This is absurd

[hall]

If I call my cardio, I may not get to speak to him ( unless they think it is needed) but they have a very knowledgeable nurse practioner. The first time I knew that who I was seeing, I was leary She was GREAT! That is an option for me anyway. Best of luck.

 

[Nancy]

I agree with Deb. All of the NPs and PAs that I have encountered have been the very best.

 

[ponygirlmom]

For whatever it's worth, I have found that it usually takes time (meaning days) to see my cardio, but my GP and his nurses quickly respond (within a few hours) if I call about being ill or hurting. So I get in touch with them first.

With Mayo, it's just the opposite! I can see specialists -- or their colleagues -- pretty quickly (if I'm already a patient) but heaven forbid I need to see my GP!

 

[Bryan B]

I'm going to agree with BackDoc that if I called about a problem I wouldn't expect to talk to the doctor (although most would call at the end of the day if it wasn't an emergency). Most of the time I would get a call back from the doc's main/head/triage nurse...but sometimes it would take a couple of hours. Whether I got their voicemail or got to speak to her on the first try she would almost always tell me to come in and they would work me in but I might have a considerable wait if they were busy. She also suggested to go to the ER if I felt there was any chance that it could be a life threatening situation. One other thing people need to remember about cardios is that many of them perform angiograms and may be out of the office all day once or twice a week. Usually the nurse taking calls in the back are just as busy as they are assisting the doctors, so really the best they can do is return your call (if you got voicemail) and give you available options...the cardio is not in the office today, we will work you in, we can't see you until (fill in the date), if you feel your symptoms warrent immediate attention to go to the ER or call 911. But I do agree that the doctor's office has an obligation to at least contact the patient within a reasonable amount of time (within an hour or two). I also remember now that if you got the nurse's voicemail at any GP or Cardio's office I went to they would recommend calling 911 if it was an emergency. Most of my doctors (and surgeon) have been good about calling me back in person (assuming I decided not to try and get worked in). It might be at the end of the day after they have seen all of their patients. I understand it would not be fair to make patients in the office who might have issues just as important as yours wait while he takes phone calls. It's kind of like when you go to get assistance at a retail business and they take a call while in the middle of helping you and spend several minutes helping the person on the phone instead of asking them if they could take their name/number and call them back.

 

[Nancy]

"and I understand it would not be fair to make patients in the office who might have issues just as important as yours wait while he takes phone calls"

This is very true. Joe did have a cardiologist who took calls continually during appointments. He would get sidetracked, forget what was being discussed, forget what he was examining. And it wasn't just a one time thing, it went on all the time.

He was also severely behind schedule and Joe often had to wait 2 hours to see this guy.

It got to the point that it was ridiculous. He was a nice guy and smart, but otherwise a disorganized person.

He became history.

I thought of one other ridiculous guy. He was the iron fisted head of a large medical practice. His edict was that if his minion doctors did not return phone calls the same day they were called in, the messages got thrown out in the trash. I have no idea what he was thinking, neither did his office staff, but they were too afraid of him to say much about it. One did slip and told Joe why he was not getting call backs. My poor husband was furious. He had so many serious issues. Of course, Joe went elsewhere after that.

It was about a year later that this idiot "retired" from his large group practice. My guess is that he had his own set of issues.

 

[debster913]

Bill,
I'm sorry about your pains and the difficulty you've been having with your cardio and his office. If you lived out my way, I'd have you come see mine. He's really excellent and has a great nurse practitioner who is very wise. I feel pretty blessed to have him--I can call him anytime and either he or his NP can squeeze me in for an appt or answer my questions.

Best,
Debi (debster913)

 

[WilliamJE]

I'm going to agree with BackDoc that if I called about a problem I wouldn't expect to talk to the doctor (although most would call at the end of the day if it wasn't an emergency). Most of the time I would get a call back from the doc's main/head/triage nurse...but sometimes it would take a couple of hours.

I called Wednesday morning at 11:45. All of yesterday I was expecting someone, nurse or doctor to call back. Nobody did, and the doctor's office acts as if they did nothing wrong when the nurse went home for the day. The office never followed up, I wrote them up on my blog, faxed them a copy and emailed a link. At 8:50 this morning I got a visitor from the cardiology group but still no phone call. So I wrote the doctor's office up again, I got a snagit of their visit. The doctor finally called at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

Before having valve surgery, I've had a running battle with malignant melanoma. 5 of those deadly skin cancers dating back to 1993. When I first became a patient I had a good derm. but I changed insurance plans and lost him. Went to another derm. he recommended. That doctor's office thought because the doctor didn't note in my chart I had to come back for followup, that the dr don't need to see me again. A melanoma survivor is NEVER done with a dermatologist. The lazy ass hard headed doctor's office didn't want to spend time to get a referral when I kept telling them to talk to the doctor. By the time they finally did, and said for me to come in, I had decided to dump the doctor.

Next derm. took one look at my extensive history and wanted no part of me. Referred me to a partner of his.

Next derm. with an office two miles from my house, had the bedside manner of a gorilla. And I'm being unfair to the gorillas. I spent two frustrating years with him till I found Dr. Rabinowitz. Rather than spend time with the gorilla two miles from my home, I go to this caring doctor with an office 45 miles from where I live.

I've quit a surgeon,(And I had another past surgeon lose his license, but I actually liked him) because his office thought nothing of having you wait two hours in their office. If the doctor is running late, call patients and tell them. Otherwise you look and are arrogant, the doctor's time is the only one that matters.

There was the optometrist who canceled my appt. at the last minute, but offered for me to come in early. Except the wife and I have one car only and she had it. I couldn't come in, and the next appt I was offered was in 4 weeks. The dr was claiming an emergency, but the offer to come in early(Like 2 o'clock) makes it sound like he wanted to get out of town early. My appt. was for late on a Friday afternoon. They got written up too plus dumped by me.

I got even more stories. Also note, I worked for over 20 years as first a hospital corpsman in the Navy and as X-ray technician once I left the service.

Life is too short and fragile to put up with idiot doctors or their idiot office staffs.

 

[johnfreeman62]

HEART SURGERY - Three weeks after aortic valve replacement I was lying in bed when me pulse went from 60 to 125, with arythmmia. This was the first such episode I ever had. I called my surgeons office, on a Sunday night, ten minutes later he returned my call. I am fine. The point is I just had MAJOR HEART SURGERY - not an aching back. It really is absurd to think you shouldn't have priority access to expert care until recovered. Going to the ER is a poor first option, they aren't going to have the expertise that your cardio does.

You can't say it's a long ways from your heart, like my dad was so fond of saying.