I used to work in a 3 doctor office. Each doctor had their own receptionist that answered the phone and took messages. The phones rang constantly. Some of the patients would talk for hours and call back several times. I think they were as much lonesome as anything. And they all complained about being put on hold, which we had to do to answer all the calls. As a patient, I hate the new system as much as you do, but from the office stand point, it's a blessing.

Yesican,

LFPB4 speaks the truth. I too worked in a doctors office, and it was just as LFPB4 described. The phones rang NON-STOP, and the patients were VERY demanding & needy.

Until I worked 'behind the scenes', I had no idea just how much time each patient requires/demands. Tending to a patient isn't always just a matter of answering the phone or returning a call.

It was not unusual for each nurse and each receptionist to have STACKS & STACKS of charts on their desks every day, all needing return phone calls or referrals or prescription refills or insurance authorizations or reminders. It's neverending, and they are expected to do this in between seeing the patients of the day. Some of them would work through lunch, skip breaks and stay 1-2 hours, on their own time, just to take care of their patients. And this is with having 4 front office receptionists, 3 back office receptionists, and 5 nurses. Like I said, it's NON-STOP!

So, as a patient, it does suck to have to leave messages or be put on hold, or have to wait 15 mins or more to be seen. But on behalf of the Doctor's staff, they really are trying.

Yesican, sometimes the nurses can give lab results over the phone, you might want to ask about that. Different offices have different policies tho.

In Health,
Gracie Girl :)

I've been to only one doctor in my area whose office answers calls with an answering machine. Granted, it is a large office. However, another one of my doctors, at USC, answers with a live voice. For the most part, what you are describing is virtually unheard of for me.

One of my friends who lives near the beach has to email her questions and concerns to her doctors!! I can't imagine any of my doctors requesting that.

My GP (actually, he's in internist who also teaches internal medicine at USC) goes to the waiting room himself to get call his patients in. Imagine that!

Jen

Jen, don't give out that doctors name, he'll be swamped with new patients... And I'd be the first one... lol

I'll have to say that the waiting times at the Henry Ford Health Systems, here in south east Michigan, aren't all that bad, for a doctors appointment... Although it is next to impossible to get an American doctor... And, most of the time, the staff handles your problems quickly... But there are the occasional times when the phone rings 15 or more times before it's picked up and the few times you're put on ignore instead of hold... lol

Rita

I've never had a dr. have me make an appointment to discuss lab results, but unless they are all normal, it might be a good idea so the problem areas can be discussed. Never had to make an appointment to get a prescrip. refill unless it had been some time since seeing the dr.

I don't like doctors who just let you know if something is wrong in lab work or xrays. They should be in touch either way, good or bad.

If I need a refill, I call the pharmacy who faxes the request into the doctor for me. Mind you, I live in a rural area and it's a local pharmacy. If I walk in with a prescription, my wait is about 5 minutes, which is unheard of in most places.