Loowit Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 This is a (long) JAWM vent. I have had a rough week and don't need a debate or getting told I overreacted. DS has been seeing the same Allergist/Asthma doctor since he was an infant. They have a great relationship and have been through a lot together. He loves her, but she is leaving her practice. The office she is with also decided to combine with another allergy/asthma clinic and moved to a new building. DS has problems with changes so it took me a good week of explaining why he was seeing a new doctor today and that it would be okay. The new office had some of the same decoration (paintings, furniture) so that was a help for his adjustment. When we got there I just had a bad feeling off the bat. It was an all new office staff, not only had I never met them, but they were all new to the job from what I overheard. There where two other families in the waiting room when I arrived. One was there for an allergy shot and the other was a regular appointment from what I could tell. When we had been there about 15 minutes I heard the mom of the appointment kid ask how much longer it would be, not a good sign. It took them another 10 minutes to get that kid back. Allergy shot kid was taken care of and sent home. DS and I continued to wait. When it was half an hour past his appointment time I was about to ask how much longer when they came and took us back. It was a student nurse, no big deal to me and she was good working with DS. She did his spirometry and took his vitals and put us in a room to wait. She told us a nurse would be right with us. Twenty minutes later a nurse showed up and took his history, med list, and so on and told us that she would let us know if the doctor was going to be running late, then left us there. We waited and waited. When it got to be 90 minutes past his scheduled appointment I was fed up and left. I told the nurse on the way out we couldn't wait any longer. She halfheartedly apologized. I was furious at the wait. The thing that really got to me was that no other patients checked in in the time we were waiting, and no one was leaving. It was just dead. The only other person I saw arrive, and the office staff spent a lot of time schmoozing with, was a drug rep. We had a clear view of the front of the office/waiting room from our exam room since it was a glass window without any privacy. This office is almost an hour drive one way and we made the drive the last few years (doctor used to come to our town once a week for appointments, but stopped). It is a big chunk of our day to put in. We did at least get a nice lunch out with DH that almost didn't happened due to his afternoon meetings for work. DH thinks that I should send them a bill for my time. Not sure that would work, I don't make money as a stay at home mom, even though I know that my time is worth something. But my biggest concern is that now I am left with not knowing what to do for a new doctor for DS. This clinic is the one he is working with for his allergy shots that he is halfway through. Not sure how I would pick up with a new doctor. My brother recommended a local doctor that he goes to and really likes, and assuming he takes DS's insurance it might be an option. For now I have an appointment with his primary care doctor in two week to discuss options. This has just been a very rough week for me and it is not looking better toward the end of the week. DS has another doctor appointment tomorrow for a different issue and his allergy shot, and Monday was an all day appointment at the Autism clinic for an evaluation. On top of all this we found out that other DS's labs that I was fully expecting to be nothing turned out to likely be something for a rare, but hopefully not too serious, genetic condition. And DD leaves for a 8 day horse trek on Saturday, and she is have mini-panic attacks about going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 :grouphug: I would write a letter to the doctor and office manager about your experience. That's ridiculous. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 You didn't over-react at all. I used to think waits didn't bother me until the last one was more than 2 hours past the appt time. We waited and saw the doctor, but it took all of 5 - maybe 10 - minutes to say all was well and cost a bit ($300+). We should have left. We actually did leave before they got around to getting me next year's appt (after waiting an additional 20 minutes with no one showing up). I'm still undecided if I'm even going to bother going next year. Right now it's very doubtful to be honest. But in your situation, things need to continue so I'll send along best wishes that your primary care doctor will have decent options. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I would have left also. That's way too long to leave an adult, but especially a child waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 :grouphug: Hopefully the doctor your brother recommended works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Wow. Glad you left. If more people did that, they would shape up. Did they bill your insurance? I would check and make sure they didn't; it would be a darned shame if you had to report them for insurance fraud. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I don't think you overreacted at all. If they had been really busy and overwhelmed trying to combine the patients from the two offices, I could understand being a little late. Things happen and I'd rather have to wait than be the one experiencing an emergency. However, you said there were no other people. That long a wait in an almost empty office isn't acceptable. I'd call and speak to the office manager. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 For what they charge these days, the least they can do is not make you wait there that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I once had a doctor, in pregnancy, who was a routine two hour wait. For complicated reasons, changing doctors wasn't an option. I tried just showing up later, but when I didn't arrive at my appointment time they cancelled my appointment altogether. So they fully expected me to show up every two weeks near the end, and sit in a waiting room for at least two hours instead of delaying arrival or just plain scheduling their consistently-late appointments better! Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I wonder if the doctor was even there. I ran into two different occasions where I waited over two hours and it turns out the doctor had to step out in both instances. Instead of rescheduling me, they just kept quiet and let me sit forever. I walked out on one appointment but sat waiting for the other (I should have walked out on that one, too). I also have a friend who is a P.A. She admitted to me once that because of an issue with her child she ended up coming in to work over 5 hours late. Instead of rescheduling her patient appointments that morning, they processed everyone in and just had them sit...for hours...and never once said that she wasn't even there yet. The front office just kept stalling them. Stupid. Hugs OP. Hope you find a better situation. I do think you should write a letter. Something in writing will usually have more clout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I also have a friend who is a P.A. She admitted to me once that because of an issue with her child she ended up coming in to work over 5 hours late. Instead of rescheduling her patient appointments that morning, they processed everyone in and just had them sit...for hours...and never once said that she wasn't even there yet. The front office just kept stalling them. Stupid. Ok, this is just... wrong. I have more words coming to mind, but it's best if I don't use them. I imagine all those who waited got rushed through when they actually got seen too - sort of like my experience, but my wait was only 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is making me think I need to set a waiting limit of about an hour before I leave. The mere thought that it could stretch out to 5 hours... Who allows time for that? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Ugh. :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 This is wrong on so many counts. Please do let the office manager know the details of your experience. And I hope you can find a better doctor office for your ds soon! Give him a hug from his WTM aunties 😘 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 This has totally happened to me and at the allergist also. My son and I had concurrent appts with the doctor. We waited 30 min to go back, saw the nurse for maybe five minutes, then waited 30 minutes, saw nurse again, and then about an hour later finally saw the doctor for five minutes. Then we had to wait for the nurse again--about 30 minutes. I poked my head out a couple times and asked when we would see the doctor. I have not been back since then. I think all told we were there over two hours. I get it that they occasionally have emergencies with it being an allergy doctor and all, but I think I deserved to know what all the delays were about. Bravo to you for leaving!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks all. I am feeling better about it today. However, I figured out this morning when I went to order prescription refills that he is out of refills on two of his meds. I am hoping they will give him at least one refill without seeing him. That would tide us over until I can get him to a new doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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