HOW TO BE A GOOD PATIENT

So….I am really not one for writing angry stories……I’m really not an angry person, and certainly not an angry doctor. So if this story sounds angry, or if you don’t like to read stories that you think might sound angry, please move along — -I won’t be insulted. But I’ve realized that I have written so much about how I love my job (I am an ObGyn, and I do love my job.) but I’ve written nothing about day-to-day things that happen in my office that are upsetting to me, and it is certainly possible that patients may not know how I feel because I haven’t properly expressed myself to them. I thought I would use this space to do that. I have always told my kids (and anyone else I have wanted to give advice to) that if someone doesn’t know how you feel, then you cannot blame them if they don’t live up to your expectations. So here it is — — my rules — on:

How To Be A Good Patient (if you care):

1- IF you make an appointment in my office, I would like you to do one of two things. Either show up on time, ready for your appointment (because I will see you on time, or within 15 minutes, in almost all cases), or call us if you are not going to come in. Please do not “no-show”. I reserve 45 minutes of my time to see a new patient, 30 minutes for annual visits, and 15 minutes for things that are not likely to take much time. Not only is not showing up when we were expecting you (and when we have called, texted, emailed, and sometimes all three to remind you that you have an appointment) rude and entitled, it also tells me that my time is not valuable, and that somehow you think you did not have to keep what essentially was a contract that you made with me when you made the appointment. We are human — -and we know you are too — — we know THINGS HAPPEN….traffic, accidents, kids get sick, your mom fell, someone died, or sometimes — -you just forgot. OK — We are not insensitive to those things. But everyone has a phone. Everyone knows how to call and say “I cannot make it”, “I am sorry”, “I had to go somewhere”. Even if you call right before the appointment, or after the fact….I appreciate the fact that you thought enough of me and my time and my staff to call, to explain, to apologize. That lets me know that you understand that I have been here waiting for you, and that you still value my services. There are signs up at my office that say “If you “no-show”, there will be a…