I guess I'm a meanie......last time I was at the Dr office and had to wait 3 hours, I politely informed the receptionist when leaving that since I had to take away from my work for the appointment that I would allow for a 1 hour wait but deduct 2 hours of time at my usual work rate for the other two hours. So, when the bill for $120 arrived, I deducted $90 for the 2 hours pay and paid the Dr the remaining $30 along with a profession note explaining it all. I did not receive a follow up billing nor did I ever wait for that Dr again!

I bring my Kindle and just figure it will take as long as it takes. I worked for doctors for close to 15 years. Sometimes the wait is due to an emergency. Other times the doctor has been overbooked. Sometimes it's just simply because the doctor can't get the lead out!

I'd be willing to bet we have the same doctor! LOL

Wow, is all I can say. Unless I lived in a very small town and there were no other choices, I would not put up with that nonsense!! There are other doctors out there!!

I went into the urgent care facility this week and waited 3 hours, was seen by 5 different people during my 3 hour wait. My husband was in the lobby waiting for me. During his wait he seen people come in & go home ( no emergency situations). On Saturday I had to take my husband in to the urgent care after he was working on his car, cut his finger and needed what we thought would just be stitches....no he cut a tendon & needs to see a hand surgeon on Monday. We decided we were not going back to the same urgent care facility. We went to the next city over and waited 1 hour & 15 minutes. He was seen by 1 person. They took all patients by the order they registered. Long story short we now know what facility we will be going to the next time we need urgent care.

There isn't much that can be done. What irks me more than the wait is the blasted TV and the shows on it in waiting rooms. I was waiting for a chemical stress test at the hospital and the wait is v. long after being injected with a...whatever it is...and I sat through morning game shows..ding, ding, hyperactive MCs, gushing contestants, ding, ding. Thought I was going to scream, but I was compensated by the technician for the longer than usual wait. I was given 2 $10 Walmart gift cards! Ding, Ding!
At another time a doc gave me a Walmart gift card for the long wait in his waiting room. I thought both those offerings acts of consideration.
I've also seen a sign "If you have been waiting for more than 15 minutes, please let the receptionist know." Nice touch!

Wonderful way to drive a point home!

My doctor's office will usually get you into the exam room within 15 minutes but it usually takes the doctor 20 mins more to come in...which isn't to bad..in and out usually in an hour.

Who is going to suffer more if you get in a huff and leave before seeing the techs? If you walked a mile in their shoes you might see it from a different perspective. I always take a book and some handwork so I can be occupied and not "stewing" if I do not get escorted to the back the moment my appointment is scheduled.

The first GP we went to was way overbooked by who-ever did the booking. I loved him, though, we the waits were usually worth while.

Now with the "new systems" in place - we usually don't have to wait very long in the office. If the wait gets to be over 15 minutes from the appointment time, I will go to the desk and inquire how things are going.

"Stuff" happens in clinics, too. I usually plan on more time than "necessary"

I had been helping my Mother a few years, and had a few trips to ER. She had heart problems for one! However, always waited! It scared me to wait so long, but wait we did. THEN, I was away, my Dad called about Mom,I didn't 'trust him to drive at night in distress. I said call the ambulance. Guess what, right in & taken care of! So, if we were concerned enough to want her to seek help, we called the ambulance. We didn't take advantage, but realized those guys really can help & know what they are doing! They were actually a "life saver' on more than one occasion.

I have heart disease, when I have pain, it is painful. When we go to the emergency room, my DH takes over in aggressive mode. He will think nothing of going to the back and telling them that his wife is there with chest pain and she needs help NOW. That usually gets their attention.

Looooooooooong time ago I had a GYN Dr. appt. After 1 and 1/2 hrs, I asked about the delay (yes, I know, I waited too long), and she explained doctor was held up at hospital because a procedure (which she named) had not gone well with the patient and he was held up there but would be back shortly. Since I really liked my doctor and I had already missed most of the morning at work, I continued to wait. When he got there and examined me, after the exam he came and told me that I needed a certain procedure done - AND IT WAS THE SAME ONE ! Boy, was that scary - but I trusted him and when I had it, it went well. As others have said, some doctors are worth waiting for, and some are not.

We usually don`t have to wait long, my problem is getting to see the Dr. I want to see. Having one problem and 3 or 4 drs. seeing you, gets to me. As far as waiting, I don`t mind because I bring my Meditations book and find reading good for the soul.

I have a dr in a town of about 7,000. Doctor shortage. I have waited 2 hrs to get lab work done. Not fun!

I NEVER leave the house without my Kindle.

I took my Mother to the ER in my hometown and waited for them to call her back. She was so sick she kept sliding out of the wheel chair that the ER provided. After about an hour and a half I went to window to see what the hold up was. A nurse came out and advised me from this point on instead of bringing her to the ER to always call an ambulance. Walk-ins always wait. Ambulance patients are taken straight back.

Me too jlm5419. I don't get many breaks in which I can read so I love having the time. However, this overbooking....there should be a law against it. An eye surgeon recently damaged my son's eye because he was so overbooked and hurried through an operation. We don't know if my son will get his sight back or not.

