Doctors: Tighten Up Your Scheduling

I walked out of my dermatologists office yesterday having waited an hour beyond the scheduled appointment.  Her quality of care is excellent but I walked out once before for the same reason.  I walked out  on a urologist for the same reason and the same length of time.

I understand wait times at doctors’ offices are modeled after wait times at the DMV but I don’t like it.  HER time is no more important to ME than MY time is to HER.  I do not shoot the receptionists.  It is not their fault.  I politely reschedule and then leave.

While some may see the text confirmations doctors offices send as a nuisance, I appreciate them.  I am very forgetful.  I am quite good at using my Google calendar but I do not catch everything.  I WANT  my appointment and I don’t want to hold up the doctor.

Here is what I propose for every doctor who uses the text reminder system.

1.  The text would be as usual, “Mr. Smith, please confirm your appointment with Doctor Jones for Wednesday, June 24 at 9:00 a.m.” (Since my name is NOT Smith and since I don’t know a doctor Jones I might ignore it...but for the sake of argument...).  “If this time and date still works, reply ‘C.’ If not, please call our office to reschedule.”

All Aboard so far?  I am not confusing anyone, right?

2. After Mr. Smith replies “C” - for “confirmed” - a text is returned to Mr. Smith saying, “the doctor is on schedule,” or “the doctor is currently ½ hour behind in her appointments.”

         

See how courteous that is?  Both parties’ time is treated respectfully. Everybody goes away happy (except perhaps the patient with the broken leg who is in pain no matter how long s/he waits and if that patient is in a dermatologists office s/he probably went to the wrong place).  While this is tongue-in-cheek I really do  believe that doctors owe their patients more time “sensitivity,” (forget emergencies; those happen but then the receptionist could say, “Dr. Smith is running two hours behind, would you like to reschedule.”)  I don’t know anyone at the patent office but if either of my two readers do you are free to take this idea up for patent.

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