That's inexcusable. It's hard to believe they didn't know the doctor had an emergency before they dilated your eyes. Please don't think too hard about note you composed. Send it. Some doctors need to know (and appreciate knowing) what goes on in their offices.

Gosh, socks, do we go to the same eye dr? I have good reasons for continuing to go to mine, but it is so very annoying. And, yes, they have an excuse for the wait every time. I can totally empathize with you.

Shirley

Sleeping on note to doctor - Good idea

Sending note to the doctor with any sleep-suggested, next day changes- Good idea

To think about finding a new doctor - Also a good idea

I agree that such treatment is inexcusable. Busy doctors have so-called "emergencies" all the time, multiple times a week. Acting inconsiderately to patients and ignoring the need to deal with such situations respectfully isn't an office management problem. Any doctor whose office staff or who personally demonstrates a "me-first, you don't matter" attitude has seen me for the last time. Unless you're in a rural area with limited choices, I'd say there are too many good and caring doctors around, there's no need to waste time with such self-centered people like that.

This post was edited by snidely on Thu, Feb 20, 14 at 23:10

Gadgets, unless you come to CA for your eye visits, we're not in the same place. LOL!

Thanks for the sympathy, everyone! You've probably all had a similar experience.

Sorry you had to wait so long....sometimes I wait 20-30 minutes, never hours.

I can understand emergencies, and I would hope to be accommodating if that was the reason, knowing then if it were ever me with the emergency, I'd be seen.

But the dilating drops, a three hour wait without concern for those waiting....I'd make sure the doctor knew how disrespectfully you were treated. His reaction would be the deciding factor on whether or not I made further appointments or changed doctors. Let him know.

Frankly, I find the dilating drops tiring. I'm red, almost headachy, and can't see....bleary to the bone. Had I been given them and then not had my eye exam, I'd be pretty darned crabby.

That poor older woman, I wasn't even there and I'm angry for her. Your doctors offices and how they are run are part of his business, if he's lax about that he wouldn't have me as a patient.

At my eye doctor's office you don't get the dilation drops until you are in the room where you see the doctor. I would think that would be common practice. Even a 20 minute wait would make the drops useless.

I did leave a doctor's practice a couple years ago because of long waits. The first time, I waited in the room where I see the doctor (is that referred to as the treatment room?) for 30 minutes, before I saw the doctor, and yes, those rooms are always cold. The last time, after checking in, I waited in the waiting room for 45 minutes. Finally asked what the problem was. OOPs, they forgot I was there. They put me in the room, and I waited again, and finally walked out. Later in the day I had a call from the Office Manager to ask me why I left, and did I want to make another appointment. I told her I didn't know if I would or not. She seemed surprised that just being left hanging twice in a row would be a problem. It was. I never went back.

Sue

All the doctors in my group and in the group (different) in Bismarck ND have signs on the wall saying--If you have been waiting more than 20 minutes, please let the receptionist know--- and they mean it. One thing I do like is no matter what Dr. you go to in the group, in what city all you records are available on the computer. It is quite large with eye doctors, a hospital, many many specialists. And we are tied in with the Mayo Clinic in Minn.

Socks, years ago I waited for over two hours to see my doctor, and was given the run around by his staff. I, too, felt so sorry for the elderly who were waiting......I was just seriously ticked off.

I did write a letter to my doctor that very evening. It was polite, but very much to the point. His patients ' time was valuable. If a wait was going to be lengthy, then patients should be informed so that can decide to wait it out or reschedule.

Well, he called me himself a few days later and apologized wholeheartedly. He said that sometimes the doctors don't know what's going on with overbooking, etc. He said that he was going to meet with his partners and office staff and make some changes.

And they did!

When my daughter was in high school I took her to a dermatologist. The woman was notorious for keeping people waiting. She like to chat/talk/socialize a lot. I got to the point that I would call to see if they were running on schedule.

One time I called and they said yes they were. When we got there, we had to wait an hour. We left. And I told the girl why.

I don't know what your note says, but I would let the dr. know how I feel.

There are times you do wait in doctor's, eye doctors, specialists, eye specialists.

I went to regular eye doctor one time and had long wait as they had over flow, their computer shut down and so guess they were pushing people through. It didn't bother me at all but it did my brother who went on that back at his house, he barely waited.

I also went to eye specialist one time and due to a winter storm that had hit us, people cancelled out and so got appointments pushed into ones that had appointments and so yes, there was a wait and I did ask and was told that and longer wait but that was fine. Again my brother drove there too along with my mother and she talked the ears off of others while waited.

Ask what is the hold up or will there be delays for any reasons.

Like I showed to doctor appointment and the nurse who had been on holidays last time I saw doctor wondered why I was there and I told her and seemed she put another name. Plus she also made a huge mess out of prescription too, doctor sent out a fax and druggist never got it and it took quite awhile to straighten that one out. I was upset as I had to start it and didn't want it out of whack with my other prescriptions but that got worked out too.

Its called patience, talking ahead of time if all is fine.

I went to dentist and told a patient rushed in with an emergency dentist is working on them and would be such and such long okay, not too long as that dentist work so fast and done before you know it.