Wow...so many different experiences here. I must be extremely lucky. I deal with a major clinic and hospital, and rarely have to wait very long. They have the "15 minute" signs up, but I've never had to complain. Once the nurse finishes, the doctor is usually there in 3-5 minutes. Lab work never takes long either. My only ER visit they had been notified I was coming, and were waiting for me, so I was rushed straight through. I had a 10:40 appointment this past Friday with my cardiologist. Arrived 5 minutes early, was called on time, and talking to the Dr. by 10:45. No complaints here!!

I have started taking crocheting when I go with my husband to his dr appts. Or I take a book, as most of the dr's here won't let you use wifi or your cell phone. There is a note to turn it off upon entering the office.

Both of these instances are perfect examples of how to run an overscheduled, chaotic office. These patients should be told to schedule an appointment, just like everyone else does. It is rude and inconsiderate to both the doctor and his other patients. If they're decent people, they would realize what they've asked, apologize, and make their future appointment. If they're not decent, then who needs them as patients? They're just going to keep making unreasonable, selfish demands.

I've had two health scares with my husband, the first was I thought he was having a stroke. He had all the symptoms and had gotten off a plane earlier that day. I took him straight to the ER where we waited while others with earaches and knee scrapes went before him - NON-emergencies. As to calling an ambulance - we live down the street from the hospital, it's actually faster to drive him there than to wait for the ambulance to come from the opposite direction, not to mention the $700 ambulance co-pay.

For DH's second emergency, I thought I'd avoid the whole nightmare ER scenario, so I took him to the Urgent Care Clinic, which, in the past when I've had to take my boys, has been quicker and more efficient. Unfortunately, they determined he was diabetic and they could not treat him at Urgent Care, so they referred him to the ER. I hoped that since they had referred him and his blood sugar was dangerously high, we would get quicker service, but no, we ended up waiting yet again. One of the patients we waited for was a young woman who was worried she had been exposed to pinkeye. Ugh.

I have fantastic doctors in the surgery. They listen intently and take time to listen so no wonder they run late. I try to get an early time but really don't mind waiting as sometimes I've been in well over my allocated time. They also did a home visit in their free time once. We are very lucky they care so much so complaints on waiting disappear.
I do complain about the difficulty in getting an appointment.

I recently went to the doctor and actually had two appointments in the same office. They told me to wait in a different waiting room. after more than 30 min. the person I was to see second came and asked why I waiting there. I explained and she went to check with the nurse. They seem to forget I was there. She came and got me and had the nurse wait till she was done. I did get three magazines read while waiting.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Jan.

I have had to wait once for 3 1/2hrs for the OBGYN. They had all of us waiting instead of rescheduling when he got called into a c-section. Now he reschedules appointments and i'm ok with it because i would want him to be the Dr I got when I go into labour. (I'm curently 29wks pregnant with baby #2)

I have also had to wait 6hrs before for a different dr. this time it was at the cancer clinic. He is only there 1 day a month so you can't exactly reschedule with him. They found an abnormality on my toe so I was referred to the cancer clinic as a precaution. I was warned when they called with the appt time though. Apparently they are always behind at the cancer clinic. I brought a BOM that was all appique with me and cut it all out while waiting. it was great, I got lots done.

My husband once saw a surgeon who scheduled an hour's worth of patients to all come in at the same time, and then he saw them in the order they arrived. Since he was running late, DH had a long wait. Never went back to him.

I had an initial appointment with a cardiologist and it snowed that day. The cardiologist went home due to the snow, but didn't let me know. I complained and did not reschedule with that office!

I had one Dr. that would call me back to the exam room and keep me waiting up to two hours. He was a great Dr. or I would have left. After he retired My waiting time is very short at all my Dr.'s I see. I have five that I see for different problems so I spend a lot of time in going to Dr.'s. My DH has several also so we wait a lot.

so after posting on this yesterday I had to go to my OB appt and had to wait 3 hours to see the Dr. and that was after being rescheduled from the day before.... craziness!

I did have one doctor who would have his office staff call you if he was running really late. You had a choice of coming in later, or rescheduling. This was way before cell phones, and if you were running errands before your appointment, and had already left home, it didn't do much good. But, I was given the opportunity to leave the office and come back later without loosing my place in line.

When I was a kid the doctor didn't make appointments. He had office hours, and you showed up. You were expected to remember your place in line, no lists were made. He would stick his head out of his exam room door, and the next person in line would get up and go in. It was just him and his nurse (who was also his wife). I remember long waits, but since I was a kid, they might not have been that bad.

My regular doctor usually isn't too bad. I've only had to wait more than 1/2 hour a couple times over the years. My nutritionist, on the other hand, seems to have no concept of time. My husband walked out of his last appt. and has no plan to go back because of it. The last time I was there, the nutritionist asked and I told him that my husband didn't feel that he should have to wait for 2 hours while he talks to someone on the phone. I doubt it will make any difference though.