Not exactly a foreign concept, I know.
Most people expect to be treated with a certain amount of respect in their dealings in life...both professional and personal; and most people and businesses will back that up. That is especially true the more professional the business is.
For example: If I go out to eat at a nice restaurant I am expected to dress a certain way, and behave in an appropriate manner or I can expect to be asked to leave. Conversely, I expect a certain level of service and respect for my time and for my patronage. If I have a reservation then I have the right to expect to be seating at that time...and if there is a reason they cannot accommodate the reservation then I expect an acknowledgement that they are running behind when I show up.
So why is it that medical professionals increasingly seem to feel that they are immune from treating their patients with the basic level of respect that the cost of the service we are paying for would seem to indicate?
If I show up for a 10 am appointment I expect to be in an examining room within 10-15 minutes of my SCHEDULED appointment time. If the doctor is running behind I EXPECT to be informed of that when I check in. That way I can properly manage my time. To neglect to inform a patient of a known delay (either at check-in or preferably via phone call before check-in) is simply disrespectful and completely inappropriate. And I am left wondering why we as patients just quietly accept this sort of rudeness.
Now, to clarify....I've worked in medical offices for a large portion of my life; my mother is an RN who managed an office for a high end medical specialist. I completely understand that emergencies happen...that appointments run over...that sometimes you need to double book things. HOWEVER, that does not excuse leaving patients to sit in a waiting room for over an hour after their scheduled appointment time with NO communication whatsoever that the Dr is running behind and how long one can expect to wait. Telling me that 'he just fell behind' or 'we didn't realize' is just a form of gross incompetence and, frankly, a very poor way to run a business.
Most people expect to be treated with a certain amount of respect in their dealings in life...both professional and personal; and most people and businesses will back that up. That is especially true the more professional the business is.
For example: If I go out to eat at a nice restaurant I am expected to dress a certain way, and behave in an appropriate manner or I can expect to be asked to leave. Conversely, I expect a certain level of service and respect for my time and for my patronage. If I have a reservation then I have the right to expect to be seating at that time...and if there is a reason they cannot accommodate the reservation then I expect an acknowledgement that they are running behind when I show up.
So why is it that medical professionals increasingly seem to feel that they are immune from treating their patients with the basic level of respect that the cost of the service we are paying for would seem to indicate?
If I show up for a 10 am appointment I expect to be in an examining room within 10-15 minutes of my SCHEDULED appointment time. If the doctor is running behind I EXPECT to be informed of that when I check in. That way I can properly manage my time. To neglect to inform a patient of a known delay (either at check-in or preferably via phone call before check-in) is simply disrespectful and completely inappropriate. And I am left wondering why we as patients just quietly accept this sort of rudeness.
Now, to clarify....I've worked in medical offices for a large portion of my life; my mother is an RN who managed an office for a high end medical specialist. I completely understand that emergencies happen...that appointments run over...that sometimes you need to double book things. HOWEVER, that does not excuse leaving patients to sit in a waiting room for over an hour after their scheduled appointment time with NO communication whatsoever that the Dr is running behind and how long one can expect to wait. Telling me that 'he just fell behind' or 'we didn't realize' is just a form of gross incompetence and, frankly, a very poor way to run a business.
We need to collectively remember that Doctors are NOT gods. While we do have to expect a level of flexibility in timing, we should not be expected to use OUR time to compensate for their choice to inappropriately time their schedule. It's an office not an Emergency Room...and things get missed when patients are hurried in and out like a fast food drive through.
