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missbrz

Doctor Office Etiquette

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I work in a doctor's office and today is extremely frustrating. Apparently, many of our lovely patients don't understand the rules of a doctor's office, and today it's pissing me off. I just wanted to let everyone know the proper rules for doctor appointments.
If you're appointment is at 9:45 and you waltz in at 10:45, you're late. Not only are you late, you may not be seen. Also, at least pretend to be concerned that you are an hour late for an appointment for which you yourself chose the time. If you knew you wouldn't be there till 10:45 don't make your appointment for 9:45.
On the opposite side, if you made yourself a 1:00 appointment, please don't come in at 10:30 and expect that the doctor will see you at that time. The doctor has set aside a time for you at 1:00. If the rest of the clinic is full, you won't be seen until 1:00. You are welcome to wait here till 1:00, but you won't be seen till 1:00. Please don't ask every 10 minutes when you will be seen. You know your appointment is at 1:00, so the answer is 1:00. It will not change in 10 minutes.
Also, if you know that your doctor's office doesn't take walk-in's, don't walk in and expect to be seen. You know the clinic gets full and you may be turned away. Don't curse at the receptionists because you didn't call ahead.
You need your insurance card. Bring it with you. I know you've been seen here since you were born. I don't give a rat's ass. I still need your insurance card. If you want them to pay for it, fork over the card. It's not that hard to carry a card with you.

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"Here's your sign."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Je8jTXlkdU&feature=related

Edit to add:
My doctors office has on the out going phone message ...If this is an emergency call 9-1-1!... It's really kind of funny until you listen to it for the 100th time. You hear it on the first message, then if you want to leave a question for a nurse you get to hear it again. Apparently, in their experience and for some patients it is a necessary message.
Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

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i've also learned that you WILL be asked your date of birth... EVERY time you visit... do NOt get upset by that,, do NOt answer with some wisecrack... Do NOT roll your eyes at the staff person who asked you....

Simply reply with a smile on your face and ALSO be prepared to repeat the D O B , when you see the Nurse... BEFORE seeing the Doctor, or the P A.:|

it's HOW things are today...
OH and IF you get a prescription.... be ready to tell the people at the drug store !!!......your date of Birth...as well.:)
jmy

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Agreed. And I feel terrible when that happens. But often times there is a good reason for it. Sometimes it's part of our staff has called in so we're short staffed. Sometimes we've had an emergency that has taken up more time than expected. Sometimes it's because of all of the late patients that put the doctor behind. And to be honest sometimes it's some dumbass overbooked the schedule. And that sucks when that happens, and it's not fair to you. But keep in mind, it's still not a reason to curse at anyone. Chances are that the reason you have to wait has nothing to do with the person you are cursing or yelling at. This week I have been yelled and cursed at for things that have nothing to do with me. I understand the people are upset and just want to take their anger out on someone, but that's no excuse to be so rude.

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i've also learned that you WILL be asked your date of birth... EVERY time you visit... do NOt get upset by that,, do NOt answer with some wisecrack... Do NOT roll your eyes at the staff person who asked you....

Simply reply with a smile on your face and ALSO be prepared to repeat the D O B , when you see the Nurse... BEFORE seeing the Doctor, or the P A.:|

it's HOW things are today...
OH and IF you get a prescription.... be ready to tell the people at the drug store !!!......your date of Birth...as well.:)
jmy




YAY!!!! somebody who knows how to be polite! We have to ask you. It's our job. It sucks, but we have to. I'd ask you even if I already knew your birthdate. Oh your address and phone number too.

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My experience:

- appt for 10:00.
- Show up at 9:50
- At 10:30 the office girl takes me to the exam room
- At 10:45 the Dr comes in.
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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If you're appointment is at 9:45 and you waltz in at 10:45, you're late.



Another problem is doctor's that always run an hour late from the appointment time.

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You need your insurance card. Bring it with you. I know you've been seen here since you were born. I don't give a rat's ass. I still need your insurance card. If you want them to pay for it, fork over the card. It's not that hard to carry a card with you.



It's not that hard for you to make a copy of their card either, and keep it in their records.

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I showed up at my doctor's office last month on time and asked the head nurse straight up how long it would be. She answered "a few minutes." 45 minutes later I was seen. I almost walked out.

You'd think if they run over on the time, EVERYTIME, then adjust the schedule. But they know you are stuck so they dont give a shit.

