October 2011 Moms

have you ever walked out of a drs apt?

Because I am seriously on the verge. My apt was at 12:30 but I didn't get called back until 1:05. It's now almost 1:15 and I just heard my dr walk in to the room next to mine. I made my apt during lunch so I wasn't really missing work. I am thinking about giving the dr til 1:30 to come in here or I am out. Am I total b*tch if I leave?

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Re: have you ever walked out of a drs apt?

  • I wouldn't leave but geez, that's a long time. I have waited close to an hour to see a midwife but my 3D/4D was right after the appt so I wasn't going anywhere.
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  • I've had that same conversation in my head with my own OB. I always just stayed. I try to make my appointments at the end of the day so I'm not missing much work if it takes a long time. OB's have to run to L&D during the day which puts everyone's appt's behind. I've tried scheduling one for early morning but I had to wait just as long for that reason.

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  • I'd stay but express my dissatisfaction.
  • That's annoying, but I wouldn't leave.  You've already waited this long, why waste the time and not be seen?  In the future I would say something to the office staff when you arrive about being on your lunch break and needing to know if the doctor is running behind.
  • My doctor's office is notorious for 1+ hour waits. If I didn't love my doctor so much, I would switch. I feel your pain!
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  • I have walked out of the room to the front desk and asked how long until the doctor saw me, that usually gets the doctor in the room quick. I did threaten to walk out of an appointment once, the front desk staff tried to tell me I would have to pay a missed appointment fee but I got sh!tty and they had the doctor see me next. These were not OB appointments though,my OB is an hour away and I wouldn't want to have to drive back up there.
  • I almost walked out today! My appt was at 10:15 but I was told that my doc is faster than the other docs at the practice so if I showed up early she'd see me earlier. So I showed up at 9:45. They didn't call me back until 11:00, keep in mind, they called at least 10 other people who showed up after me, back. So I asked what was taking so long, the response I got was "You're next, we have 3 doctors seeing patients right now, Your doc is just a little behind" then they called someone else back that arrived at least 30 minutes after me! Finally, I got called back but only to wait in the exam room for another hour before being seen. Then the doc came in for 2 mins, asked if I was having any problems, did my GBS test and left. This happened before several time, but it was never a big deal because i was only going 1 time a month, now I'm going weekly and its just a waste of my entire day. I didn't get out of there today until 12:15. I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over so I can stop going there!
  • Yes I have walked out on an appointment.  It was my first 6 week visit and was so excited. The OB had us waiting for over an hour and the RN kept apologizing for her tardiness, she was no where to be found.  I cried so much since I didn't get to listen to the baby's heartbeat.  I ended up having a much better OB that I liked and is almost always within 30 mins of my appt. window.   

    At my last appt. on Tuesday, I saw the same RN, and she remembered me and was still apologizing, in fact she told me that the OB is always notoriously tardy.

  • I'd demand an explanation. Emergencies happen but you shouldn't be kept in the dark with regards to the timeline.
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  • Dr came in at 1:25 and I was out of there by 1:30.  It seems like a ridiculous waste of time to sit around for almost an hour to be seen for 5 minutes.  I realize the baby needs to be checked but it's really frustrating.  She did apologize for being so behind today but I'm still pissy about it. 

    Once before we waited for over 2 hrs to be seen by a dr.  I was only about 6 weeks along and we thought I was having a m/c.  They did an u/s and it was just a SCH so then they put us in a room to talk to the dr.  Well, the dr had surgery that morning that took longer than expected so we sat there FOREVER.  I wasn't about to leave though b/c I wanted to know what all of this meant for the baby and I understood it was because of extenuating circumstances. 

    For a while I'd show up, they'd call me back before my apt time, and I'd be back in my car within 10 minutes of my apt time.  The last 2 visits have resulted in long waits though.  There are several drs in my office as well as a NP who sees OB patients.  They rotate who is in the office and who is on call for L&D.  You'd think they would be able to stay pretty close to schedule, especially when most OB apts are so short. 


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  • I wait an hour at almost every single appointment.  In the first half of pregnancy I never waited.  Maybe it's this time of year?  Last week almost every chair in the waiting room was full.  When I finally got into a room, the nurse told me I was no longer having my GBS & first exam done.  She didn't say why but I assume it's because they were so busy & needed to cut some corners.  I was annoyed w/that, because I had was excited to see if I'd made any progress & to get that test out of the way. 

