Dear Dr. Office

A vent, by Dr. L:

I had an 8:30 am dr. appt. today. I informed work I would be late, I got up early, and I arrived 10 minutes before my appt., like a good patient. As soon as the receptionist opened her window, I knew there would be trouble. My dr. had an emergency at the hospital and wasn't there. I asked what happened next, and no one had an answer for me. After a call to the back office, I was told to wait and "someone will come talk to you".

Mind you, this office has seen some serious turnover in the last couple of years, they have a high patient volume, and they're notorious for having to handle emergencies at the hospital. I thought they had put some sort of plan in place for such an occasion. I was wrong.

After 40 minutes, I was still waiting. Reading a 3-month-old Newsweek (did you know John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his VP running mate?). No one had even glanced at me, much less talked to me. I had enough.

I went back to the front desk, told the receptionist I had to leave, and that I'd call to reschedule later. She said OK. No apology, no offer to figure something out, nothing. Just another blank stare and a shift back to her paperwork.

The kicker? If I had been the one to not show up, I would be charged $25. But I doubt it works the other way around if the dr. doesn't show up.

Maybe I should try and bill them $25...