When doctors cancel appointments, they should have to pay a cancellation fee.

[Paradoxical]

I was suppose to go in today and get checked out and vaccinated for my study abroad trip this summer. I have to start taking malaria pills this week and I need the yellow fever vaccine this week.

But apparently the university nurse and doctor had to go to a meeting. :eyes:

[IcyPeas]

1. hell yes...

I recently went to a GI doctor and he was in "a hurry that morning" his receptionist actually told me that.... I swear he saw me for less than 5 minutes. I HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT?

I wasn't even finished filling out the paperwork that they make you fill out your first visit. they asked me to finish it in the doctor's consulting room. I still never finished it by the time I got back to the reception desk and finished filling it out there..... what's the point of filling out all that medical information if they don't even look at it..... This is what we pay for?

it is just a business like any other... the customers don't really matter.

[Aristus]

2. I look at all of that information. I just do it after clinic has closed

for the day. I spend 90 minutes or so after COB reading the past medical histories of patients and entering the info into their digital medical record. If there's still work on my desk by the time 7pm rolls around, I head home, and come in 2 hours early the next day to finish it up. Occasionally, I have a few extra minutes during the workday when a patient no-shows, or cancels with less than 24-hours notice, but then a walk-in or a stand-by is put on my schedule.

The productivity expectation for the clinic where I work is 3 patients per hour, with 15 minutes for administrative stuff, like completing the documentation of each visit. In reality, all four fifteen-minute slots per hour are filled with patient visits, and I have to complete the visit notes on-the-fly.

Occasionally, a patient visit will require some set-up, like an incision & drainage, or a PAP smear, which means while the assistant is setting up, I can step out to the mens room to take a piss. But on a busy day, (which is most days) I usually spend that time visiting with a patient who just needs a medication refill, or needs results of lab work. A quick 5-10 minute appointment right there. But as often as not, after I've thanked my patient for coming in and when I've got my hand on the doorknob, he'll say "Oh, one more thing, doc..." and it's off to the races, with my original patient waiting, and wondering where I've gotten off to.

I've gotten very good at eating with one hand, because I have to type, or point-and-click with the other to get documentation done during lunch, assuming I managed to see all of my patients before lunchtime, and haven't run over into the lunch hour. If clinic runs over into the lunch hour, or after clinic closes, I'm on my own because the assistants are all unionized, (which I support 100% by the way; I didn't stop being a raging liberal just because I earn a higher salary than I used to) and either leave at COB, or get paid overtime. Want to guess whether the community health service I work for will authorize overtime?

There are a lot of jerk doctors and medical providers out there. There are even more who are terrific people, and dedicated providers who have no time to do all the things they'd like to do for their patients. And live from day to day with the frustration that our patients' insurance companies won't pay for all of the things our patients need, if they even have insurance in the first place.

It's a jungle out there. It's what I signed up for, and I love it; but it's still a jungle...

[Angry Dragon]

3. +1000