hadn't been important, there's NO WAY I would have stayed. I wont do that again.

 

I recently switched optometrist offices because of long wait times. I simply cannot live that way. I could not get in and out for adjustments or picking up glasses in less than 30 minutes. My need required their staff about 5 minutes of service... I wont go back there. I understand having to wait for some things... I suppose it's how we are raised. You KNOW that you have to wait forever at the DMV...