On February 16, 2009
here are some tips that’ll help you get an appointment when you really need one. We found this on CNN.com.
- Find your doctor’s email address. One doctor mentioned in the article talked about a friend of his who needed to get his wife to a doctor for back pain. They were told it would be weeks for an appointment. So, they found the email address of a doctor who seemed like a good fit, and wrote him a personal note explaining the urgency. He responded and the wife was able to see the doctor first thing in the morning the next day. So if you need an appointment, try emailing your doctor directly.
- Be specific. An ear, nose, and throat surgeon mentioned in the article says that his receptionist might not make time in his schedule to see someone with a sore throat, but if the person said they had a sore throat – and it felt like their throat was closing – this might indicate a more serious issue. So be as specific about your symptoms as you can.
- Call first thing in the morning. According to Dr. Delia Chiaramonte – an internist in Maryland – doctors will often have a few slots saved throughout the day for same-day appointments. However, they fill up fast. So call the minute the office opens.
- Also, when you call: Ask to speak to the office manager or the nurse in charge. They might have the authority to squeeze you in. If you don’t get a real person, leave a voicemail.
If nothing else has worked and you really need to see the doctor: You could go a little crazy. try going to the doctor’s office and plopping yourself in the waiting room. You may find a sympathetic receptionist, medical assistant, or nurse who will discuss your situation with your doctor. Who then might agree to see you.
February 16th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I love the new morning show jingle!!! You two are great!!!
February 16th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Remember, if you are sick, like with a cold or sinus infection with no underlying illnesses, check out the Redi-Clinic at HEB or Minute Clinic at CVS. They take most insurances and are open until 8 pm even on weekends. They will write prescriptions and if necessary adv you to follow up with your doctor. They will even forward their notes of your visit to your doctor. I have had good luck with both places.
February 17th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Susan I work in a Dr’s office and those are all great and work, however the last one “go a litle crazy” and just sit in the waiting room and wait. Will only make the staff angry and they will make that patient wait, to the very last patient no matter how long they have been there, they will see all scheduled patients first. They are better off calling and insisting to have an appointment time and that they do not mind waiting, and to say that if the Dr can not see me today then I will find another Dr., but to just show up and sit and wait, you will sit and wait and wait, and wait and wait…… If you at least call and insist on being seen, they can at least put you at a time where they feel you will have the least time waiting. The staff and dr’s hate it when a patient just shows up with out calling, that to us is having no respect for the dr’s time or the other patients that have called and scheduled an appointment.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I agree with Justine! I am a nurse and work at a family practice (www.thsmedicalclinic.com) as well. The absolute best time to call for an appointment IS right when the clinic opens. At my office, we get there 30 minutes early to set up for the day. While doing this, we check our voicemails, get patient rooms set up, pull insurances for lab work, and turn on all the office equipment for the day. The receptionist also checks her voicemails, files left over paperwork, and returns patient’s phonecalls in the order of urgency.
Also, it is very wise to have your doctor’s email address. Every doctor has a work email. Ask for that one, not his personal email address. I know my boss is always on his email and computer because we do everything through our computers. Faxes get sent to his work laptop, we write Rx’s through the computer and print them out, patient demographics and clinic notes are scanned or typed it, etc. So if you can’t get through by phone, EMAIL! Even ask for the nurse’s work email addresses. Every employee has one! (usually)
Yes, when scheduling an appointment, remember you are NOT speaking with a nurse, you are speaking with a receptionist who usually has little to no medical training. So when scheduling your appointment, make sure to mention all serious symptoms for your reason of visit so she may speak with a nurse, if needed. Make sure the clinic you schedule with sees patients for your reason of visit. For example, my office does not treat for ADHD or pain management. We often have patients who will come in for chronic pain and we have to tell them we can not see them for that. So, be sure to be very specific!
Also, if you have questions regarding labs or tests that were done, be sure to call the NURSE’S extension, not the receptionist extension. It just greatly helps reduce the risk of information being passed along incorrectly. Be sure to listen to the automated message fully before dialing an extension. Some places have specific extensions for specific calls. Such as medication refills and referrals go to my extension at work. The other nurse handles lab results. Don’t just hit “0″ for the operator and leave a message with the receptionist. I promise your call will be handle faster by choosing the right extension!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not walk in 10 minutes before closing time. Most clinics usually alot the last 15-30 minutes of the day cleaning up the patient rooms, emptying the trash, and getting things ready for the next day. It also takes time to chart patient notes, take vitals, and speak with the doctor for the ones we see at last minute. Usually urgent cases. It is important to remember that doctors and nurses also have families to get home to in the evening times.
Also, I know it seems like you have to wait FOREVER at the doctor’s office. And in some cases, this is true. BUT, remember, we see lots of patients during the day, and most of the time we end up doing extra things during the visit, such as running tests, blood work, referrals, which all take extra time. So if you find yourself wondering why you are still waiting at 11 am, when your appointment was at 10:15, please remember that sometimes the doctors and nurses get backed up doing the extra care things for patients that take up a little more time than normally. We strive to treat every patient at my job as if we were treating a member of our own family. So please be patient with us, as we are caring for everyone in the same way. Please do not get mad at the receptionist (as a lot of our patients do at my job). It really is no one’s fault that scheduling falls behind. It just simply happens when people are sick and needing care.
I hope these little tid bits of information help! I am a devoted nurse to ALL of my patients and I love my job. I treat everyone with the same care, as do the rest of the staff.