The Crazy World We Live In! Blog

Going to the doctor...and waiting because you're doctor is "running late". Is waiting something we have to accept? Let's take a look....

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I hate waiting and I especially hate waiting in the doctor's waiting room when the doctor is "running late". Unfortunately, for most of us, doctors being late -- and sometimes REALLY LATE -- has become a commonplace experience.

In fact, one individual even SUED his doctor to recoup the lost hours waiting -- and he won. [Now, please don't think you can drag your doctor to small claims court. The law is that it is NOT illegal for a doctor to run late, overbook patients, or even double book patients.]

There are many good AND BAD reasons why a doctor might run late, but the question for us, is how do we look at the psychological aspects of this issue so that we can manage the problem.

Now some of you may not mind waiting. The rest of us hate it. So what to do?

TWO THINGS:
1. Prepare yourself for the potential wait.
2. Devise a strategy to complain to your doctor about the waiting.

When you first arrive for your appointment, ask the receptionist if the doctor is running behind and by how much and when you can expect to be seen. Be polite. If the doctor is late, ask why. Make a note in your date book of what time your appointment is and what time you are actually seen.

Then, how do you deal with the wasted minutes in the waiting room? Most doctors won't allow cell phones, so bring a book, knitting, work project -- anything that will make you feel REALLY GOOD about the time you are there. Making use of your time is the best revenge against being put in a situation where you might WASTE your time.

Some colleagues end their advice about waiting here. But I think that it is important to continue to step two: complain about the wait time.

Doctors' lateness is actually a double-sided psychological issue. Because waiting for doctors has become so commonplace, we, the patients, as a group, have tended to simply ACCEPT that that is the way it is. That there's nothing to be done..but that's NOT TRUE.

You can have an impact. And why should you bother? Well, consider this: HMO and insurance companies make more money when medical services are not being used. And because wait times are such a pain, and going to the doctor is now such a time commitment and hassle, more and more people DON'T seek medical attention when they are actually ill!

Think about it: you have a cold, it seems to be getting worse over the course of a week, but you keep delaying checking it out because you know what a hassle it is to go to the doctor's office. Chances are you'll wait to see if you get better and if you don't, by the time you actually GO to the doctor -- well, you are REALLY SICK. And UNESSESARILY SO if you had just gone earlier.

However, making it unpleasant to see a doctor is a win for the HMOs and insurance companies because you will tend to go to the DOCTOR LESS. This is a classic aspect of behavioral shaping: attach an unpleasant aspect to an activity and the person will tend to do the activity less. Interestingly, scheduling guidelines COME from the HMO and insurance companies. IN other words, is lateness a tool they are using to increase profits? Hmm, I wonder.

So HOW DO YOU COMPLAIN? Point out to the receptionist that you have been waiting for a long time and that you are not happy. [BTW: in my opinion, waiting 15-20 minutes seems reasonable, everything else does not.]

When you get home write a letter to your doctor, your congressman. Maybe even the local paper. As you go to see other doctors, do the same.

Those who have complained have been effective. As one doctor who recently changed her scheduling practices remarked:"I got so many complaints, I simply had to respond. And no one enjoys seeing cranky patients all day!"

Doctors overbook so as to minimize the loss of productivity due to people who are late or don't show up for appointments. But alternatively, when a doctor realizes that his/her patients are upset and not happy, the doctor WILL make changes.

Long waiting times continue to exist because we, as a group, have accepted the waiting time as inevitable. In other words, it happens so much that we've psychologically altered our perception of what is normal from no-wait to long-wait. It is a matter of us allowing ourselves to be behaviorally shaped to accept the wait as well as tend to not go to a doctor because of the wait.

Like any problem, we have to acknowledge the issue in order to get it the attention it deserves in order to get it solved. Just remember....your experience in the doctor's office should be a positive one...not one of disrespect and frustration.