Medical rant!

[Xipe Totec]

So I have an appointment scheduled for Monday afternoon.

I realize I have a schedule conflict with school (can't make it to class on time).

I call the doctor's office in the evening, to see if I can reschedule.

Normally, I can never get a live human person when I call his office during the day; It ALWAYS rolls to voice mail and they call back on their own sweet time.

Fine.

So I call this evening, and instead of getting rolled to voice mail, I get a recorded message that says:

The office is closed; please call during regular office hours. (CLICK).

So, their FUCKING voice mail doesn't work after hours?

A FUCKING MACHINE can't take calls after hours?

I have to call during REGULAR OFFICE HOURS to talk to a FUCKING MACHINE?!!!


Unbelievable.


:nuke:

[bluesbassman]

1. That's what you get for scheduling at WalMart....

:hide:

[Xipe Totec]

3. Good segue!

:rofl:

Though, seriously, it did happen.

I'm not making this up.

:rofl:

[Gormy Cuss]

2. What's your problem? Call during normal business hours, moran.

:P

Yeah, that sounds very annoying.

[Xipe Totec]

4. WHY I OUGHTA!!!

Shakes fist...

[Jamastiene]

5. Stephen King warned us about this.

Once the machines take over, they'll enslave us and sit back on their rusty metal asses and laugh at us. That's right. The machine not only refuses to talk to you except during regular office hours, but it's laughing at you too. Know how I know? The machines laugh at me too. :tinfoilhat:

[Xipe Totec]

7. Hell is not other people?

That's even scarier.

[Jamastiene]

9. It really is, isn't it?

:scared:

[skygazer]

6. CONSIDER THAT A WARING!!!11!!

My doctor's office is like that, too. Stunning inefficiency.

[Xipe Totec]

10. So then, this other thing happens....

This morning, I realize I'm down to my last pill on one of my prescriptions.

Normally, the pharmacy has an automated system that calls you and reminds you that you're running low a few days before you run out.

This worked for an entire three monts...

Just when I started to trust the system, it drops the ball.

Great.

So I call the pharmacy (this is before business hours).

I get into their automated prescription refill system.

Lo and behold, this particular medication is out of refills, so they need to call the doctor to get a new prescription authorization.


Won't be ready till today at 5:00 PM. I go ahead and order the other med I use, which is running low.

Still automated, still okay, pissed that the reminder dropped the ball, but whatever...


I leave for work, my spouse is sill sleeping, so I leave the empty bottle of meds on the counter as a hint that I've run out. I'm hoping she'll call me or e-mail later and I can tell her what happened. and Ask her to pick up the meds.

Nope.

I get home, still no meds, so I have to run to the pharmacy.

My wife says, but dinner is almost ready! Why don't you get them tomorrow?

(long explanation ensues, much bickering about who should have done what)...

I finally go to the pharmacy, yada, yada, the pharmacist hands me one prescription and asks:

- Do you have any questions?

- Yes, where's the other one?

- There's more?

- Yea, there should be two prescriptions...

- Lemme check... No, there's only this one.

- I called your automated system this morning and requested two refills...

- Let me check the system... Oh, yes, I see it... The doctor hasn't called back, so I can't refill...

- In that case, I don't need to pick up this other medication yet; I still have a few days. I'll come back...

- Well, let me give you one pill now, and you can call your doctor tomorrow and ask him to authorize.

- Fine.

- Let me get that pill for you... Oh, wait, I see that the doctor did authorize the refill. I can go ahead an fill that for you now...

- Great... :eyes:

- 20 minutes later, I finally get my meds and come home to a cold dinner.

HOORAY for the greatest medical system in the world!

[Midlodemocrat]

8. Most after hours calls to a doctor's office are for emergencies

not to reschedule appointments.

[Xipe Totec]

11. So?

The message, which I abbreviated, also said:

If this is an emergency, do this, do that...

Well, if it was an emergency, I would have dialed 911.

Office hours are to talk to office staff, but instead I talk to a machine.

I have to waste time during the business day to talk to a machine.

I have to WAIT until the OFFICE OPENS, to talk to a machine.

How lame is that?

If I'm going to talk to a machine anyway, why can't the machine take a message after hours and be done?

[mwooldri]

12. Doctors Offices need to open up their schedules,

and schedule ONLINE.

Now that would be a novel idea.

Mark.

[csziggy]

13. My doctor's office phone system does that, too

Any time they are not open, the first thing it tells you is "If this is a life threatening emergency, hang up and call 911!" They don't even tell you what normal business hours for the office are so you can be sure to call back when they are open. Apparently some days they open at 9, some at 10, at least one week day they are not open at all and one other day they close in the afternoon. I have yet to figure out which days and times they ARE open. Pretty much it is a crap shot - I call until I catch the appointment nurse (:wtf: ?) and go in whenever she tells me to.

At least I like the doctor and he is very cute and fun to talk to. ;)