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Ok...this reply is not to any specific person (twoply, you just happened to be the last person who responded).

How many of you complaining about the service at the Dr.'s office have ever worked somewhere that you had to provide customer service? Be it retail, restaurant, or say, a Dr's office. Or have you ever worked in the medical field? Well, I've done both. In the service industry there are a million factors unseen by the customer that affect the service. Most of them aren't even the fault of the specific person you're dealing with. More than likey they're just as frustrated as you that things are not happening at a timely fashion like they should. Also, especially in the medical field, there are stupid laws that require you to ask a person their birthday 50,000 times. And as for copying the insurance card and keeping it on file, same thing. There are LAWS that require you to see the physical card everytime. Bitching, complaining and whinning are not going to help you at all. If anything they will get you shittier service cause you pissed off the person who was trying to help you the best way they could. So please be patient and try to understand that more than likely it is not the persons fault and there isn't anything they can do about it. Granted there is the occasional dimwit receptionist who should have never graduated the 6th grade let alone high school or heaven forbid college, but that is very rare.

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You need your insurance card. Bring it with you. I know you've been seen here since you were born. I don't give a rat's ass. I still need your insurance card. If you want them to pay for it, fork over the card. It's not that hard to carry a card with you.



It's not that hard for you to make a copy of their card either, and keep it in their records.



Oh we have it. I scan cards here every time. We have like 20 copies of your insurance card. But so many people change insurance and never let us know. At least we might catch new insurance it if we ask for your card. If not, you'll get a hefty bill that your new insurance may not want to pay.

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Ok...this reply is not to any specific person (twoply, you just happened to be the last person who responded).

How many of you complaining about the service at the Dr.'s office have ever worked somewhere that you had to provide customer service? Be it retail, restaurant, or say, a Dr's office. Or have you ever worked in the medical field? Well, I've done both. In the service industry there are a million factors unseen by the customer that affect the service. Most of them aren't even the fault of the specific person you're dealing with. More than likey they're just as frustrated as you that things are not happening at a timely fashion like they should. Also, especially in the medical field, there are stupid laws that require you to ask a person their birthday 50,000 times. And as for copying the insurance card and keeping it on file, same thing. There are LAWS that require you to see the physical card everytime. Bitching, complaining and whinning are not going to help you at all. If anything they will get you shittier service cause you pissed off the person who was trying to help you the best way they could. So please be patient and try to understand that more than likely it is not the persons fault and there isn't anything they can do about it. Granted there is the occasional dimwit receptionist who should have never graduated the 6th grade let alone high school or heaven forbid college, but that is very rare.



exactly!:)

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I showed up at my doctor's office last month on time and asked the head nurse straight up how long it would be. She answered "a few minutes." 45 minutes later I was seen. I almost walked out.



I bet according to that nurse, 45 min is just a few minutes.

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Just to play devils advocate here...I have been snapped at on more than one occasion by someone working the front desk at a medical office just because i politely asked a simple question. I understand it's not their fault, that is why i am patient and kind. They should understand it's not my fault they have been asked the same question over and over, and give me a kind and patient reply.
"If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

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If your doctor is consistently 45 minutes or more late in seeing you then you need to find a new doctor. Let the doctor know that is why at your final appointment.

I think we all understand that sometimes emergencies happen and medical emergencies take priority but when it happens at every appointment it is no longer an emergency, it is just rude and poor customer service.

No need to get upset at the line staff but take your business elsewhere.
"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

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Agreed. And I try to be polite even when people are yelling at me for things that aren't my fault. I've been on the other side too. I've waited for 40+ minutes for an appointment when I got there early and everything. I've been snapped at by receptionists and been given snippy answers, even when just asking "Where's the bathroom?" at a new office. But I still dont yell at them or curse. I'm not saying everyone does it. But I've been yelled at too many times this week for me to not vent.

And Southern Man is right, if that's a consistant thing, you need to go someplace else. If they're always late, that's a problem. Plenty of offices run on time (excluding emergencies). My office is rarely behind and we usually let patients know if something has caused us to run behind. That way you're not sitting there wondering why it's been 30 minutes.

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My experience:

- appt for 10:00.
- Show up at 9:50
- At 10:30 the office girl takes me to the exam room
- At 10:45 the Dr comes in.



