We get there early -- 15 minutes or so and we have to travel an hour to an hour and a half to get there and to wait wait an hour . . . PAST the appointment time.

Unbelievably rude and inconsiderate of these doctors. Appalling.

Sometimes there is paperwork to be filled out or updated, and they want to allow time for that, but usually 15 or 20 minutes is sufficient.

A longer wait time, to me, indicates that the doctor (or doctors) often have "no-show" patients -- folks who have appointments but do not call to cancel, or cancel at the last minute. Having other patients show up extra early would mean that the doc could at least see someone else during the no-show's appointment time.

My friend has a doctor who has a 30 minutes-early rule. If you aren't there at the appointed early time, they consider you a no-show and cancel you. They think it cuts down on getting backed up, and I'll admit that the doctor keeps a pretty tight schedule.

Same thing here and I tell them when they call to confirm, that an hour early is not realistic. I was kept waiting in a Dr.'s office for 1½ hours once and I asked to be rescheduled. The receptionist was quite snippy in saying it would not be much longer. I told her I had to be somewhere and that 1½ was too long to wait. She told me I should schedule my time better. I laughed and asked her WHO had the scheduling problem here ? This Dr. was rather arrogant to begin with and I dropped him soon after this.

Yesterday. 1 hour early. I didn't even have to fill out any forms, just get the tag around my wrist so I don't forget who I am while I grow cobwebs.

over past 6 months have had a LOT of doctor and PT appointments due to an injury. for PT, they will ask when I want to come!! at any doctor's office i'm told WHEN i can come?? had surgery follow-up appt., and something else to do in same area but with about an hour or so to spare in between. i just went when i was ready, explained that i knew i was really early but would make myself comfy in waiting area. have done this 2-3 times and usually see doctor and on the road BEFORE originally scheduled time. in most cases, i'm starting to see appointment times as mere "suggestions"!!

seems to me that some/many doctors over-book on a regular basis and could NEVER see patients when scheduled??

I sat for 1 hour and 45 minutes at the Allergy Clinic in 2015. The following year, it went down to 1 hour. Now, I come 15 minutes late, get called in to the examining room pretty fast, but still sit a minimum of 30 minutes. All this, cause "I have to be seen" once a year.

Honestly I have better things to do... but now a days I take my ipad along and read my mail, or spend time here at the KT. ;)

Moni

Most doctors I don't have to wait too long for but my primary care doctor it is usually a 45 minute wait and really I don't mind because when it's my turn, she spends at least 45 minutes with me, she listens carefully, asks a lot of questions, is very knowledgable, very current and I trust her. I just bring a book and read.

And don't you just love it when they tell you to bring "all" of your medications with you? We'd have a grocery bag full. LOL I have a "list" and that is what they get and they are satisfied with that. I am sure not carrying medications with us in the car. Our doctors offices ask that you arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time and luckily we get in pretty quickly unless the doctor had an emergency situation with another patient or was called to the hospital.

Luckily, where I live, it's only 15 minutes beforehand. I do understand the early as they have to ask questions, and you have to fill out forms. Most people take 15-30 minutes to do all that, and then there are folks who show up late. I get away with much at my appointment since my work is research administration attached to my doctor's offices. I just tell them it's all current within the electronic system. No bags of meds to carry around for me. And I get to go to appointments during "lunch" instead of having to take off from work to get there. I even know some of my physicians personally and they'll call me at home after work if I need them enough.

I understand an appointment for illness or injury being a bit late, but I would never excuse a doctor for being late with my annual exam. You know I'm coming 6 months in advance, there's no excuse for being inconsiderate and make me wait.

There are too many good doctors in my area for me to tolerate being subjected to rudeness. I'll change the day that happens.

I don't mind waiting a reasonable amount of time for a doctor. I have had doctors spend a lot of time with me, more than their allotted, I'm sure, and I appreciate that. I would rather have a doctor who takes his time with patients then one who will rush through to keep a tight schedule, even if it means wait times.

Right now my primary doctor is part of a walk-in clinic and I like being able to come in without an appointment and I rarely have to wait more than 5-10 minutes.

