A little phone call......

Due to the whole '2 hour for 4 minutes' doctor appointment I had on Monday, I decided that I need to find a new doctor.

So, yesterday I called to get an appointment with a new doctor. I know that you have to be 'WELL' to get your first appointment. Heaven forbid you try to get an appointment with a new doctor when you are actually SICK.

Here is the phone conversation I had.

Ring, ring....

Recept "_____ Clinic, This is LeeAnn, may I help you?"

Me: "Yes, I need to make an appointment"

LeeAnn: "I'm sorry but we don't have any appointments today."

Me "okay, so do I need to be an established patient before seeing one of your doctors?"

LeeAnn: 'what?"

Me "do I need to already be a patient of yours in order to make an appointment?

LeeAnn: 'uh, yes'

Me thinking I am getting somewhere: "okay so when can I be seen?

LeeAnn: 'huh?'

Me...trying again.....:"how do I go about doing that"

LeeAnn: "doing what?"

Me: "getting an appointment."

LeeAnn: " I'm sorry I don't know what you are talking about."

Me...: "I was just talking to you"

LeeAnn: "no you weren't, I just came on the line."

Me....thinking I'd had a brain fart....."mmmmmm, was I transferred somehow?" "I thought I just asked you when I could see the doctor." "Isn't your name LeeAnn and weren't you just telling me...." (I reviewed the conversation)

LeeAnn: "oh yeah, that was me....hmmmmm, our first available is Sept. 22nd."

Me..."uh, is that for first time patients or anyone?"

LeeAnn: "anyone...we don't have any appointments until Sept 22nd."

Me: 'no thanks..." I mean, I really didn't want to wait until late Sept. if I could get in sooner.

So here I am thinking, why did she lie and say she just came on the line?
I felt like I was in "Men In Black" and had just had that little strobe light go off or something. Or maybe she had that little strobe light go off. Or something.

I decided she must have been the one with the brain fart so I called back, crossing my fingers that a DIFFERENT receptionist would answer.

A different receptionist DID answer and promptly verified that a new patient has to see the doctor before getting ill. So I have to go in Sept 22nd. Then they can usually work you in WITHIN A WEEK. (I won't even GO there today...)

It kills me that in order to see a doctor nowadays, you have to be WELL.
Back when I was a kid, doctor's didn't want to see you when you were well. They wanted you to come in when you were sick so they could MAKE you well. That way, they could feel the glow of 'hero worship.' And give you lollipops.

Going to the doctor when you were well only meant one thing: YOU WERE GETTING SHOTS.
I NEVER went to the doctor when I was WELL. I ran away once because we were going to the doctor and I was WELL. I knew darn well I would get some SHOTS. I wasn't about to get more SHOTS.

So now that doctors are slammed with loads of PPO,HMO, and other varieties of "O" paperwork, they WANT to see us when we are well. But then when we get there, they rush us through like pigs going to market..."sue-EEEEEEEE."
I know there must be a valid reason........at least I hope there is.
Or is it that they simply want that 30 dollar copay?