Hey look at that. Even when I am sick I am fully capable of ranting. This rant is dedicated to my doctor’s office and is long deserving.
Dear Doctor’s Office,
Why is it that you are accepting new patients when you can not take care of the patients you already have. Let me provide you with a few examples that come from my experience with your office.
- A few months ago I called to make an appointment for my son on a Tuesday as he was sick. You tell me the soonest you can see him is Friday. I call every day that week to see if there is a cancellation and there were none. The Thursday night we could not wait any longer and brought him to a walk-in clinic. When I call you Friday morning to let you know we have been seen by a doctor you try to charge me $25 for not providing 24 hours cancellation notice. I argue with you and do not hear of this fee again. Life goes on.
- Another time I call to make an appointment for my son because he had a skin condition that needed to be checked. The soonest you can book us in was a month from then. I take the appointment but sure enough the problem is cleared up by the time we saw you.
- Tuesday this week I call to try to get my son in to see you as we are all sick. You tell me you have no openings. I bring my son to the children’s walk in clinic instead.
- Wednesday I get Tobei to call your office to get me seen. You say you have no openings still. Tobei asks you to call us if there is a cancellation or a no show as we live right around the corner and can be there in a matter of minutes. You tell us no problem and we never hear from you. I spent the entire day in bed sleeping waiting for your office to call. I wake up today and call the office at 9:30 to see if I can get in to see the doctor. I am told you are fully booked but call back in half an hour as you will talk to the doctor to see if they can squeeze me in. I call back 33 minutes later and am told you have not spoken with the doctor but will go talk to her right now and call me back. My phone never rings.
- I try calling back a few times but can never get through. It is now 3:15 and your office is closed for the week-end.
- Oh yeah I forgot to mention that in order to get a hold of you to get an appointment one has to stalk the phone for 2 days before someone answers the phone and of course your answering machine does not take messages.
In conclusion, your office is next to impossible to get a hold of, you can’t even see a sick patient until minimum a week after they have called and yet you are still accepting new patients. How about you get a system in place that works to handle the work load you have now before adding even more to your plate that you already can’t balance?
Sincerely,
One sick patient who will not be able to see a doctor.
P.S. No I am not going to drive to the other side of town to sit in a cramped office for 3 hours to see a walk-in doctor just to be told it’s a bug going around so go home and rest. Let’s not forget that for me to do that I will also have to drag my sick husband and sick child with me since I don’t drive and we don’t have a sitter. Not happening. I will stay home, be bitter and get better eventually. Thankfully I am already feeling better than I did yesterday. I can actually talk today.