    Once you've already waited an hour though, don't leave.  It would just be a waste of your time, and then you'd have to come back anyways.  I understand though, it really is frustrating.

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  • I almost walked out once...I waited over 3 hours to be seen.  I had to stay because I needed test results and a prescription.

     

    It was awful, I had DS with me, and I am GD....I thought it was funny that people who were coming in after me were more irate than I was.  One lady who only was waiting for like 10 minutes indignantly asked when her appointment would be. They told her like an hour or so and she walked out in a huff and almost told off the entire staff.  I get being behind a little, but 3 hours was a little much.

     

    I asked them about it, and they were in a huge rescheduling time, getting rid of appointments and stuff like that and their computer glitched.  Now I've never waited more than 45 minutes.

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  • I normally have to wait at least 15 minutes. My first appt though, I waited almost an hour and a half because my doctor was delivering another baby. I was frustrated but realized that I appreciate the fact that she will be trying her darndest to deliver my baby herself.

    At my appointment the other day, I waited 30 minutes past my appointment, got called back and ended up waiting another 30 minutes to be seen. 

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  • I almost did yesterday! My appointment was at 8:30, the doctor didn't come into the room until 10:30 I was soooooo mad! I was very close to getting up and walking out. The worst part is that I literally see my doctor for 5 minutes (I see a specialist for a blood disorder I have and this was just a check in) and they still make me wait 2 hours, she could have seen me first, got me over and done with in 5 minutes!!!!!!!! ARG
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  • I was tempted to walk out yesterday, except I didn't because I needed the last steps I was waiting on.  We got there at 8:30 for an u/s.  We were out of the u/s a little bit past 9.  Then, it's to the monitors for the NST.  Baby was moving great... normally about 20 minutes but they left us there for over 45 minutes.  I've been doing these appointments weekly since the end of August and I'm usually in and out within an hour and a half (wait, plus u/s plus NST).  Then, the nurse finally came back and put me in a room to meet with the doctor for the internal - and during that exam and going over my vitals it was decided that I'd need to be induced early and needed to do a 24 hour urine capture - which involves getting blood work.  And we sat and sat and sat until they finally had the order for the blood draw.  Then it took forever to set up the next appointment.

    The entire appointment took almost three hours because we spent so much time waiting for every. single. thing.  It was extremely unusual for my office, but I was getting really frustrated - which wasn't helping my blood pressure.  Grr.

    It seemed really busy for the morning at that office.  At least the doctor apologized.  The nurse, who is normally my buddy, seemed annoyed that I went up to her and asked twice about the blood work - b/c I was afraid they forgot me!  

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  • I haven't but I've considered it.  I was at my appt. this week for 90 minutes!  It was crazy.
  • my doctor is typically 1.5 hours late everytime. I learned showing up early typically doesnt do much, unless i catch him at the end of his lunch break, and then hell take me early. 
  • Early in pregnancy, I made my ob appointments late in the day because I wanted my husband to go with me, and it was easier for me at work. We would wait easily for an hour or more. Well, then something came up one day and I scheduled my appointment for first thing, and I was in and out in 25 minutes, so from then on, I just left my husband at home. Now, I'm high risk and I'm going 2x/ week, and my appointments aren't scheduled very far in advance. I have to wait anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes usually.
  • I waited a long time for most appointments. They were always the very late afternoon ones. I liked my doctor so I just went with it.

    I almost walked out of my PCP. I scheduled an appointment to get a tetanus booster. It was the first appointment in the morning and the first time I saw him (H's doctor). They told me the appointment was 30 minutes early than it was. They did this so I could fill out paperwork. I had already come in early to do that. I had a meeting at work that morning.  

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  • I was ready to walk out yesterday. My wait in the waiting room was not as long as normal but I was in the exam room waiting for about 45 min. Of course it had to be my first appointment in months that I had to sit there in that stupid sheet because I had to get my strep B test done. The thing that annoyed me the most was while I was is in the waiting room some salesman came in without an appointment to see if they could talk to my Dr, they got sent back to her office to wait. I'm guessing thats why I got to wait in the exam room with a sheet on for 45 min.
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  • Wow, reading all of your responses makes me appreciate my doctor a heck of a lot more than I did before. The most I've ever had to wait was 15 minutes. Indifferent
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  • I always make a 1pm appointment because it's the first one after their lunch, otherwise I'll be sitting there waiting over an hour.
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  • Is it a solo practice? My dr had to leave the other day to go deliver a baby. This was after I'd undressed for my internal and was waiting! (The nurse told me to get dressed again while I waited). But I'm willing to make that trade-off b/c it will be MY doctor delivering my baby and not a random crapshoot like in a group practice.

