You don’t really have an appointment

I’ve been feeling like crap for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday, I decided to finally see a doctor. The doctor’s office opened at 8 a.m. so I called at 8:30 to make an appointment. The lady on the phone said that my regular doctor wasn’t in but I could see a nurse practitioner. I don’t have a problem with that so I asked what times they had available. She told me that they had a 3 or 3:40 appointment available. I went with the 3 p.m. appointment.

I arrived at the doctor’s office at 2:50 and signed in. While reading the 6 month old magazines, I noticed several people coming in after me getting called back. At 3:45, I went up to the window and asked the nurse how much longer it would be because I had a 3 o’clock appointment and had been waiting for 45 minutes. The nurse checked my chart and said, “You have an appointment? We have you down as a work in.”

I told the nurse that wasn’t right because I had called that morning and made the appointment. She handed the paperwork to another lady, whom I assume is one of the ladies that takes appointment calls, and that lady came to the window. She said, “I didn’t take your call but I do see where we have you down as a work in.” I asked her why and she said, “Well, even though you called and made an appointment, it’s considered a work in if you make the appointment on the same day.”

WHAT!?!? I told her that it was ridiculous because I was told I had an appointment, not a work in. If I was going to be marked as a work in, I would have went there earlier and waited. She apologized and said that is just how they mark it down. She said that the doctors were running behind but I could wait longer and they would “try” to get me back there. I told her to forget it and left.

I still feel like crap. Hopefully, I can get in with a doctor at another location today. I’ll just have to remember to ask if I have a literal appointment or a figurative one from now on.

You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax – tomorrow you’ll be afraid to cough. – Pearl Williams

21.Sep.07 General