I would check out some other places. They may be very good, but you should have gotten the packet when you had your first appointment. I am not sure I would trust them to do the job.

Would depend on how the appointment with the doc went.

Suggest calling and asking for the "practice manager," to let them know why you cancelled.

This is a tough one. I guess if you had a good rapport with the doctor, it’s worth going back—especially if it’s slim pickings in your area.

Is there an office manager over this scheduler? I would have raised hell with someone before cancelling an appointment. Someone needs to know what is going on. Just wondering - does the doctor have reviews either when you google him or on Rate my Doctor?

Well, see, the doc that was recommended was the one I saw. The one to do the surgery, was a partner. I hadn't seen her. The original doc was/has left.

I could go to the Dean McGee Eye institute... but am not sure, if I want to wait through a new referral through my Primary Physician... and all that CRAP. On the other hand, I have been at Dean McGee before... and had my lazy eye fixed there too, 20 some years ago...

I just don't like the system to see someone... and the hassle... and this is really starting to bug me, how my upper eyelids droop. It's tiring when you have to strain to see right.

If this is an elective cosmetic surgery rather than a medically necessary procedure...I'd want to see current patient results...and recommendations from actual patients. I admit I'm not a very trusting soul but your face and eyes are nothing to full around with. You had little hesitation in cancelling the procedure and that tells me that you're not 100% convinced that this is the right time and/or place for the surgery.

I need to have a similar surgery in order to improve my vision [I have AMD and inoperable cataracts] and I'm in no hurry to have it done because I'm not convinced that the surgical staff available to me is that talented. One slip and I'm a victim. At the moment... I don't like those odds so I'll wait a while longer.

If you're convinced that this doctor is the best...and his schedule is overbooked because of his talent...then proceed in January. But I'd certainly take the advice given above regarding reporting the lack of competent office procedures that you've experienced.

I know it’s hard not to judge a doctor by his/her staff, but they’re typically not as intertwined as you might think. There’s a lot more going on then just setting up appointments and sending out packets and the staff might be overwelmed with administration issues that have nothing to do with the doctor.

On the other hand, finding a Surgeon you trust and feel comfortable with really is half the battle, so I agree with Mdln, if you are comfortable with this Surgeon, I would reach out to the staff manager.

Thanks Elmer! I guess, I was hoping someone thought the same as I. Yes, I will write to her. Yes, if she is good, she would/should have good competent staff.

Moni, over and out

I went to a highly recommended eye surgeon and had a similar frustrating experience. I was loathe to look for another (as she was my 7th consult!) but felt compelled to listen to my uneasy feelings. At the 12th hour I found a terrific surgeon with a responsive staff and immediately knew he was THE ONE. In fact, he told me that her proposed plan would have resulted in excruciating headaches and depth perception issues. Let your instincts be your guide.

I can see both sides, but if the doctor is as good as claimed, she would have good staff and wouldn’t accept sloppy behavior from said staff. However, the doctor may not know this is going on. I would make sure the doc or the office/practice manager does know why you cancelled.

Before you go back, I would make sure you are treated with more respect. I’ve had this eyelid surgery and received a huge amount of pre-surgery information and instruction, plus pre-surgery medications and suggested supplements to prevent bruising.

I wouldn't cancel a "highly recommended" doctor based on the scheduler. Surgery schedulers typically work for a group of doctors, not one specific one. An orthopedic surgeon I know works in a office of 12 surgeons, and the scheduling department schedules surgery for all of them.

If the Dr. is clueless about how the patients are being treated by the staff he/she needs to know about it. Then if there is no apology or response I'd find another Dr. This isn't a medically necessary surgery, take a deep breath and find another option.

I've left a doctor before over staff. On the other hand, hospital, clinic, etc. staff is short these days. It may not be her fault at all. She may truly be swamped. I would've asked if I could download any of the packet offline. Just my thoughts on the matter.

I would find another doctor. If you are being treated this badly right in the beginning it does not speak well of the practice.

I definitely would not.

I would send a short letter explaining your experience to the doctor at his/ her home address.

After repeated calls to the scheduler asking for the packet, the 'swamped' excuse doesn't hold water. The scheduler could have slipped the packet in an envelope and addressed it in less time than it required to take just one of your calls.

If the practice is this sloppy on the front end, you do not want to experience the rear end.

I would be concerned about what else isn’t going right there. Look elsewhere.

Often the doctor has no idea how inefficient his staff is. If nothing else, you should let him/her know. Maybe the situation can be corrected for future patients. Meanwhile, if you have a good alternative, seek another practice.

I just ditched TWO insurance companies because the staff was a problem. When I contacted the owner, he seemed very competent, but I'd be dealing with the staff. I went elsewhere.....and...am VERY HAPPY! I'd do the same with a doctor. Good call Moni!

“if the doctor is as good as claimed, she would have good staff and wouldn’t accept sloppy behavior from said staff.”

Again, while this is the logical perception for a patient and may have rang true in years past, it’s not necesarrily the case in today’s healthcare climate. Most private practices can no longer afford the financial demands placed on them and are now owned and staffed by the hospitals. In otherwords, that doctor really has little to do with who’s running the front of the office and how well the patients are followed up with. The doctor’s focus is on your care and most do not want to be involved with administrative issues, that’s why there is a staff manager. It’s the manager’s job to ensure the office is properly staffed and that the staff is meeting the administrative needs of the patients. If you don’t want to deal with the office staff, that’s one thing, but it’s much more important that you are seeing a Surgeon that you feel confident and comfortable with. Finding a “good” surgeon can be challenging, so if you feel this doctor is the right surgeon for you, reach out to the manager to see if your issues with the staff can be rectified.

