PATIENT WAIT TIME

So I’m at the hospital with the wife waiting for the Specialist- Again.
It seems like no matter what doctor I see, in what borough, I wait an hour.
Now I don’t know about my readers perspective but for me Time IS Money. Literally in this case as to see this one specialist we have to drive in and pay for parking in a private, high fallutin’ lot. And its quite expensive.
What gets my goat is that we were early. And to top it off this happens here every time regardless of how many patients are waiting.
And what’s worse is that some doctors have the audacity to bitch and moan when we are even a little late.
Where’s the empathy?
Where’s the concern?
Hell, where’s the plain old common human decency? Guess it aint too common anymore.

When did we not become customers/clients that have value?
Since when can doctors string us along and leave us in various waiting and screening rooms for myriad hours.
I could be in the gym.
I could be in the movies with my wife.
I could be closing clients or writing editorials.
Bottom line is that in my business if I treated people like the disposable paper my wife is sitting on now I’d be broke.
I’d be bankrupt at denny’s getting plates off tables if I was lucky.

When did we become disposable commodities?

When did we as Americans decide to accept this?
My dentist tried this and I gave them heck.
He knows I don’t have time to waste.
Then again he also knows I’m an avid bodybuilder and I’m double his size and that I work within the security world (not the flashlight type either).
However I think my choice of calm cool displeasure, plainly stated with concise terms made the point all on their own.

Now we all know the name of the game is profits but this is ridiculous.
It is downright disgusting.
That people with legit illnesses, that have appointments to see specialists are made to wait in perpetuity.
If this was an emergency room, hey we all know the odds.
However when I see a specialist he shouldn’t be overbooked.
Heck when I get my teeth cleaned I shouldn’t wait.
The questions begging to be asked are quite simply-
*Do the doctors place such little value on the patients?
*Are office managers and secretaries that obtuse?
*Are they instructed to bang us out like I did when hanging sheetrock?
Shoot, I got paid by the hour not the sheet it isn’t even comparable. My old boss got paid by the sheet. And he hustled. And he made an honest living doing great quality work.

In a world where medicating the populace seems to be the go-to strategy,
have we lost the desire for quality patient care at every encounter?

Well I had time to pen this and I’m still waiting. Expect my parking bill to be over $40 for a 15 minute conversation as this is a follow up to a follow up and we need about 3 questions answered.
But I guess our needs and concerns are trivial inconsequential matters.

-Follow up. Doctor came in about 12 minutes ago and told us he didn’t know we were here. Not that we were here for him, but that we were here in general. Isn’t that sweet?

Bet they get the billing right.

Oh, and we’re still waiting…

#GetHeavy