How to Prevent Long Waits at Your Next Doctor Visit

 As you sit in the waiting room getting visuals of doing bodily harm to your Doctor for being so inconsiderate, consider the tips below for ways to prevent long waits at your next visit.

We are constantly forced to be victims of mismanagement by Doctors & office clerks at our favorite physician. Average wait times continue to climb. Now instead of having to wait in the lobby for an hour before our scheduled visit…….we have to wait over two hours at times. Some nurses explain that if a Doctor gets behind on each patient a few minutes that it adds up at the end of the day however, you can make appointments early in the morning and still have a lengthy wait. We have pretty much resigned to their continuous lack of common courtesy and decency.

Some Doctors claim that with their high overhead and low reimbursement fees from Medicare or Medicaid that their first fifteen patients just cover their overhead. They state they are forced to over schedule appointments to compensate for the lower fees and even complain about the patients that confirm their appointment but don’t show, which causes them to lose, “office finances.” One doctor stated that the reimbursement fees from the government continue to decrease and that waits could continue to expand.

Here are some tips to streamline your Doctor visit:

1. Remember that prevention is the best medicine. Eat right, take vitamin supplements, exercise, sanitize your home and wash hands often to prevent doctor visits.

1. Korean Ginseng taken regularly is one of the best supplements you can buy to strengthen your immune system.

1. Study your situation online or at the library so you can ask the right questions and make a preliminary self diagnosis.

1. Use a Journal to record your medical history and future questions.

1. Send a letter to your Physician prior to your appointment asking that you not have to wait for a lengthy amount of time to see the Doctor.

1. Have all of your insurance and other credentials readily available.

1. Take a list of medications you are allergic to in large easy to read format. (12-25% of all emergency room visits are due to an adverse reaction to prescription drugs)

1. Make a list of medications you are taking with the exact dosage along with over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, food, herbal products, and other supplements you are taking. (Medications can have interactions with food)

1. Don’t engage in any small talk that creates a long wait for others. Focus on good communication and ask specific questions.

1. Write down your symptoms and problems in detail and give them to the nurse. State when these problems started and how they make you feel. Describe the what, where, how or why and what you’ve done to feel better.

1. Inform them beforehand if you always want the generic version.

1. Take all of your antibiotics as prescribed. If you don’t use all of them as your Doctor stated, you may get a super infection and the antibiotic you were supposed to take until gone will no longer help you fight any infection.

1. Take acidophilus capsules to restore good bacteria after taking antibiotics.

(Keep Refrigerated)

1. Tell your doctor or nurse if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Some medicines may not be suitable for you. Other medicines should be used with caution if you are pregnant or about to become pregnant.

1. Bring someone with you for support especially if you are not feeling well and coherent. They can assist you with helpful questions that need answered.

1. Pass out these tips by placing them in magazines at your next Doctor visit.

1. Always wash your hands after a Doctor visit so you don’t get any unwanted germs and become worse off then before you went. (The simplest and most effective thing you can do to prevent illness is to wash your hands)

1. Avoid scheduling appointments on days children are out of school or Holidays.

1. Try early appointments and ask the office clerk what the best or slowest day of the week is to get a prompt appointment.

1. Rate your Doctor online at websites that are logging Doctors and their services. www.Vitals.com.

1. Check online rating services before you visit one of these Doctors such as,

PhysicianReports.com

1. Visit a Nurse Practitioner working under a Doctor for better service at a lesser cost.

1. Ask for & keep a copy of your medical file in case you want to leave your inconsiderate Doctor permanently. (This also helps with legal redress)

1. Obtain a book on natural and herbal remedies and try to avoid Doctor visits as much as possible. Doctors have become sophisticated drug pushers that are over medicating and experimenting on people. (Notice how pharmaceutical salespeople can enter a Doctors office at will, while you wait for hours)

1. Put everything in writing. It is hard to prove verbal statements and you can and should, always copy a signed & dated letter stating your desires or complaints. You will get a lot more respect from your Doctor with letters.

1. Write the (AMA) American Medical Association with your complaints about your Doctor if you suspect unethical conduct.

Doctor’s should realize that the large elderly population shift will demand that they provide less waiting times for patients. Currently 6000 Americans celebrate their 65th birthday, 3800 will become 85, and 10,000 turn 50 years old - daily. There are 35 million senior citizens in America now and by the year 2030 that figure will double to over 70,000,000. When physicians have a waiting room full of elderly people not in charge of their full faculties, long waits could become quite chaotic & messy.

If these steps don’t work to your satisfaction and your Doctor continues to deliberately deny you common decency - see my next article, “How To Eliminate Long Waits at Your Next Doctor Visit.” Your Doctor will be waiting to see you as soon as you hit the door.