You're right. I think a lot of people on this forum have already stated that they either refuse to wait, or they find another doctor. I consider walking out on an appointment a good way to take action, as well as finding another doctor.

I remember back in the '60s when all veterinarians were first come/first served. It was a zoo, so to speak, in their waiting rooms. Terrible waits. Then a couple of vets in our area started giving appointments. Everybody switched to those vets. Voila, all the vets started giving appointments.

It's all about demanding customer service.

I know for a fact that there is more than one M.D. reading and responding to this thread.

That's good!

I do not have a problem with my family doctor at Colony, she is usually on time or just a few minutes late, my problems have occurred when she has referred me to specialist, so far I have walked out 4 appointments, thank goodness none were life threatening conditions.

Whilst we are on the subject of doctors, why do some doctors insist that you have a follow up appointment so they can tell you everything is fine, see you in 3 years- this a waste of our time, the insurance money and our money if we have a co-pay, I also refuse follow up appointments unless they have found a problem.

You are just like me only different.

I trust the need for a follow up appointment in MOST cases and particularly if your trusted M.D. saw the need.

If I had had the time OR the smarts to go to medical school, I wouldn't need a doctor's advice.

I have gone to doctors that felt their time was much more important than my time. They seem to forget who the customer is and who is paying their fee. I tend to fire them!!!

A friend of mine son, is a doctor, and he said that doctors in general, are afraid of people, who would bad mouth them, to their friends and neighbors. I have had only one doctor in my lifetime, who was sensitive to complaints.

My PCP does not overbook, as he keeps a couple of appointments open for people who have an emergency. For now, my PCP takes me right away, but I usually sit in his examining room, for a while. He is worth the wait. :smiley:

Wait time in the event of an emergency is understandable and, for me, acceptable; but my previous PCP double and triple booked every day!, I know this because I questioned the office manager who said the dr. did not want to refuse any patient. Obviously, he did not care that those of us who had appts. had to wait longer (I waited up to 2.5 hr.) and also had less time with him because he was so far behind. He still advertises he is accepting new patients and same day appts. even though it appears he cannot handle the ones he currently has. Although he is a great physician, I changed MDs and happy I did.

When I was working and living in Massachusetts I was a patient at the Beth Israel in Boston. They finally put a satellite clinic out in a town called Burlington, so I was able to avoid driving in and out of Boston. At the time they opened this clinic I received a letter telling me to please bring a note containing all the questions I wished to discuss with the doctor. At the time I was a bit annoyed, but after seeing how efficient it is to have your questions written out before you and to be able to hand that the doctor for him/her to answer, I realized how smart it was. I still do it to this day, and now they scan it into my chart.

How many times do you get to the doctor's office and forget what you wanted to ask him/her?

The problem with walking out of an appointment is that I'm punishing myself more than the doctor. They have patients coming out of their ears, so what does one more or less matter to them? Whereas I'm only there because I have a real need. Am I not supposed to have glaucoma surgery because the doctor has overbooked?

If anyone is looking for a no-nonsense primary care doctor, try Larry Foster at Leesburg Family Medicine. His (un-fancy) office is on LaGrande near the Medical Gate in Lady Lake. You can see the sign from 27.

Think you need an extensive nerve conduction study? He'll take out his tuning fork, give it a thump and put in on your hand to see if you can feel the vibration. He doesn't believe in a lot of referrals to specialists for conditions he can handle himself, or in dispensing the drug of the week for no good reason. He keeps his practice running smoothly and has always been spot on time when I see him. Is he warm and comforting? Nope. But he's been practicing long enough to have seen most everything and knows what he's doing.

I went for an initial appointment at 3 p.m.at one of their several offices. We were getting up to go when they moved us out of the waiting room at 3:50. We were told to make appointments in the morning before they get backed up. For the follow up, we went in to a different office for a 9:10 a.m. appointment. As I signed in, I noticed two of the seven people in front of me had appointments for 9:10. I inquired and was told it could be for other doctors; I said they signed in for the same as we did. They said that one was for blood work. I sat down next to woman that overheard my conversation as she was about to go up to sign in and she too had a 9:10 appointment. She told me it was normal. So far, and I emphasize so far, he is the best doctor we have found so I guess we are stuck with the system but I did discuss it with the office manager. I am sure it fell on deaf ears. I really don't get it either. I mean booking three people for the same time..I would think you would be covered by booking every 10 minutes.

I have been to the Mayo in JAX twice and both times it was exceptional. Runs like a swiss watch. The only problem was getting the initial appointment. But once you are in, it runs like clockwork.

When my doctor was new in this area, I hardly had a chance to sit down in the waiting room. I was called when I got there and he spent a lot of time with me.

As the years when by, and he got more patients, I gradually waited longer and longer. Last time I waited for an hour. I didn't complain but they all apologized anyway.

Now I'm wondering if next time I should call the doctor's office before I leave my house to see if they might be running behind schedule. I wouldn't mind as much waiting at home.

Good idea if you can believe what they tell you. I've done this and still had to wait over an hour when they said the doctor was on time.
With all the patients they have and the money they make you would think they could get some magazines that are less than 2 years old. A dozen subscriptions wouldn't break them. I asked my PCP if I was her only male patient. She said "heavens no, why do you ask?" I told her because all the magazines in her waiting room were for women, like Ladies Home Journal, and Home and Garden. The only up to date ones were the free ones that we all get anyways and have read.

My initial appointment with Mayo in Jacksonville was initiated by my specialist here in TV. A Mayo employee called that same afternoon and an appointment was set up immediately, no waiting.

My husband's appointments with specialists have all been initiated by the Doctor recommending the appointment.

Halibut, someone who has serious neurologic problems needs a neurologist and certainly not Larry Foster. Patients with true neurological problem need more than a "thump of the tuning fork" and to make such a comment is insulting to those with problems. He has to be one of the rudest, condescending drs. I have ever met.

Good to hear other patients' experiences……the more, the better.

Personally I think it's worrisome when a primary dr. is reluctant to refer patients to a specialist because he "thinks he can handle it himself". In fact I think that's the most dangerous kind of dr.--the kind that thinks they know it all and will not change course.

The specialists don't go thru grueling extra years of residency-fellowship training, annual continuing education coursework/credits, and board certification exams because a primary dr. knows it all already.