Valuable Time Saving Tips when Seeing Your Doctor

You have a doctors appointment in the middle of a very busy day. You've scheduled another appointment across town and can't be late. Everything appears to be going well until, that is, you're told the doctor is running a half an hour behind and what you thought was a well planned day comes to a grinding halt.

If you are like any number of us this has probably happened to you and if it has you know it can throw your schedule into chaos. This can leaving you feeling, angry, disrespected and frustrated.

There are, however, a few things that if kept in mind when making an appointment to see your M.D. can help to keep your appointment and your own potentially busy schedule on track:

-Schedule your appointment first thing in the morning or right after the lunch hour.

Scheduling your appointment so that you are the first patient of the day, gives you the opportunity to see your doctor before any glitches to the schedule can occur. The same goes for right after the lunch hour. When scheduling your appointment ask what time the lunch hour is (usually noon) and ask for that first appointment right after.

-Allow time for the paperwork.

When scheduling make sure you allow ten to fifteen minutes of time to fill out paperwork. Most medical offices have records that need to be updated on a yearly basis for billing and insurance purposes. Or,

-Ask for paperwork to be mailed to you.

When making your appointment, either in person or on the phone, ask if any paperwork needs to be filled out. If yes ask that it to be sent to you to fill out at home and bring in with you. (Just be careful not to leave it at home!)

-Call if you are running late.

If you know you are running ten minutes or more late, call and let the office know. Most medical offices have a time frame in which they can see a late patient without it having a negative effect on the patient schedule. You don't want to arrive half an hour late only to be told that you will have to reschedule.

-Know your insurance.

Knowing what your copayment is and what your insurance covers in regards to your visit can prevent delays when signing in for your appointments to see the doctor.

-Realistic time frame

Most importantly remember to keep a realistic expectation of how long your visit will be. If your doctor has a history of always running 15 minutes late keep that in mind when setting up the appointment and plan any other appointments that day accordingly.

Keep in mind that emergencies do happen that can run your doctor behind on his/her schedule, and that apologies should be forthcoming from both physician and staff. But if you feel that this is an ongoing occurance that it is due to a lack of respect for your time, you may want to consider looking elsewhere for a physician that does respect you and your valuable time.