Why do doctors make us wait so long?

Answer 1

Well curi05ity has listed some very good reasons. Add those to the following....

,,,,,Many people are late for their appointments but whomever is signed in on the list first is customarily seen first unless they come completely after the allotted time for their appointment in which the are considered a "work in". Meaning whenever there is time.

......When patients set an appointment for a general check up then once they get the doctor in the room with them they suddenly remember an array of other problems they neglected to mention when scheduling their appointments this obviously can add tremendous amounts of time that had not been planned for

......And lets not forget emergencies. For instance an OBGYN could be in the middle of his morning appointments when he receives a call to be at the hospital as one of his patients who has been counting on him for 9 months is about to have a baby. If you where that patient you would want him to put his appointments on hold and be there at the hospital with you.

Answer 2

Well, I've worked for different type docs over the years & this is really why you wait so long - it's not because they want to make extra money> Most elderly patients are either widowed or they have extensive, serious medical problems. When the doc goes into the room, depending on what type of patient is in that room, then he gets delayed. Elderly patients (esp. the lonely ones) really like to talk when they know they've got a sympathetic ear or someone's attention. Boy, can they gab!! The doc doesn't make any extra money just because he spends more time w/ any particular patient; the visits cost the same whether he spends 5 min. w/ you or 1 hr. (unless it's a initial consultation (in person or on the phone), then it depends on the level of service (how much info & time was needed), that determines the cost. Doctors also cannot charge more than is allowed by your insurance & esp. Medicare - they pay barely anything!! They are restricted in how much they can charge for certain levels of service.
You also have to take into consideration that not all patients are always on time. Even if just one patient shows up 10-15 mins late, that's 10-15 min taken out of the next person's time, and so on and so on. There may also be some unforseen circumstances which you know nothing about that may have caused another delay in his schedule. Most docs also have to do rotation or some other medical "stuff" at a hospital prior to their office hours, so there's another delay. If you don't want to wait too long it's always best to get the earliest appointment of the day. You're usually in & out within 1/2 hr to 45 mins. Think about all the possible delays that can happen from say 0800 hrs. to about 1300 hrs., this means that, more than likely, the later your appt. is, the more you will have to wait...
I'm not defending the docs because I work for them, I'm just giving you the true perspective from the other side of the desk. I know from experience that the earlier you make your appt, the quicker you get outta there!! Younger docs will also get you out faster because most "old folks" go to their "long time" physician, because they know they can talk their ears off!! So if you want to be in & out quicker, see a younger physician, not older. Also, you might as well get it over with right at the beginning of your day, so that you can enjoy the rest of your "sick day".
Most of the time, it's not the docs fault that you're waiting, it's other patients......

Answer 3

Because most double book, meaning they schedule twice the patients than they should. It is a very common practice. Here's what I did and got results from three different doctors: I arrive fifteen minutes ahead of time and from that time I will wait no more than one hour. After one hour, I go up to the receptionist and ask the following questions: is the doctor in the office? How far behind is he/she? Based on the traffic flow in and out, when will I be seen? If he/she isn't going to get to me within ten to fifteen minutes, then I say that I consider the scheduling inconsiderate and insist they reschedule me when the doctor will be on time and is not over booked. I rescheduled both appointments and on my return visit was seen within ten minutes of my arrival. One Doctor even apologized to me. You see, the reality of it all is the doctor doesn't want to lose business and the doctor doesn't want to lose referrals. We have this image that if the doctor is late that they are off in some emergency saving lives, when this is not so, or is extremely rare. Doctors schedule specific times each week for office hours, and during this time that is all they do. I personally know a group of five doctors and when one has office hours the others are in the hospital doing the groups works, dealing with the emergencies, etc. Never ever by the BS in a doctor's office. I once saw a drug rep carry in a deli tray without waiting during office hours while i was there waiting. I told the receptionist that if the doctor's priority was receiving a freebie from a drug rep instead of the packed room of waiting patients, then his priorities are not where they should be, that he should schedule drug reps on his own time, not on my time. I told her that when the doc is free to have him call me to reschedule. I moved to leave and the receptionist announced "You can't leave." I said, "Watch me." And I left, but not before I saw two other people get up and approach the receptionist.

The point is that our time is valuable, too, especially if we have to take off work or arrange for someone to watch kids or whatever. Doctors are not gods, and we need to stop treating like they are. The provide a service, and if they are too busy, well, there are emergent care offices opening up all over. the day of the family GP are numbered. The days of doctors being less than responsive to the people who employ them are numbered as well.

Answer 4

I don't believe Doctor's make people wait on purpose. When you get your turn, you ask questions and talk to him for a few minutes.....well so does everyone else, and they just get behind. They might find something really wrong with a patient and need to attend to it right away. I would rather wait and have the Doc's full attention then a quick exam and them pass over something important.

My Doctor has two Physician Assistant's but am not used to them yet and still want to see my Doctor.......It takes time to change. PA's can prescribe medicine just like a Doctor and they help cut down on your waiting time if you are willing to see them.


A Medical Assistant is differant...they take your BP and Temp, write your diagnosis down....cannot prescribe medicine and you see them first , them your Dr. or PA.

Answer 5

Because they schedule at least 2 patients for every 15 minutes---in case one cancels. Then if the doc is delayed---everything gets behind. It's just like an assembly line----get em in---get em out. A considerate doc would not make you wait that long.

Answer 6

they say because of other patients , files and paper work stuff like that. wen i go to the doctors office i see some doctors going on break just wile alot of patients are waiting. i think they think they can do watever just cuz they have docotors digrees but you can believe witchever you want to.

Answer 7

so you will think they are important

really its because people have many questions, and the doc. needs to make sure he has been thorough with the patient so they wont sue him, so that might be why.
If you doc. was very fast then maybe you should be nervous!
and the medical system sucks, the organization is terrible, lots of repetition

Answer 8

Theya re waiting for the drugs to take effect

Answer 9

It's called Triage (tree-ahge). The sickest are the priority in the ER. The least sick get seen last.

Answer 10

It is my opinion that they stop seeing us as people in order to do their jobs. They are to busy. Instead of treating people they do what insurance companies say. They seem to live soap opera lives. Broken families etc. It is sad what we allow to pass as Medical care