Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group appoitment canceled again

Well today was the day the I was going to see the specialist about my stomach problems or so I thought. When it was rescheduled from the last time I put in another vacation day and was prepared for another fight to get it off. Well there was no problem with getting it off this time so I thought that was a good sign. Wrong!!
Today about 9:15 am the phone rang. It was the doctors off. His receptionist said " Your appoitment for today has been cancelled. The doctor decided he isn't going to see anyone until after the hoilidays. We will call sometime then with another appoitment."
My reply to her was don't bother. She said What!. I said don't bother I have to book time off work for these appoitments that are being cancelled so don't bother making another one. She sounded a bit surprised that someone would actually say something like that.
Maybe I shouldn't have but this is the second time for a cancellation I found out the first one was because he went away and now it seems that he is taking the christmas holidays off. I know that he is busy and yes deserves to have time off but what gets me is that they wait until the day of the appoitment to notify people. They must have known before this that they were taking a vacation so I am not going use up all my vacation days trying to get to see this doctor.
I waited for at least 6 months for the first appoitment then had to wait another month for the rescheduled and then who knows how long I would have to wait for the next only to have it cancelled. I can do without that.

Thanks for listening.

Take care
Valerie

Good for you. How RUDE of them not to immediately suggest another appointment instead of that "we'll call you when we feel like it" nonsense. As if they are just using you on stand-by status to augment their cash flow. Can you find another stomach specialist? Can you go to an emergency room if it gets bad? (Do not mess around with gastric bleeding!!!!)

I had a doctor(a specialist) once pull this stunt one except that they didn't even bother to notify me that the appointment was cancelled, in fact, I had recieved the reminder call the previous day. I go to the appointment...and the office is not there. They've moved. Great. I call them up on my cell phone. "Where are you, I have an appointment?" The person answering the call is a CALL SERVICE and only knows the address, does not know how to get to it, but informs me that the doctor has cancelled and is not seeing patients today anyway. So I hunted down the new office. Guess what? THEY ARE THERE, they just are not answering the phones!
I stood there in front of that glass partition and held up my little appointment card and knocked until they had to acknowlege me. I told them I had NOT been called about this cancellation, and that I had redone my entire day to make this appointment, and that this had caused me to drive 24 miles for nothing.
And the clerk looks at me and goes, "well, at least you can go shopping."
At which point I told her that I had been waiting 6 weeks for a test result from this doctor and she had dam* well better schedule something in sooner rather than later. I also got a printed copy of the dam* test result from them and stood there and read it in front of them. They rescheduled me in for the next week.

We aren't done yet. I went, the doctor LIED to me about what was on the test result, (she had no idea I had a copy...I was flabbergasted, it wasn't a case of mistaken paperwork, she was just making up nonsense to get me out of the room quickly) and then a few months later I get a nasty letter from her office saying that because I have missed 2 appointments with her without giving notice, I will be "dropped from her care" if I do it again.

Well, yes, I have missed two appointments....she cancelled them, one without any notice at all to me. Nice of her staff to log it in as I'm just not showing up.

The part about lying about what was on my MRI really disturbs me. Most people assume a doctor would not do that. I used to assume a doctor would not do that. I would prefer her office just quit pretending they accept my insurance. It's not like I have a lot of choice in who I can see on this insurance...we're stuck.

I want to start a national movement in this country where if a doctor is not forthright and honest and at least making some effort to be cooperative with scheduling, you get to tell the insurance company NOT to pay them. That's the problem. They get a fee whether or not they are doing a good job. You wouldn't have this on a cash-only basis.

I hope your stomach feels better, and that your boss has more compassion than that nasty office staff. Yes, I understand "life happens"....that why you leave slots open in the future to reschedule.

Hi Valerie
If it was me, I would NOT see this doctor under any circumstances. I can bet you will get there and he will be awful. His behaviour already indicates he does not care enough about his patients and you do not deserve to see a doctor like that. If he acts like this now you may find that he will not have good bedside manner etc. I just wouldn't waste my time to find out he's as bad as it sounds like he is. Get another referral and in the meantime the er will admit you if you have a gi bleed.
Good luck

Julie


Kodi

Wow
Your specialist is worse than mine.
I can go to the er if I have major problems the wait is usually around 4 hours but that is nothing if things get really bad.
I know that there are other specialists in the area . I have to go see my family doctor to get a referral and I will do that when I have to get my nexium refilled. Which won't be for awhile since he just refilled it for me. But I have to book Feb 7 off to see the ortho surgeon ( I know that he will not cancel unless he gets sick or has an emergency that can not wait until after office hours) so I am thinking about making an appoitment with the gp on that day as well to see about another referral. I know it will be the difference of travelling 3 miles which is as far as i would have to with the first and about 15 miles with the second which really isn't that much of a distance. I am not worried about what my gp will have to say about me not playing their games because he knows that I take no BS off any doctor .

I can't believe that the clerk told you that you could go shopping if you wanted to do that you would have gone shopping and to log you in as a no show just blows my mind. But for a doctor to lie about a test result is just not acceptable.

I am lucky that we don't have to rely on insurance to tell us what doctor we can see . but even that doesn't help when the doctors keep cancelling. I know that he is busy but to just decide that he is not going to see any patients until after the holidays just doesn't hold water that must have been known in advance and appoitments should not have been made for this time period. The best part is after the first was rescheduled to today I phoned to see if it could be for a different day other than a monday she was going to give me the 23 of dec. which I declined imagine the fighting I would have to do to get the day before Christmas Eve off.

Take care
Valerie

Valerie, I don't blame you for being frustrated. You should present them with an invoice for lost wages given that you have to use your holiday time for these appointments. What absolute a$$es they are.

Get thee to another doctor!!

Hugs,

Kat



"A life lived in fear is a life half lived." - Strictly Ballroom

Hi kat

I couldn't agree more. I am thinking about another doctor. Since I have to book off Feb 7. I could look for only a couple of hours to make my ortho appoitment but I think I will book the whole day off and make an appoitment with my GP and get another referral since it was his idea that I see a specialist there shouldn't be a problem but I am going to tell him that I want one that doesn't cancel all the time.



Take care
Valerie

Hell with that doctor......
You should find one that really cares for his new patient ....I wouldn't take that from no one.............Just think what will happen after you get to see him/her....when will be next appointment....... you can find one better than that....

Good luck

Oh by the way.....If it was you and you call to cancel that day you would be charged a 50 dolllar charge because you were suppose to call 24-72 hours to cancel an appointment.... I think you should charge that doctor 50 dollars because he didn't cancel 24-72 earlier!!! See how they like that....
dan

Hi Valerie,

I think you made the best decision under the circumstances, given you had waited six months for the first appointment only to have to reschedule for today. I would look up the doctor's name in the phone book and get his home address so you can bypass the office staff and send him a letter explaining your six month wait and then your wait the second time only to have it cancelled on the day of the appointment. My doctors have taken vacations and holidays off during a time I had scheduled appointments before, but they have always called me to let me know and asked if I could come in a few days earlier so I would not have to miss or reschedule. I think I would also ask your doctor for another referral to a doctor who actually wanted to see patients. I'm sure your doctor will want to hear about the two cancelled appointments so he/she can refer other patients to a doctor who would be willing to take care of the patients seen to them.

Brent




Sandy

Valerie, that's just awful. Too bad there's not an effective way to make a complaint. You should be reimbursed for your time.
Debbie