Doctor's office etiquette

In today’s blog I would like to share some doctor’s office etiquette. As someone who checks-in and speaks to well over a hundred patients a day, I feel fully qualified to advise on this topic. Some people walk in our office and don’t have a clue how to act, thus annoying me and my colleagues. I can’t speak for the nurses, of course, but I can speak for those of us on the administrative side of things.

Lesson 1: When you get to the check-in window, I prefer it if you sign in rather than state your name, your appointment time and which doctor you will be seeing. Some people might be surprised to know that I have both a paper and electronic schedule in my possession. I know who you are and where you need to go whilst in our office. The people scheduled for an ultrasound are the worst. They feel the need to emphasize multiple times that they are having an ultrasound, as if I didn’t know we had an ultrasound facility in our office. Now, some check-in persons may prefer patients to say their name, etc. I, however, do not. Mostly because I am in the process of checking other patients in. There is such a thing as information overload. So, sign in, please!

Lesson 2: Closely related to this, please sign in and SIT DOWN! I hate it, hate it, hate it when a patient signs in and then starts handing me her insurance card, credit card and asking if there is anything for her to fill in. This usually happens when I already have five other patients waiting to be checked in before her. If you see that the receptionist is busy with a zillion other things, sign your name and have a seat. She will call you when she can focus on you and acquire the information that she needs. Some patients get this partially right. They sign in, sit down, and then decide a few minutes later to get up, come over to my window and give me whatever she thinks I will need. So close, but not quite right. Be patient. The check-in person will be with you in a couple of minutes.

Lesson 3: Along the lines of ‘be patient’ . . . BE PATIENT! Let’s think about this for a moment. You are a “patient” . . . so act like it! Doctors and nurses and even the clerical staff in the office are all busy. This means that you might have to wait longer than anticipated. This does not mean that the doctor has forgotten you and gone to lunch. This does not mean that the check-in person forgot to check you in and is filing her nails. This means that you will be attended to as soon as possible. I have to say that I feel really bad when I see people sitting in our waiting room for more than ten minutes. Right now, we have a couple sitting in front of me who have been waiting for almost 45 minutes. I feel terrible. The nurse feels terrible. We are doing the very best we can. In this business, we have emergencies. Especially in the OB world where doctors are called in the middle of the work day to rush off to deliver a baby. Sometimes surgeries run late due to complications. I hate having to tell people that the doctor suddenly had to leave and won’t be back until tomorrow. Please be thoughtful. Just think, it could be you or your wife or other family member having that baby or laying on the operating table someday.

Lesson 4: If you have to fill in paper work, don’t complain. If you want your insurance claim to be filed properly and your test results reported back to you, smile, take the clipboard and do the necessary paperwork.

Lesson 5: Make sure you write down your appointment, and make sure you write it down correctly. This morning, we had three patients show up who were not supposed to be here. Now, I’ll admit, us office staff make mistakes. It’s possible we told them the wrong day. However, I also know that patients make mistakes, too. I would rather someone call and confirm their appointment time, then show up on the wrong day and then throw a fit because the doctor cannot possibly see them.

Lesson 6: And while we’re talking about appointments . . . It drives me crazy when people call, expecting us to get them in tomorrow. It rarely works that way. If the appointment scheduler tells you that they have absolutely nothing available for the next two weeks, please believe her! If it’s an emergency, that is a totally different story, but if it’s something that can wait for a couple of weeks, do not try to guilt and/or blackmail the scheduler into doing your bidding. They do this for a living and know how much the doctors can handle on a given day. If you know you will need to see the doctor within the next month, book it early, or don’t complain when you can’t get the exact time and day you want.

Lesson 7: If your address, phone numbers, last name or insurance has changed (or if you have a new insurance card), please tell someone before you leave the office! We need updated information at which to contact you and to file your claim with insurance. We have many, many patients who call to complain that they received a bill they should not have . . . and by the way, their insurance changed and they forgot to mention it while they were here. Ooops! But remember, as in Lesson 2, do not hand your new insurance card to the check-in person until they have indicated they are ready to take it.

Lesson 8: Finally (although I could expound more), above all, be kind to the administrative staff in your doctor’s office. They are the ones who will ultimately get you in to see the doctor. I enjoy helping the patients who are always kind and understanding. I do not go out of my way to work my magic for the patients who are rude, obnoxious, impatient or demanding. Treat the clerical people (and nurses) with as much respect you treat your doctor. It’s amazing how patients are rude to the admin people and the nurse, but then are as smooth as butter to the doc. At the end of the day, you will likely have more contact with everyone else who works in the office than you will with the physician. They are the ones who make seeing the doctor possible. P.S. They also really like cookies/chocolate/donuts/other sweet treats.

I know this blog might sound petty and it’s probably also boring. I’ve written it mostly to vent . . . work has been pretty crazy and irritating lately. Of course, the opinions expressed in this blog are mine, and therefore, other people who work in a doctor’s office may see things totally differently.