Appointments? (Poll)

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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What does it mean, when you have a... just pick one. A medical appointment - At 10:00 a.m. but they tell you to show up a half hour early.

Really, it's a 9:30 a.m. appointment right?
 
Sac Arrow said:
What does it mean, when you have a... just pick one. A medical appointment - At 10:00 a.m. but they tell you to show up a half hour early.

Really, it's a 9:30 a.m. appointment right?
Click to expand...

Yup..... cept the doc will keep you waiting till 11:30..:mad2::mad2:
 
All right, I somehow managed to blow my poll by exceeding 100 characters. To sum it up:

Q. Doc says show up 30 minutes early for your appointment, you:

1. Show up somewhere between a half hour early to the stated time of the appointment.

2. Show up at exactly a half hour early.

3. Apply the "report for duty ten minutes prior" and show up forty minutes early, assuming the half hour prior to the stated appointment time is the actual appointment time.
 
If it's a new doc or one I haven't been to recently, I usually try to get there 10-15 minutes before the stated appointment time to fill out the redundant paperwork required by the insurance company, my doctor's attorney and the federal government! :mad2:
 
I show up on time @ 10:00, maybe a few minutes early. The 30 minutes early is uninteresting to me.....

At 10:10 I ask to reschedule my appointment since the Dr. is running late and they take me right back.

They must confiscate watches in medical school.....
 
Sac Arrow said:
All right, I somehow managed to blow my poll by exceeding 100 characters. To sum it up:

Q. Doc says show up 30 minutes early for your appointment, you:

1. Show up somewhere between a half hour early to the stated time of the appointment.

2. Show up at exactly a half hour early.

3. Apply the "report for duty ten minutes prior" and show up forty minutes early, assuming the half hour prior to the stated appointment time is the actual appointment time.
Click to expand...

4. Show up sometime between the original appointment time and 30 minutes prior, knowing that "30 minutes" is the standard Doc office code word phraseology for "there's a form to fill out".

You do this knowing full well that you can fill out forms at reasonable speeds, not the snail's pace of some folks who look like they're taking a damn SAT test for an hour on a medical waiver and history form.

And you know how to ASK if there's any forms to fill out when you sign in, and you bring your own freakin' pen and a notepad to write on, in case they're busy and out of clipboards.

10 minutes usually handles it fine... if you get ON with it once you hit the reception desk and don't start setting up the family tent in the waiting room, getting the fire going for some S'Mores, and building a damn nest in a chair out there.
 
If it's the first time I've seen that doctor, I will show up 15-20 early to fill out the paperwork. After that, I show up at the stated appointment time.
 
Why would you show up early? Do any of you actually have doctors that call you in at your appointment time? Hell, I could show up 4 hours early, and I'll still get called back about an hour later than the time I was given.

I'd just use that extra hour to fill out the paperwork.
 
In a seminar in how to appoint a new patient it is advised to appoint them a half hour before you plan to seat them so that those forms can be dealt with. It is also advised to not tell the patient that you are booking them a half hour early for the forms.
 
Warrior said:
In a seminar in how to appoint a new patient it is advised to appoint them a half hour before you plan to seat them so that those forms can be dealt with. It is also advised to not tell the patient that you are booking them a half hour early for the forms.
Click to expand...

I do not believe I would give my business to a physician or medical practice which, if form-filling is required, would not make all such forms available (in fillable formt) by Email or online.

If they expected me to arrive early to fill informs, I'd expect the courtesy and respect of informing me so.

I also leave a number of blanks in forms where inappropriate questions are asked.
 
jbarrass said:
I show up on time @ 10:00, maybe a few minutes early. The 30 minutes early is uninteresting to me.....

At 10:10 I ask to reschedule my appointment since the Dr. is running late and they take me right back.

They must confiscate watches in medical school.....
Click to expand...
I ran an office for two decades that was ON TIME.

I just couldn't deal very well with emergencies. You pays your money and you takes your choices.

Bash away.
 
Sac Arrow said:
All right, I somehow managed to blow my poll by exceeding 100 characters. To sum it up:

Q. Doc says show up 30 minutes early for your appointment, you:

1. Show up somewhere between a half hour early to the stated time of the appointment.

2. Show up at exactly a half hour early.

3. Apply the "report for duty ten minutes prior" and show up forty minutes early, assuming the half hour prior to the stated appointment time is the actual appointment time.
Click to expand...

I would do #2, one time only, and expect there to have been a good reason (ie, a potential that he would fit me in early, paperwork to fill out, etc) -- and if I was let down in my expectations, it would be "Right at the appointment time" from then on out, and I would have queried him about why he wanted me there 30 minutes early.

I am capable of being extremely prompt and crisp with time commitments. That others are unable is baffling to me.
 
Sac Arrow said:
All right, I somehow managed to blow my poll by exceeding 100 characters. To sum it up:

Q. Doc says show up 30 minutes early for your appointment, you:

1. Show up somewhere between a half hour early to the stated time of the appointment.

2. Show up at exactly a half hour early.

3. Apply the "report for duty ten minutes prior" and show up forty minutes early, assuming the half hour prior to the stated appointment time is the actual appointment time.
Click to expand...

4. get there about 1hr early (gotta plan for unexpected traffic), shop in the nearby mall, listen to the radio, take a nap in the car, do whatever, and miss a half day of work. FLSA...
 
I usually show up when the doc tells me to, and in fairness, they're usually on schedule or close to it in my experience.

Of course, sometimes who's actually sick often comes in after the day's appointments have been scheduled, and because my visits tend to be of more the routine nature, I don't mind that they get seen before me. I mean, they're actually sick. I'm usually there for an A1C, to be told to lose more weight, or some other such thing that doesn't have me feeling miserable.

-Rich
 
I guess really, for me, it boils down to what is "on time." Let's say I set a meeting. At 2:00 p.m. But I need at least a few people to show up a half hour early to do some prep. Well, for those few people, the meeting time is simply 1:30. So I kind of struggle with the concept of "showing up early" if you are actually expected to be early.

If I were the appointment scheduler, then the appointment would have been set at 9:30. Someone tell me why that is a bad idea.
 
Sac Arrow said:
What does it mean, when you have a... just pick one. A medical appointment - At 10:00 a.m. but they tell you to show up a half hour early.

Really, it's a 9:30 a.m. appointment right?
Click to expand...
Sounds like your 10 am appointment is with the doc, the extra half hour is for "processing" by the staff. If the doctor shows up at 10 that doesn't sound too bad.
 
I assure you they don't do that because they like you to wait and grumble.
They do that because the doctor has a schedule and people arriving late throws her schedule off. And people are late all the time. And worse than that; they often just don't show up at all so the doctor waits a few minutes, just in case, before calling the next appointment. Either way, customers complain a lot more when they have to wait (because the previous client made the doctor late) than they do about being asked to come in early to fill out paper work. And one more thing: we hate that paperwork more than you do. Most of it is mandated by the government and the rest of it is caused by clients that sue (or refuse to pay) for stupid, inconsequential stuff.
 
Bruce, do you really think you are a typical doctor??:dunno: If more docs were as good as you, we'd need less docs!:D

bbchien said:
I ran an office for two decades that was ON TIME.

I just couldn't deal very well with emergencies. You pays your money and you takes your choices.

Bash away.
Click to expand...
 
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