On the other hand, my OB/gyn is terrible about appointment times, but that's the problem when babies are in the picture who don't care about schedules. :) A few months ago, I went, sat for an hour then I was told that the doctor was called into emergency surgery and I would have to reschedule. It was hard to be understanding that day!

An hour beforehand is ridiculous for a regular appointment. Surgery or an outpatient procedure, sure. To be fair though I often see patients arrive and check in right at their appointment time, so by the time they do paperwork and co-pays and everything, it's been 15 minutes and it pushes the schedule back even more.

A few months ago, I went, sat for an hour then I was told that the
doctor was called into emergency surgery and I would have to reschedule.
It was hard to be understanding that day!

I had something similar happen. Except I was on the table, a plastic surgeon at a level 1 trauma center. I had to wait while he repaired someone's hand that had been badly damaged. I was understanding for that. Until he said, he was fixing up a gang-banger's gunshot wound. I still understood, because one's hand is vital, and certainly more important than removing something from my upperarm (near a nerve is the only reason it was a plastic surgeon and not a general person). I was a tad less sympathetic after hearing that.

Anyone get warned they would get charged if they are over a certain amount of time late?

I try to schedule first thing in the morning or right after lunch because I tend toward panic attacks that have no rhyme nor reason. I still have to wait and sometimes I can, but not 45 minutes (as I had to recently). I was the first person there.

Why is my time less valuable? I mean it probably is less valuable, but it shouldn't be thought of that way dammit!

:)

I have a nurse friend and one day the doctor was 2 hours late...the patient gave the doctor a bill for the time he waited...he was an attorney and bill was $300...and got his money!

That is hard to believe Phoggie!

I would never come an hour early. I do try to make appoints early in the day. As the day wears on, the doctors get behind due to emergencies, etc.

I actually no longer come early. If my appointment is at 2:00 that is when I show up. Guess what? I never get in at 2:00!

When my kids were small and I had appointments, I would sometimes call ahead to see how behind the doctor was. I did not want my kids to sit with sick kids in the waiting room for longer than needed. My pediatrician was accommodating to that.

I think the problem is when you don't have a relationship with the doctor. My GYN doctor always gives you a questioner asking how thing went, was the waiting time reasonable etc. They are trying to be on top of things and I have to say I don't wait long in that office no matter when the appointment.

Persons above seem to be speaking to live people at their doctors offices.

I only get calls from robot. Only a robot will accept my calls. Spouses doctors do it the same way. Prescriptions are handled the same way.

Instructions for doctor's appointments are geared to the lowest common denominator. Many arrive late. Many arrive on the wrong day. Many arrive 3 hrs early and hope to "slip in" early. Many don't know what they are being treated for - can't remember the name. Many have ZERO idea what meds they are taking. If asked to write a list, they would not be able to find a pencil or would write down the wrong thing. No doctor is going to refuse a list - I keep all mine in the Notes section of my iPhone - very easy that way.

But I spend enough time waiting that I see it all, and believe me, in my part of the country, I see a lot of the "shallow end of the gene pool". I often wonder how they get there at all.

I also ask about WHY they are requesting that I arrive early. When I had my medical procedure/test on Mon, they first told me to be there 1 hr ahead of time. I asked why - she said I would need to have that time to register. When I told her the hospital had called and I had already PRE-registered, she said 15 minutes would be fine - if I needed wheelchair assistance, arrive 30 minutes early as it can take a while for transport to get there.

I find that if I"m reasonable, they are, too.

Those same doctors would have a fit and think their time was more valuable, if the tables were turned. And some doctors double book, too.

The group I go to (family drs) is really all about good reviews, and sends an email after a visit, and one question asks how long you waited. There is a sign in each room that if you are not happy about something please let them know before you leave. But, they don't have emergencies or go to hospitals, etither.

Phoggie wrote, "I have a nurse friend and one day the doctor was 2 hours late...the patient gave the doctor a bill for the time he waited...he was an attorney and bill was $300...and got his money!"

