Frustrated by Wait Time in Doctors' Offices
Sitting in a drs appointment and have waited 45 minutes as the first appointment of the day and still no dr! Frustrated beyond belief and wondering when we as a society are going to stop allowing dr to do this. Seriously first appointment abc they are late already. Appointment is with dermatology so I can't believe there is any emergency they need to deal with.
Indyfb 
botheredbyu 
rierie Perhaps this should go under the venting thread :>)
One of my priorities in DR selection is wait time and those who consistently miss the mark by 45 minutes or more are exchanged for those who don't. And, if I can, I schedule for first thing morning or after lunch and if those times are blown it is most certainly even more upsetting. Sure, I understand stuff happens, and if you schedule mid-day during flu season, you might be waiting, but when they run their business like an airport in a 7x24x365 thunderstorm, it's time to seek dryer ground. I feel like I should charge the consistently late my going hourly fee for time wasted. You know they would charge you.......
If it continues, dump the chump.
mistergoogle Leave. Buh-bye. 20 to 30 minutes? Acceptable, everyone is late once in a while. First appointment of the day, 45 minutes in, and no doctor to be seen? Extremely disrespectful and that doctor would not be receiving my hard-earned cash!
SomeoneTry telling the office staff: I wait 10 minutes for anyone, and 11 minutes for no one.
Then reschedule. I know it's a pain to have to come back, but my doc hasn't made me wait more than 10 minutes since I made that statement. They don't want to lose a patient either. Or, find another doctor. The specialists you mentioned seldom have an emergency. (There are several in the H'town area)
Ms Fishy DR RAZA is notorious for this....makes you wait literally HOURS even with an appt. I changed drs.
2ndtimearound indyfb - I'm looking for a good dermatologist. Up to you if you want to post their name so no one else runs into this problem. It would be a great help (no pressure, lol)
Totally unacceptable. I have a fantastic group of people that I see and when they are running late, they have texted me...everyone runs late once and a while, but for the first of the day, no heads up, I say take off and get someone else. Remember, they work for you - you are the one paying them.
Natalie Most doctors take the copay when you check in. Then, if you are left sitting in the waiting room, or worse in the exam room (that's happened to me) for an extended period of time, what recourse do you have with the insurance co?
3wbdwnj 3wb I would kindly go up to the receptionist and say I would like my copay back. I cannot wait any longer. I do not wait that long for anyone anymore. My time is precious just as theirs is. PLUS I am paying them they are not paying me.
Christine I would never pay the co-pay up front, before seeing the doctor. If asked for it, I would tell them I will pay after seeing the doctor, or if I'm seen within the next 15 mins, no later. I have never been asked to pay the copay prior to seeing the doctor.
bby, Dr. Gellar in Chester is a good dermatologist. And I never had an unreasonable wait.
From what I understand, there is a severe shortage of dermatologists in the US. Doesn't seem to affect our area, but I read that some don't have appointments available for 3 months or more in some areas. Better put on your sunscreen if you live in one of them!
MeisterNJ Did you ask at the front desk? Since it was the first of the day, perhaps the dr was in traffic?
Alison1 OK guys, take a breath. I get it that it's frustrating to wait for doctors - have done it, hate it. But, walk a mile.... lists of patient calls a mile long, pharmacy calls, consulting calls, and yes, even dermatologists might have emergencies... doctors are people too, with the same demands on their time that you have... what makes you late? Traffic, family struggles to get out of the house on time, car trouble, etc... please, don't assume if it's the first time... if you are annoyed, talk to the doctor first. No one has it easy these days, don't assume that someone else's behavior is purposeful or disregarding the patients' needs.. no doctor that I know WANTS to be running behind... if it's repeated, then I can understand
ready Ready...you make perfect sense. That is so true. Everyone deserves a bit of understanding once in a while. We have all been the ones holding something or someone up at one point in our lives. Uncontrollable things do happen.
I currently use Dr. Rocca in Hackettstown and she is wonderful. My wait times have been about 10 minutes.
Jazzykatt I was a long time patient of Plaza Family Care (pediatric and internal medicine). The last three or four times I had an appointment, I waited over an hour for the doctor. I understand that emergencies come up but this was happening on a regular basis. I finally decided to switch doctors. I have been seeing Dr. Auciello (internal medicine) and Dr. Guerra (pediatrician) for awhile now and have never waited for more than 10 minutes. I would highly recommend them :)
catlover1 I too have been frustrated by this, but we are forgetting the fact that most doctors have rounds at the hospital before office hours. Perhaps this doc was there? We assume that just because it is the office's first appointment that it is the doctors first too. If its an everyday occurance than yes, the office needs to address it, but lets not jump the gun here.
PianoGirl Not always. I waited more than an hour once. While there the front desk folks were talking with someone about something and they told them to go to the ER since no appointments were available to just show up. Well, they did break down and show up. And guess who was the last out for the night. If it happens again, I will switch doctors.
iJay3 +1 for Dr. Gellar - never had an unreasonable wait. And he now has an office in Hackettstown.
I have a gastroenterologist in Montclair that ALWAYS runs behind. I once waited over an hour on my lunch break and finally told the receptionist that they would have to reschedule me...I had to go back to work. I was beyond frustrated. Moving forward I scheduled earlier or later in the day.
Jules @Meister: Dr. Gellar has an office now in Hackettstown on Mountain Ave. in the same plaza as IHOP! And yes, his physician's assistants are very punctual.
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