When you have a Drs. appointment how long do they allow for a visit?

Question

Mine is 15 minutes. When your 15 minutes are up you're outta there, whether or not you want to discuss your problem more.

Answer 1

I highly recommend you find another doctor. A doctor can spend as much time with you as he/ she wants. But, I think what you really are asking is how long does the HMO pay for each visit. Generally, HMO's will allow 45 minutes for the first initial visit and will allow 15 minutes for all subsequent visits. If your doctor spends 15 minutes or 30 minutes with you, he is still paid the same amount of money by the HMO. Therefore, unfortunately, doctors make money by the volume of patients they see and not the quality of care. In a private practice, doctors need to see 20 - 30 patients a day to earn a profit. And a doctor can't see 20 -30 patients a day if he/ she spends a half hour or a hour with each patient. In my experience, 50% of doctors will make time to thoroughly exam and get a good medical history from a patient. Unfortunately, the other 50% of doctors stick to the allotted time set by the HMO's. If your doctor is rushing you out the door without answering your questions or provides substandard care then you need to find another doctor who will make the time.

Answer 2

Sounds like you have a pretty crappy doctor. It all depends on what type of appointment they are booking you for and what they are billing the insurance for. I have been as quick as under 5 mins for something simple or over an hour with some bad news.

Answer 3

Every doctor is different. I have seen doctors that work on a 5 minute schedule and stick to it and work for one currently who works on a 30 minute schedule but has been known to spend over and hour with patients.

Answer 4

15 minute intervals is how my doctors office books.

Answer 5

nope you get as long as you like if you aren't wasting time.