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  • I never wait less than an hour.  I dont care because I love him and I know that if I was the emergency that they fit in at the last minute, I would appreciate it.

    I wait and wait and wait.  I bring a book and I deal with it.  

    I think it is kind of silly that you would be willing to walk out. The doctor isnt slow on purpose - there must be a good reason.  

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  • imagerkto:

    I think it is kind of silly that you would be willing to walk out. The doctor isnt slow on purpose - there must be a good reason.  

    There isn't a good reason when they've just not allotted enough time for appointments. I waited 50 minutes on Monday despite booking what I thought was the first appointment after lunch - 1:15. Well, I guess there was a 1, 1:05, and 1:10 before me (I saw them being called back despite the fact that they arrived after I did) and combined they took almost an hour.  And of course my appointment was rushed and took all of 5 minutes, I think she rushed it even more because I complained about the wait. I've seen people show up to see other docs in the practice and get told at check-in that their wait will be two hours. I think from now on I'll call to ask how far behind my doc is before I leave the house. They're moving their office further away soon too - hopefully not until LO arrives. After he's born I'm going back to my old GYN, I only left her in the first place because she doesn't OB anymore. 

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  • I really think I'd leave, but that may be because I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes to see my MW. Usually I'm only waiting for about 5 - 10 minutes. If it took more than an hour, I'd definitely be out of there.  

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  • I'm glad I am not the only one with this issue. This week and last I was at the office FOREVER because the u/s girls got behind. NOT my doctor, the US girls. I am the last appointment for both of the day. This week I was there for over an hour, last week 90 minutes.  

    I do understand special circumstances...but explain them to me. When they found LOs birth defect I am pretty sure I was one of the ones holding up the u/s techs.  When my mom died, the nurse was with me for 20 minutes then the dr another 20 minutes. I know they were both worried about me and I feel bad for the other patients that had to wait.

    I get a new doctor in two weeks...we'll see how her schedule runs ;)

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  • Kind of. At my 35 week appt and NST I waited over an hour and a half and had to leave to take MIL to the airport. Luckily I went back that afternoon because I ended up on L&D for IV fluids and two shots of terb due to all the contractions I was having.
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  • Im just snooping on this board but i felt compelled to respond to this post lol. I cant believe you would think a 30-1 hour wait was unresonable lol. I swear you need to come to Canada where our public health care is great.. but because its public you wait in line like the next nancy. Its so typical that I wait 3 hours just to see my OB. Id consider it a treat to have such a short wait!
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  • My DH was telling me a story about a lady who waited at her Dr's office for over 2 hours before she was called back to see her Dr. She ended up sueing the physician for her "waisted  time" I believe she was like a lawyer, or psychologist... someone who got paid alot of money by the hour. Her argument was, "If I pay you for your time, you should pay me for mine." She ended up winning the case. Not saying you should sue, but just thought it was an interesting story.

    I couldn't find anything online about the story my DH told me, but I did find this... talks about a man who sued in small claims court and about tips on making the wait seem less long....

    https://articles.cnn.com/2008-10-23/health/ep.doctor.long.wait_1_wonderful-doctor-small-claims-court-room?_s=PM:HEALTH

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  • imageOurJellybean:
    Im just snooping on this board but i felt compelled to respond to this post lol. I cant believe you would think a 30-1 hour wait was unresonable lol. I swear you need to come to Canada where our public health care is great.. but because its public you wait in line like the next nancy. Its so typical that I wait 3 hours just to see my OB. Id consider it a treat to have such a short wait!

    In this particular situation I really dont think you can compare the two.  If I wasnt paying for my heath care out of my own pocket (DH and I dont get insurance through either of our jobs) I dont think I would complain about how long I would have to wait either. 

    I just dont like it when people are like "Oh well be lucky you dont have to _______" or "Other people have it worse off than you quit complaining" because in response to what you said I can say "Be lucky you have GOOD public heathcare  that everyone is eligible for, because we sure as hell dont have that here."

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  • In my office the other day I overheard something I thought was interesting.  Someone walked up to the window and asked if the Dr was double booked and the receptionist said that the insurance companies make the Drs double book.  So, the Drs HAVE to have 2 appointments booked for each time slot. 
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