(Im)Patiently Waiting

So I'm back to work full time and that means back to having health insurance. First things first, I made an appointment with a new ARNP for a check up and pap smear. Having worked at a doctors office for 5 years I knew it was best to arrive early to fill out the new patient paperwork. Having all my forms filled out didn't help with the wait. Forty five minutes after my scheduled appointment time, the receptionist called me up to discuss my insurance.  I made the appointment two weeks prior, if they had a problem with my insurance they could have called me so we could have discussed it before I'd been waiting over an hour! I was so mad I left. Definitely not going back to that office.

I do not understand how it is acceptable to have patients wait HOURS for their appointments. In what other industry is excessive waiting ok? Did you wait 45 minutes for your barista to make your coffee or your server to ask for your order? I don't think so.

Like I said above, I worked at a doctors office for five years and we, the office staff, were the gatekeepers to making sure appointments fit into their time slots and that people didn't have to wait. If we had a client with an issue or an appointment that ran over we'd call the next patient and give them the option of seeing another provider or rescheduling. I never remember people having to wait more than 15 minutes and even that was rare. It kept our patient happy and coming back for their appointments. I KNOW that running an office where people are not forced to wait longer than their appointment will last is possible.

Now off to find a practice that respects my time and doesn't make me wait in order to fit in a few more appointments into their providers busy days....