And that is why I ask for the first appointment of the day. That way they aren’t backed up by emergencies or an appointment that took longer than expected.

Of course it still doesn’t work.
- appt for 8:00.
- Show up at 7:50
- At 8:15 the office girl takes me to the exam room
- At 8:30 the Dr comes in.

Then to top it all off, you are there because the first time you were treated the doctor said “If this doesn’t work, next time we are going to do so and so but I don’t have what I need here to do so and so now”. When you make the appointment you let them know it didn’t work and that you would like the so and so treatment so please have what is needed ready. You come in for your appointment, they are not prepared despite your request but would be more than happy to schedule another appointment for you when they will be ready this time for sure.

Rant off.

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I agree 110% with your post and have to add a few more things. Bare with me as I post from my bb phone.

Patients need to not be dumb asses and expect us to know costs on their rxs, need to take the time to learn the names of their meds and not just say BP med or cholesterol meds or say the little wht pill. Know your damn health and why u take meds. Don't come into an office high off your ass and not know the regular meds name but know the names of every pain medication and dosage that did and didn't work. Main thing every patient must do is TAKE A DAMN SHOWER!!!! No one wants to smell your sticky asses in a small room. Do not tell us you can't understand why you are short of breath when you have been smoking 35 yrs 1-3pks a day.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH AND KNOW YOUR INSURANCE!


I have so much more I can write but I'm thumbing it from my bb phone.
TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

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There is a flip side to that.
A few months ago I called my hand specialist's office and told them I wanted to schedule the needle aponeurotomy I had discussed with him.
The physicans assistant I spoke to, didn't know what I was talking about.:D:D:D
I had to explain what it was!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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I agree 110% with your post and have to add a few more things. Bare with me as I post from my bb phone.

Patients need to not be dumb asses and expect us to know costs on their rxs, need to take the time to learn the names of their meds and not just say BP med or cholesterol meds or say the little wht pill. Know your damn health and why u take meds. Don't come into an office high off your ass and not know the regular meds name but know the names of every pain medication and dosage that did and didn't work. Main thing every patient must do is TAKE A DAMN SHOWER!!!! No one wants to smell your sticky asses in a small room. Do not tell us you can't understand why you are short of breath when you have been smoking 35 yrs 1-3pks a day.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH AND KNOW YOUR INSURANCE!


I have so much more I can write but I'm thumbing it from my bb phone.




ooo! also I love it when they come up & say "I need to make a follow up appointment" me: "ok when did you need to come back?" patient: "I dont know. The doctor said something about it, but I forgot" me:"ok..........." If the doctor told you not 2 minutes ago when they wanted to see you again, REMEMBER IT! I wasn't in your appointment. I have no idea when you're supposed to come back. If you can't remember it, write it down.

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I also want to add that when patients come into be seen don't bring a damn shopping list of everything under the sun for the MD to address. 2-3 main issues at one visit or the doc won't ever get to the next patient.


Ryoder,

Who knows why the person you were speaking with didn't know. Maybe it was the receptionist or an untrained medical personal such as receptionist or answering service/scheduler. People bare in mind just because someone has scrubs on doesn't mean they are medically trained. It is a uniform for work.

Another biggy which pisses me off. Don't call and yell at the staff!! We are not your servants we are here to help you learn how to better manage your health and do our best to educate you in the short time we see you every few months.

Also, don't call 15 damn times cause you haven't heard back from the first msg you left within an hour. Jesus, we have other patients besides your needy ass.

I will stop now.....lol
TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

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Wow! A little bitter?? If somebody doesn't want to shower, who are you to judge? And why the attitude about smoking? You think they don't deserve treatment because they caused their own issues? What about the obesity that leads to tons of comorbidity? What about sun worshippers who get skin cancer? I could go on too.

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TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH AND KNOW YOUR INSURANCE!



And why in the world should anyone know their insurance? Shit, I went to school for 8 years and barely have an understanding of how the insurance works. Why should the paying customer have to know it. That's what his premiums are for.

And not everybody wants to understand their health history and what meds they take. That's their choice. How is dealing with a pt who chooses not to take an interest in their medical health different than dealing with somebody who can't know (ie, dementia, brain injury, ect)?

And you seem to have an issue with drug seekers. Why is that your business? The first thing you learn in school is, pain is what the pt says it is. You don't get to judge.

I would suggest getting some compassion or finding a new line of work.

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