Bingo
How long should you wait for a doctor?
- Thread starter NOTSMC
- Start date
NorthBeachPerso
Honorary SMIB
I had one doctor who always ran 30-45 minutes late for appointments so I learned to adjust.
The longest I ever waited was around an hour and a half at my regular doctor. It was the end of the day and I just wanted to go home. It was when I first developed high blood pressure and it was a monitoring visit. About 40 minutes in a nurse came in to tell me that the delay was because a woman had gone into active labor and my doctor was delayed. That was OK.
I was at the cardiologist the other day for a long postponed checkup and I got right in at the appointed time, which is typical for that practice. My couple other specialists are the same.
The longest I ever waited was around an hour and a half at my regular doctor. It was the end of the day and I just wanted to go home. It was when I first developed high blood pressure and it was a monitoring visit. About 40 minutes in a nurse came in to tell me that the delay was because a woman had gone into active labor and my doctor was delayed. That was OK.
I was at the cardiologist the other day for a long postponed checkup and I got right in at the appointed time, which is typical for that practice. My couple other specialists are the same.
Last edited:
Squiddie
Active Member
I personally wouldn't want to be pulled from caring for another patient because one of them was throwing a hissy fit that they weren't getting preferential treatment.
Yes, doctors offices are businesses.
Oh for cripes sake Mother Theresa, it wasn't a hissy fit. But I bow to your superiority and your complex.
Last edited:
And purposely overbooking patients, requiring excessive wait times, is beyond rude and should be illegal. Fact. My time is also valuable.
sunshine98
Active Member
Not to excuse the doctor's attitude, but perhaps the delay was for legitimate reasons. I had some post orthopedic surgery complications this year. When I called the doctor's office with a description of the issue, they got me in that day. I'm sure squeezing me in caused a delay in other appointments. Fortunately, it turned out not to be an infection setting in. Another time I was at my primary doctor and waiting a very long time. I was about to have an annoyed chat with the front desk when the Leonardtown rescue squad came in with a gurney to take a patient to the hospital. The doctor had been busy doctoring on an actual sick person.
And sometimes - they don't always have a say in the matter.
My best friend is a doctor - a different kind. He no longer has the freedom to just stay with a patient if he thinks it's needed - nope, he now basically works for corporate, and THEY tell him, no more than x minutes with a patient. So booking patients is largely out of his control.
(I don't dislike doctors but I generally despise hospitals, from the way they bill, to the waits waiting for discharge, to the cavalier way they often handle patients and so on.)
Yeah - sucks. But he couldn't afford to keep his practice private.
My own son's pediatrician comes in late - so even if I'm the first one there, I will still wait in the little room for a while. But my son just needs meds and a required exam. SOMETIMES, other patients who are waiting are more urgent - so even if I am there first, there IS a bit of a triage. It's never intolerable, but it is sometimes annoying to know that getting there first or scheduling the first appointment is no guarantee you'll be seen first.
And I would have been fine with waiting if that was the reason and if I had known that, but I didn't. In my opinion, his office staff didn't handle it very well either.
I waited for my heart doctor once for nearly two hours. When he was 20 minutes late, his receptionist came back to let me know he was running late and e popped in several times after that to let me know and see if I wanted to reschedule.
When he finally walked in, he immediately apologized and let me know what the emergency was.
That may be, but communication would be nice instead of just leaving you sit and ignoring you. A very simple, "The doctor had a patient emergency. It's going to be about an hour, do you want to wait or reschedule?" That's all it takes to keep people happy, and yet doctors recoil from it like a vampire from holy water. Like common courtesy will cause them to spontaneously combust.
It's stunning to me how many doctors are the opposite of "people person", to the point they hire receptionists who hate people too.
You know I wouldn't have even had to know the reason why the doctor was late, it's really not my business, but the staff should have kept me posted and given me the option to reschedule.
And the reason is: for all people's gripes about arrogant corporate doctors, they will flock to them instead of the private practitioner. They like the fancy building and the professional website and the impersonal trappings, and are apparently willing to be treated poorly rather than go to a doctor who doesn't have the bells and whistles but will treat them with respect.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
OldHillcrestGuy
Well-Known Member
I have several family members who go there, someone seems to be in there almost every week. Dr Cirillo has office in Prince Frederick and Dunkirk, doesnt come to St. Marys. You will have a wait there, thats why they book first thing in morning or right after lunch.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Get them to transfer your X-rays to the new doctor, should save you a few dollars.
I go to a lot of doctors with my mom and most have been real good with appointment time.
Myself I had a kidney stone say a urologist "fit me in" and I waited six hours in their office, not much I could do, I was in terrible pain and didn't want to miss that weeks round of surgery.
I go to a lot of doctors with my mom and most have been real good with appointment time.
Myself I had a kidney stone say a urologist "fit me in" and I waited six hours in their office, not much I could do, I was in terrible pain and didn't want to miss that weeks round of surgery.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Love the first appt after the lunch break.
I usually don't see that - what I do see is things like successful private practices where they either cannot take on more regular patients OR they cannot see you very quickly - because he's just one guy. The "advantage" of the professional fancy place is, they can usually see you soon, sometimes within days or even the same day - because of the way they're organized.And the reason is: for all people's gripes about arrogant corporate doctors, they will flock to them instead of the private practitioner. They like the fancy building and the professional website and the impersonal trappings, and are apparently willing to be treated poorly rather than go to a doctor who doesn't have the bells and whistles but will treat them with respect.
Yeah, I remember the doctors we had, as kids. One doctor - his secretary/nurse/assistant - who was the same person - and you went in and waited like everyone else - and yes, they even made house calls. I think there are a LOT of reasons why that world is gone.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Southern MD is also very underserved and specialists are very hard to come by so they may not turn people away. GPs on the other hand do have a reputation for not accepting new patients around here.