Mr. Fixit has developed a few problems with his heart in the last few weeks. I don’t know whether they’re related to his cancer medication, his potassium problems, or his heart medication. Last night he had another episode, and I decided it was time to talk to the cardiologist.
I called this morning at 10:00 am to make the appointment. The first two times I called I could barely hear the receptionist, and she couldn’t hear me. I hung up and called again. Again, the connection problem. Just as I was ready to hang up again, the reception cleared and we could hear each other. I was directed to the doctor’s scheduler. My call was forwarded to the scheduler’s voice mail. I left my name, phone number, Mr. Fixit’s name (which I spelled) and a request for an appointment. I also gave a short summary of the problems he is having. I repeated my phone number at the end of the call.
It is now 11:30 am and I haven’t received a call back. Am I being too impatient? I’ve been in that office and spoken with the schedulers. I have never seen any of them with patients waiting. You make your appointment and leave—five minutes usually. I assume they have other duties beside making appointments, but I assume that scheduling is the main task. When I don’t receive a call-back in what I consider a timely manner, I get a bit perturbed. It’s not like I call constantly being a nuisance. I have never requested an appointment other than the first one and the short exam before the kidney surgery. We’ve never had occasion to make appointments other than his regular check-ups. It would have taken no more than five minutes I would think to make an appointment.
I realize that I am more than a little tense and testy lately, but, darn it, this is my husband’s well-being that we’re talking about here. It seems to me that people in medical offices should realize that their patients are stressed and would take that into account when prioritizing their work.
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