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When it comes to this, yes. As it is I have never had a doctor or dentist that requires you to confirm your appointment. They treat you like big boys and girls.
My wife had this happen by our dentist recently. They made many attempts to confirm - one email, texted 2-3 times, and left 2-3 voicemails. No fee charged, she showed up on time but was told her appointment was cancelled due to not confirming in advance.
My wife is not tech savvy, cannot bring her phone into her workplace (security will not allow), and she is terrible at checking it after hours after working.
There are so many no-shows that I do see the reason for having to confirm. Your wife had many opportunites to confirm--one email, 2-3 texts, 2-3 voicemails. This is the norm, to cancel if you don't confirm. Pretty much all she probably had to do is send them back a "1" or the word "confirm".
It is 2023--time to get a bit savvy. Technology is not going away. What job does not have current technology?
You snooze, you lose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KO Stradivarius
Some of you people are not picking up what I am laying down. As if we already don't have enough things, don't spend enough time or have enough difficulty scheduling appointments when none are available and future schedules are not open, filling & renewing prescriptions/prior authorizations, reviewing billing details (EOBs), paying bills, paying premiums, copays, deductibles, out of pocket maximums, manage/max out your HSA, buy healthcare that costs thousands/month from the ACA portal when you retire/before Medicare, this doctor doesn't take that insurance, just change all of your doctors, insurance doesn't work with your pharmacy, just change pharmacy, just get all new Rx's, just get a policy for the "donut hole", just get a Medigap plan, no dental insurance - deal with it, etc. I'm sure I left out dozens of other things...
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help... no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
.
Last edited by KO Stradivarius; 08-23-2023 at 02:38 PM..
So, what about this situation - Patient A is sent multiple requests via various methods to confirm an appointment and does not respond. When it gets to be the day before the appt and no reply, the dentist/doctor notifies someone else they have an opening if they would like to move their appointment up or offers it to someone calling to schedule a new appointment. Patient B takes what used to be Patient A's time slot. Both Patient A and Patient B show up for the same time slot. Provider agrees to honor Patient A's original appointment and now has to fit both Patient A and Patient B in. Add in Patients C, D, E, etc who have confirmed appointments later that day. Those Patients show up at their appointment time later that day, but they are now running late. Whose fault is this? Had Patient A confirmed with a simple reply to a text they would not have had an extra patient (B) to fit in that day and would still be on schedule (or closer to it).
Its inconsiderate to make patients wait for hours as well.
Perhaps the doctor or their office manager is at fault, but do you expect them to kick out a patient who needs to take up more than their allotted appointment time? I'm guessing if you were the one being kicked out to stay on schedule, you'd complain about that as well.
Dentists are a fickle bunch. Professionalism is across the board. I used to work for a dental lab. Some of these are the best people on Earth, and some you wonder how anyone allows them to touch their mouth. In terms of people skills, some of the best dentists have terrible practices. Because the skill is top notch, everything else can be subpar. I especially hate the ones that rely upon their spouse to handle front and backend work. It's never done well and the feedback loop to the doctor is closed off. I would imagine one of these found a way to cut out the process of calling and said, great we'll do this and require cancellation otherwise. Less work and more power to them, more inconvenient to everyone else.
Get your crown and redetermine if that's the place for you.
From time to time I've had to wait in the waiting room because my dentist had to take extra time with a current patient because of complications. I had no problem waiting because the other person matters too. And yes, I did once receive a call from my dentist asking if I could reschedule my appointment because of some problem which I don't remember. Again, I was happy to do so.
You see, I realize that it's not all about me. Plus, I like my dentist and my hygienist. They are both very nice people and I wouldn't think of inconveniencing either of them. But maybe that's just me.
Ok, if that suits you. For me, it’s strictly business. I have teeth that need cleaning/whitening/work and Dentist can do it, I give money, they do it. If Dentist makes too many demands of me I find new Dentist though I never have a Dentist pull that stunt with me that the OP described.
I don’t view it as a courtesy thing. Neither me nor the Dentist are doing anyone any favors. Again, I don’t get this passion to defend a Dentist who puts extra conditions on his clients. But that’s just me.
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