The article stated:
- The average time patients spend waiting in 24 minutes
- The average wait times for specialists are longer than general practitioners.
Possible reasons why you are kept waiting:
- The office overbooks & schedules multiple appointments at the same time
- The doctor could have to go to a different office and be running late
- The doctor could be late
What the practice could do for you:
- Call or email if they are running late
- Give you a paging device (similar to restaurants)
- Inform you about the situation at check-in
What you can do:
- Book the first appointment of the day
- Call ahead and ask how the day is going before your scheduled appointment time
- Ask the office staff how long the wait will be
- Explain your frustration to the office staff/doctor
- Find a new doctor
For the full article, please click the following link: Long Waits at the Doctor's Office Disrespect Patients
For additional billing and coding resources, please click the following link: Medical Reimbursement Billing and Coding Resources Page