The one thing I got annoyed with dentist was they would change appointments all the time, can you come such and such and its not a time I wanted and I also made that appointment a year ago or long time. Like one time it was emergency as someone was boating from states and wanted in now. I didn't feel that was right, there are other dentists he could have gone too.

I haven't necessarily had long waits in the eye doctor's office -- the workers there seem to move me quickly through the stages (in the room with the physician's assistant, then getting the dilation drops in, then sitting in another area waiting for my pupils to dilate...). Last appointment (in January), there was a bit of a delay. But I think Mondays are like that at pretty much every doctor's.

One thing I've learned: If my schedule and the doctor's schedule allow it, I ask for the first or second appt after they reopen from their lunch break.

The longest delay at a dr.? Waiting at least an hour and a half for my first-time consult with the colonoscopy surgeon, then he spent 15-20 minutes with me, then I was back in the waiting room for another hour waiting for the scheduler. I had to ask repeatedly if there was anybody else who could schedule me and give me the instructions. At that point, I'm pretty sure the workers were taking their lunch break, because nobody was at the sign-in station. Annoying. (But a few weeks later, the procedure -- and the most restful sleep while he was poking around! Priceless!)

It is frustrating. You should let them know about the staff.

____________________________________
I do think doctors really do get emergencies. I've been one (eye and other)! When you're the one who is having an emergency, do you really think you should "wait your turn" or have the doctor say, "I can't see you/work you in, since it'd be too rude to my other patients"? No way! The very definition of emergency precludes planning, right? It's the staff who are inexcusable. They should do whatever they can to aprise people who are waiting about the situation, and stop those who are coming in from coming all the way there. It's not the doctor who is wrong here.

If you send the note I wonder if it would ever reach the Dr. Would it be better to talk to him directly when you see him - politely but truthfully.

Similar experience with female endocronologist. I saw that two of us were booked for the same time slot...questioned that, and was told by the nurse "we never do that"....hmmm...it's right here in black and white on the sign in sheet. Waited an hour before being called back to the the examination room. Sat there freezing for another hour. Doctor was running late. So why didn't the staff call me and reschedule? Doctor came in, spent very little time with me, I asked a question, and she said "The nurse will answer your question" and walked away. Excuse me....I am paying "her" to be there and to answer my questions, she is NOT paying "me" to be there. Needless to say, I never went back to her.

Uh, that is a certainly a "doctor problem" linda. They should answer any and all questions. Good for you for leaving her practice.

socks? had an oncologist who's practice was so slammed my 2 pm appts would end up at midnight!!! then you wonder how good a job he's doing a pap, when he's half asleep! needless to say I quit going after 2 years...(was a " take it all hyst")

Seriously, I can't imagine waiting 3 hours for someone who has so little respect for me and my time that they keep me waiting like that. I understand emergencies, but if that is the case, someone should come out and explain and give people the option of rescheduling.

Respect goes 2 ways. I wouldn't go back. There are lots of other options for good doctors.

Could I ask if this was regular eye doctor, an eye specialist or an a eye super specialist? I ask because my husband has had appointments with one of Toronto's super specialists - appointments were booked for 9:00 a.m. and those in the know take lunch and dinner with them - they often turned into all-day events. But this specialist does Vitrectomies, detached retina eye surgeries, that type of thing and there aren't that many Toronto doctors who perform these surgeries. Most of the patients are diabetics - my husband is one of the few who is not, so on a first visit a person with diabetes has a problem with food. Food sharing then happens. Then we have the various levels of more junior eye specialists - some being too senior to do say cataract surgery so you are referred to a lower specialist. Quite the ordeal. The wait times differ depending on the specialist. The optometrist is very good - usually on time. She does Part 1 of the exam, then puts in the drops and has people return to the waiting room for a few minutes while she takes care of a few other matters and then is ready to see the patient with the drops as soon as the drops have done their bit. Of course with me, the drops burn off immediately and I never get blurry eyes. I think you should sleep on your letter and then decide what to do. Years ago I had to see a specialist - every time you would swear that you were in a bus terminal full of people. The receptionist would always tell people that the doctor had been called out on an emergency. So one day one of my fellow patients stood up and asked how many of us had an appointment booked for 5:00 p.m. - every hand in the room was raised. The receptionist looked scared - not her fault though. It is very common for a few people to have the same appointment time - I think doctors hope that some appointments will be quicker than others. Doesn't always happen though.

Yes, I sent the note. It was polite but frank.

At this point I'm not of a mind to switch. (Not saying it couldn't happen.)

The only good to come of this is that I enjoyed chatting with another nice lady for quite a while. Also I found a recipe I liked and used for dinner last night. Super easy!

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
1/2 C Best Foods Real Mayonnaise
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
4 chicken breasts halves (I used the thin sliced)
4 tsp. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Combine mayo with cheese.
Arrange chicken on baking sheet
Top with mayo mixture.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs

Bake 20 minutes at 425.

Ask the receptionist when your appointment was for ...

... and repeat the question, every fifteen minutes?

o j