DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 66-year-old female who visits her cardio-vascular physician at least every six months, sometimes more often, if tests are being performed and results reported. I have two complaints about my office visits and wonder if I am being unreasonable. First: If the test results are favorable, why do I have to make an appointment, drive for 45 minutes, wait for over an hour, then pay another co-pay? Couldn’t a phone call or a postcard have performed the same function? The receptionist informed me that the doctor preferred to report test results in person.
Second: The TV in the waiting room always has Fox news on, with pundits arguing with each other, criticizing the President and other elected officials, and generally raising the blood pressure of most of the older people in the waiting room. When I asked the office staff to change the channel, they said they could not find the remote control, then laughed when I sat back down. When I complained to my doctor, he exploded, accusing me of trying to “drag me into your politics”. My complaints had to do with the type of programming in general. Older people are a little more respectful of public officials, even when they do not agree with them. Most find this current “in your face” politics stressful and to force them to watch it while waiting seems indicative of an uncaring attitude on the part of the doctor and his young staff. Am I over-reacting? Should I find another physician who seems a bit more attuned to the sensibilities of his older patients?
DEAR READER: First, let me address the issue of a phone call vs. a face-to-face visit. People have different views. Some insist on a visit to the doctor so questions can be asked. Then, there is the patient who is satisfied with a postcard or letter indicating tests are within normal range. Unless a physician asks each patient his or her preference and makes a note of it in the chart, there could be unwanted results. The wait you experience represents poor planning on the part of the office staff.
Let’s move on to the television. When hospitals or medical offices have TVs in reception areas, the station is generally a generic one, such as a news channel since the news is of greater interest than a soap opera or game show. The problem is that the network has to keep viewers interested and this often occurs when discussing politics and repeating the news, over and over again. I personally feel there is nothing more unpleasant than political mud slinging and I find that type of reporting offensive.
My office has a fireplace. Whenever the weather dictated (which was often), it was lit, the magazines were current (a novelty in a physician’s office), relaxing music (jazz or classical) was playing and the wait was brief. President bashing and controversial issues were put on the back burner and not discussed. I often said patients simply got better because they were surrounded by pleasantries rather than strife. Often the wait was so short a patient would return to his or her seat in the waiting room following the visit to finish an article they hadn’t had the time to complete when they entered. It was a win-win situation and I loved it, as did my patients.
If you are one of those patients who find you are influenced by your surroundings, then perhaps you should consider making a change to another cardio-vascular specialist. If you choose to do so, make an appointment for a get acquainted visit so you can openly discuss issues such as wait time. There is someone out there who can appreciate what you expect of a physician, one who will embrace the ideas you feel are appropriate. Don’t settle for less.
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