DEAR DR. GOTT: Help! My doctor is abominable and his secretary is rude.
I was awaiting test results from some blood work and it took him SIX WEEKS to call me with the results. I did as you said in your column and told him it was totally unacceptable that I had to wait so long. He told me that if I didn’t like it, to go somewhere else.
Some time later, his secretary called me to indicate I missed an appointment. I’m very organized and fastidious when it comes to keeping appointments of any kind and told her that I didn’t believe I had even made an appointment – perhaps she had me mixed up with someone else. Boy, was that the wrong thing to say. She jumped all over me and berated me for questioning her. After I hung up, I couldn’t think of anything else and just kept getting angrier so I called her back to express my dismay in her behavior. All she had to say was, “Perhaps I was having a bad day”.
Dr. Gott, I’m not the only one having problems with this physician and his secretary but I live in a small community. Our local hospital is currently undergoing major changes and doctors and staff are leaving all the time. I have few options from which to choose and need some advice on how to choose a doctor who will work with me and care about me as a person, not just see me as a paycheck.
I’m a 62-year-old female with a few medical issues, one of which will likely require surgery and the rest of which are under control. Please help me.
DEAR READER: To my way of thinking, your primary care physician is correct in one respect. It is time for a new doctor to manage your care. The fact that it took six weeks for him to report back on what was likely routine lab work is inconsiderate. Depending on your insurance, local lab testing can often return results within 24-48 hours; if a national lab is required results should be received within a week.
Anemia, thyroid disorders, urinary tract infections, prostate problems, vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, kidney disorders, gout, high cholesterol levels, and countless other issues too numerous to list can pretty much be brought under control in far less than six weeks. We’re a fickle society. It may take a few days to call a physician for help but once we’ve made contact, we want results and we want them fast. Pain and other conditions can wear a person down, affect our daily home and work lives, and make us downright cranky.
There are a very few patients nationwide that will visit a physician they aren’t fond of or must wait hours to see, just because there are few better options. We’d rather make an appointment with someone who is willing to sit down and listen to what is wrong, ask appropriate questions and work on a two-way road to recovery. Unfortunately, in today’s world a doctor often has his attention drawn to his computer screen so he can electronically list what is being said. This may be okay to a degree but a person wants to speak with his or her physician eye to eye, and certainly not to a person who hides behind a computer screen with his attention diverted.
Medicine has certainly changed and I truly believe I had my good years before that change, doing what I enjoyed most – taking the time to listen to my patients in an effort to make them better. In fact, my secretary used to tell me I spent an inordinate amount of time during an appointment talking with a member of our town crew about how his work day went. To me, that was what made it all worthwhile. When I naively emerged from my examining room with my smiling town worker feeling a great deal better to find my secretary glaring at me because other patients were stacked up like 747s at a large International airport, I knew I spent a little too long on that appointment. But, it was really worth it in the long run. So, we ran a little (or a lot) late that day. My secretary was also to blame a great deal of the time because if someone called with a problem, invariably she would tell them to come right in, that they might have to wait a few minutes but I would see him or her on a same-day basis. That was when I glared at her and the tables were turned since I was due home for dinner at a given time and knew I would never make it. A physician is only as good as his office personnel and I have a great staff (who now helps me with the day-to-day running of my website and column, rather than scheduling appointments and seeing patients). That being said, I contend to this day it was my honor to serve my community in a profession I truly loved. I believe I did more good than harm over those years and I revel in those memories.
So, ask your friends and neighbors who they see locally that they can recommend to you. Then make an appointment with that physician for a FREE get acquainted visit. Briefly identify your issues with your current doctor and indicate what you expect of your new contact. If you’re satisfied, make the move. If not, look for someone else. You shouldn’t be a number at the deli line of your local grocery store. You are a living, breathing individual with issues you wish addressed in a timely, respectful manner. You’re important and should be treated with respect. And, I’m sure there are physicians out there who will be glad to have you as a patient.