Eld6151 responded, "That is hard to believe Phoggie!"

I believe it -- if for no other reason that my husband, also an attorney, has done the same thing. He retired two years ago, but when he was still working, he had no tolerance for anyone who kept him waiting for an inordinately long period of time - time that he could have spent working on legal issues.

My primary care physician is, as many are, in a group. When you arrive, you check in with the receptionist. Right at the receptionist's desk there is a sign that lists which doctors are seeing patients that day; and for each doctor, it says if they are running on time or, if not, how late they are running. It is rare that any of the doctors are running late. Also, each time a patient arrives, they are given a clipboard with a paper showing what medications their record shows them as taking. The patient then sits down with the clipboard and puts a checkmark next to the medications they are still taking, and there are slots where you can enter additional meds you have been prescribed (by any doctor/dentist) since your last visit. And by the time I'm done putting my checkmarks next to my current meds, the nurse has come to the waiting room to get me.

The only doc I forgive is the ob/gyn b/c they don’t control which little will want to arrive in this world when. I’ll wait 30 min. If I wait more than that more than once, I always tell the doctor. I say I feel bad that he’s having appt making troubles but that it does not justify me sitting around for ___ time and that I’m sure he understands me b/c likely, he/she doesn’t like waiting around either. There’s always been an improvement after I’ve spoken up.

I think that in a addition to many of the reasons mentioned already, there are times when the scheduler may schedule someone a 15 minute appointment because they’re told, “oh I just need a refill” or “I have a bad cough” and that is just one of several issues that they actually need to address with the doctor. In no time that 15 minutes turns into 30. This is in addition the late comer(s), or the emergency fit ins and so on.

We can see it’s a balancing act so we tend to be patient when my husband’s doctors run late; not only because they both always spend the time necessary to make sure he gets what he needs regardless but because we’d also never know they were running late by their demeanor. We’ve had a couple of doctors make us feel as if we were an inconvenience because they were running behind. We were always on time and usually had at least a 30 minute wait. When they bill over 300.00 for a 15 minute appointment, that’s not cool. After the second time that happened, we found my husband a different doctor.

I understand this issue from both sides. MDs in primary care receive relatively little for their time (compared to those in better paying specialties who do procedures) and need to try to try to fill their days. Time overruns are inevitable for those trying to provide care conscientiously. Others, like docs who need to respond to unexpected situations or the cited OB/GYNs, are at the mercy of nature and need everyone's understanding.

It's true that some docs are oblivious and self-centered, some offices are better than others at managing patient flow and expectations. I don't see a gynecologist so the doctors I visit can't use that excuse. I've tried to pick carefully in accumulating a list of docs I go to and trust and I think I've done well in this regard because it's been ages since I've had an unreasonable past scheduled time wait (more than, say, 15 minutes).

I have learned that I need to have my allergist's first app't of the day or the first after the lunch break when the office is closed. The good news is that this man will take a call from a patient in trouble (and I've BEEN that patient). The bad news is that this means he's always running at least 1 hr behind time. He also has the world's most uncomfortable chairs in his exam rooms! I like this young man very much and he's been my allergist for at least 15 years. I have just learned to adapt to his ways.

I find it interesting that some seem to get to ''choose'' a doctor.

I think much depends upon the Doctor's attitude. My husband was treated by a wonderful military doctor for several years, He always ran late,

Sometimes he would come out to the waiting room and announce that he was running as much as an hour late. We would all smile and just wait. We knew that when our turn came he would give us his full attention for however long it took.

Of course remuneration was not in question. He received the same pay no matter how many patients he saw. He held the rank of Captain so wasn't earning anything like a civilian counterpart would have.

He was eventually transferred to teach. I hope he turned out caring doctors like himself.

janes', are you in an HMO or some other kind of group that doesn't allow you to choose doctors? Nor ask for another if you're not happy with one?

Wow, Janes'. I not only get to choose which doctors I want to see, I don't need a referral from my primary care physician to see a specialist. If I want to see a specialist, I simply choose which one, and make an appointment. Are you not in the United States?