I think I may have found my writing niche - customer service in health care. Or perhaps the lack thereof. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that it might not be so awful to go to doctors if perhaps they were a bit nicer to you.
Let me contextualize. I have chronic sinusitis, and I'm absolutely positive it's worse than it actually sounds. Have you ever had a sinus infection? You know that feeling when your head is all stuffy, your face hurts, and you've got a sore throat from all the post-nasal dripping? You know how sometimes it makes you dizzy and a little bit nauseous, maybe tired and achy? Welcome to my world. Chronic sinusitis is like that ALL THE TIME. I suppose it's got its benefits - after awhile you get so used to constant pain, pressure, and dizziness that the flu feels like nothing at all. So it toughens you up, even if you don't want to BE toughened up.
Anyway, I've been on the lookout for a good Ear, Nose, & Throat doc for some time and one day, I stumbled upon an ad in a local publication touting this one particular doctor and her state-of-the-art method for ridding patients of sinus pain and pressure. Of course I thought to myself, "I got to have me some of that!" so I called her office, made an appointment five weeks away, and waited.
Finally, the day of my appointment came. I was so excited at the prospect of getting rid of the sludge in my face, I couldn't wait to meet her! I showed up early because I knew there'd be tons of paperwork to fill out, so I did all of it, took it proudly to the window, and sat down to wait. And wait. And wait.
An hour and a half past my appointment time, to be precise. An hour. And a half.
To say that I was frustrated would be an understatement. This doctor came with a great reputation and obviously her office was buzzing with people who also couldn't wait to see her. But an hour and a half? That's a bit extreme, don't you think? When she finally came into the exam room, there was no apology, no acknowledgment even that I had been waiting way longer than expected. In fact, I didn't even get a smile. After we were finished, I left with another appointment set for this week. I was irked because I had missed another important appointment while waiting to see this doctor, but I was so glad to have the prospect of sinus surgery on my horizon that I waited anyway. I thought it would be worth it.
My follow-up appointment was originally scheduled for this past Tuesday, so I took another day off of work (having already missed more than my sick days because of constant illness over the last three weeks). A half an hour before my appointment, the receptionist calls and says the doctor has to cancel. I missed another day of work for this, but okay...So I rescheduled for today.
So guess what? I took another day off of work to go to my appointment today. I was cheerful and tried not to be too put off by the poor customer service so far. I went in a bit early and waited. Do you see where I'm going here? I waited another 45 minutes past my appointment time when I FINALLY got the chutzpah to leave. I calmly walked out to the receptionist desk and told the woman there that I couldn't wait any longer. I made it clear that I knew it wasn't her fault, but I was upset because of all the waiting I'd already had to do for this doctor. I didn't want to seem like a nasty or constantly angry patient, but come on!!!! I explained to her that I'd missed three days of work (and other appointments) because this doctor either didn't consider her patients' time to be as valuable as hers OR because she couldn't actually accommodate new patients, as I had been led to believe.
So was I being unreasonable?
No, I don't think I was. I even let her keep my co-pay (which she was going to keep anyway). I left there so angry I could have cried - in fact, I did tear up a bit (sometimes I let my frustration get the best of me). I had wasted so much time and hope on a doctor who just didn't seem all that interested in her patients. Maybe it's because I was new. Maybe it's because she was too busy. Maybe she just happened to be having a bad couple of weeks.
If it had been an isolated incident, I would have gotten over it and continued to go back. But it wasn't isolated - it seems to be this woman's M.O. and that's just a shame. By my calculations, I wasted three sick days; about six hours just waiting, filling out paperwork, and driving to the office (she's about 45 minutes away from my house); at least one tank of fuel driving back and forth; and an unmeasurable amount of emotional energy. All for nothing. I know, I could have just sat and waited some more - then, at least the trip wouldn't have been for nothing, right? But here's the way I see it - you shouldn't do things because you feel cornered into them. I got tired of feeling like I was just a couple of dollar signs to this woman - her receptionist clearly didn't care that I was leaving (and she basically told me so). You know why? Because I'm sure there's five more patients waiting in line behind me who will gladly take my spot. And that's fine with me - I'll find another doctor. I know good ones exist - my family doctor is a great example of how to feel respected and heard as a patient.
I was so angry about the whole situation. I thought about writing a letter to the editor or driving back to the office to tell her what poor customer service skills she had. But to what end? Like Alex pointed out, she still got my copay and she'll probably still bill the insurance company for a visit that never happened. So I opted for focusing on the GOOD customer service I experienced today.
For example, I had to take my car to get fixed at a collision shop (I hit a deer a few months back and tore the grill off the front of my car). Not only did Bogg's Collision in Woodbury treat me well, they actually charged me LESS than the quote and had it done sooner than expected. They were communicative, very nice to speak to, and reasonable. THAT was superior customer service.
And I went to Family Dollar today to get Rosie some more of her tennis sticks (they're made out of the same stuff tennis balls are, but they're sticks so they're easier to pry from her grip). They only had one left, so I asked the cashier if they would get anymore in, and she very cheerfully told me that yes, they would be getting more in. And when I asked her to help me get some tomato cages unstuck from each other so I could buy four instead of the entire box, she gladly assisted. THAT was excellent service, too.
So customer service matters. It even (maybe especially) matters in health care. People don't go to doctors to talk about how well they are, do they? No, they typically go because they're miserable, in pain, sick, whatever. So shouldn't doctors be kind and appreciative of their business? Because just like there's five more people to take the spot of one disgruntled ex-patient, there's about 100 doctors to replace every one I decide doesn't fit the bill.
t.
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