ETA: One should also keep in mind that there is a big difference between seeing a practitioner for routine health issues and a Surgeon. Not wanting to deal with a difficult staff on a regular basis is understandable and a new good practitioner is much easier to find then a Surgeon you’re comfortable with and would trust under the knife.

Any medical procedure can be stressful and I think it is important to have confidence in the doctor. Being treated that way would make me very uneasy and I'd look elsewhere.

The staff person may have mailed the packet when she said she would. That means she put it in a basket to actually be mailed by someone else. I'd definitely let the office manager AND the doctor know what happened and let them chew the right person out for dropping the ball. No, I wouldn't NOT go to this doctor - he has no idea this ineptness is happening, but he DOES need to be informed, IN WRITING, what happened with you. Someone on his support staff is drawing a paycheck for not doing a good job and it needs to be addressed by the doctor.

As stated above it is probably not the schedulers duty to put the packet in the mail. I did wonder if the OP had mentioned to the people who called about the procedure that they had not received the promised packet. That would have been the time to ask about it. I had that happen with some type of testing and that person made certain I had the information.

Edited to add that person also offered to reschedule the procedure until after I received the packet.

I might cut them some slack due to the timing - my daughter is an OR tech and she said some doctors are doing more surgeries this month due to the fact people are trying to get them in before the end of the year due to insurance.

I think I'd go with the surgeon's reputation over the staff's lack of efficiency. They may just be really overwhelmed at this point.

What documentation was in the packet? I of course could easily hazard a guess but since your surgery was scheduled I am kind of mystified.

Where I live in Canada a deposit on the surgery would have been required - it does not sound as if you had to make a deposit??? I had to go through hoops just to have moles removed from my face.

Personally I would find another surgeon. You could write a letter to the surgeon and practice manager - but whether or not he/she believes you depends on feedback from other patients.

Some years ago, several of my friends recommended an internist, saying he was as caring and available as any doctor could be. I signed up with him and found him to be as advertised. His thoroughness and comprehensive caring were unique. Unfortunately, his office staff members (in an office of 4 docs) were a disaster. Messages not passed along, test results not communicated and sometimes lost, on and on.

I mentioned this to him a number of times over the years. He would shake his head, apologize, and say that personnel matters were an ongoing problem. But little was ever done, new hires weren't any better than those they replaced.

I reached my limit and switched to a young, bright internist who works at a local medical school practice as part time faculty and part time clinician. It was like going from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era. It's a well oiled machine. I sometimes get test results the same day. I get reminders for appointments by phone and email and leave every appointment with a copy of the doctors notes and items for follow up and all info remains available indefinitely on the website. When I contact them, I get a complete and thoughtful response in a few hours. I've sent my doc emails in the evening with questions and I've sometimes gotten back responses in less than 15 minutes. My new doc is a bit more mindful of time but, I think, is more comprehensive and the med school setting requires her to be more up to date. I see this practice for more than just GP stuff and everyone is the same. And after every appointment, I get an email with a patient survey, asking me to provide them with information that describes my experience and point out what was good and what was bad.

There's no excuse for a poorly run practice and no need to be stuck using any doctor who doesn't pay attention to the totality of the patient experience.

Someone is not doing their job at that clinic. I'd look elsewhere before trying this group again.

There's an old saw for buying a product or service: Speed - Quality - Price - Pick two.

For a dentist, It's Availability and time spent with patient-Quality-Price. Pick two. Except if the service involves dental insurance, you've already picked Price as one priority because insurance reimbursements are typically at below market rates. So what's left is Availability /time spent with you or Quality - Pick one. And you've seen that, I think, you've gotten a little of one and a little of the other but not either one entirely.

Dental insurance isn't really insurance in the same way that medical insurance is. It's more like a prepayment plan for periodic services (cleaning, images, etc), limited simple procedures (extractions, fillings) and then maybe or maybe not a discount on more involved things. Many dentists don't accept insurance for more complex services and some don't accept it at all.

Even beyond the "you are prepaying for procedures" which was true back in the 1970's when brokers were asking for it and the company I was with was refusing to sell for ethical purposes is that some companies make it hard for dentists to be paid. The clerk was probably not wrinkling her nose about the asker but about the company.

Some health insurance companies also do this.

I agree that I wouldn't put up with this if it were my PCP's office. But this is more of a one time thing - surgery and whatever follow up is needed I think? In this case the staff wouldn't bother me nearly as much as a dr's office I would be utilizing more frequently.

You know you can ask them to let you speak to patients that have had the surgery. Also check their certifications. 3 certs are the best. Good luck

"Even beyond the "you are prepaying for procedures" which was true back in the 1970's"

It's equally true now. Delta Dental is the biggest name in the business and its payment procedures as an example seem to be acceptable to participating dentists. My relative who's a dentist doesn't accept insurance (he'll send in a bill on the patients' behalf) but we've talked about it and he's shared what he's heard from colleagues who do.

I think the days of slow payment by insurance companies is long past, at least as far as the bigger guys are concerned. When I get claim information from my medical insurance, as an example, submitted claims seem to get paid within 10 days of submission. Paid, not approved.