Scheduling a doctor appointment on the phone (gone horribly wrong)
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- čas přidán 21. 03. 2023
- I wish this wasn't based on a true story...
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6 months later, he gets a bill in the mail for missing that dermatology appointment
Hahaha. You are right
For ophthalmology you have to tell them that your greatest fear is visine. Then they will make sure you get an appointment sooner
Better watch out for Ezri Care 😵💫
Or air in the eye or something near my eye. That will do the trick
With dr. G ❤️
That specific hold music gives me nostalgia and rage all at the same time. It’s a classic. I’m always surprised when I find that it’s still in use…
it's painful how accurate this is, even for small hospitals it can take sooo long to get a decent appointment, and then 2 months later, right before the appointment, they go "oops! forgot we had a meeting scheduled that day! we'll see you in 6 more months!"
Very true. I had the same doctor deliver a baby, decide to move, and then swap which day she was seen at the clinic near my house with the clinic 20 miles south-- and they canceled my appointment each time. After 22 months of waiting, I got myself a brand new referral to *someone else*.
Yep. My neurologists office scheduled me for when she was leaving for a conference and then blamed me for not knowing she wasn't available. I ended up running into her in the elevator on the way out and she told me to call and have an appointment scheduled for the next week. When I called they laughed at me and said she'd never say that, so I sent a message through the portal. I got a very very nice phone call the next day asking what days I was free the following week.
I remember the time I fell in a hole and thought I broke my leg. Went to the emerg and had xray, doctor stated it came back fine and I "probably" just had a sprain. 12 days later I got a frantic call from the hospital my bone was actually broken in 2 places and I needed to come in immediately for a cast. While I was in the process of booking a time the nurse said to me "and you have been staying off of your foot,right?' I said no, I wasn't given crutches and was told it would be fine in a couple of days. She responded GREAT (sarcastically) so you could have done more damage. I responded I didn't know I was supposed to stay off of it and she said to me "well don't you know when you have broken a bone?". That is the day I knew our medical system was going down hill.
Was it a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant that read your X-ray initially?
@@user-sg1bn2ij2k We don't have physician assistants in our province. I suspect what happened was the Dr. read the xray and said nope no broken bones and then a Radiologist read the xray and said WHOA.
SAME! Omg I had a really really bad open fracture? Whatever they call it now. They reset it in hospital and closed the wound and said I was fine, gave me some oxycodone to go home with (125mgd/day was already on some before), Then 2 days later I get a call from an ortho trauma surgeon telling me the break is unstable and I NEED to stop eating or drinking and go in that evening. Hilarious moment when the anaesthetist realised how high my tolerance was for fentanyl (because I'd spent the entire day on it when I got brought in, was on a PCA).
"Don you know when you have broken a bone?"
I've actually read about someone who broke their foot while on a hiking holiday. Since they were able to walk, they figured it was likely just a sprain (although whent he pain didn't subside over the holiday they went to get an x-ray just in case something was wrong)
So, no, ma'am. Not everyone does know when they've broken a bone. Even if they're not assured that they haven't broken their bone by the person who X-Ray'd them and it's probably just a sprain as you were. For example, not everyone experiences pain - the usual sign of a broken bone - the same way, to the point of being able to walk on a broken foot which causes them to assume their foot isn't broken.
I swear the sort of person you encountered is why chronically ill people, along with folk who are more likely to have atypical presentation of symptoms (Let alone if they're a visible minority on top of that) do not trust medical services.
@@Stephen-Fox This.... All of this.
This is why the rare doctor that has online scheduling is so amazing. I can sit there calmly filling out the forms in my own time while referencing my excel spreadsheet of fears.
I’m all about online scheduling and digital paperwork for my patients. Makes life extremely easy for all!
I call BS.I have NEVER had anyone answer in less than 10 minutes. They have to play the hold music interrupted by commercials for their practice at least 6 times so that you get your hopes up each time the music stops. My second favorite is the 45 minute hold when you don't know if they just forgot about you, only topped by the one hour hold that disconnects automatically when the office closes.
Omg when I get disconnected after holding for ages (bonus points if it’s over 45min) is absolute rage fuel. Extra bonus points if it happens again. Super extra bonus points if it happens as soon as someone finally picks up (I know they’ve just hung up on me bc they don’t want to deal with another call).
Exactly right. When they say, "If you're calling from a doctor's office, press (whatever #), that's what I do. Sad thing is that doing this doesn't always work, but it usually does. Unfortunately our gargantuan medical center has bought up or otherwise taken over most of the specialty and subspecialty practices in the state.
This past fall I hurt my knee and needed surgery. I had to make maybe 100 medical phone calls….MRI, insurance, surgeon, billing departments, surgical center, etc etc and EVERY SINGLE TIME I called ANYWHERE, I got a message saying that they were experiencing unusually high call volumes. It didn’t matter where I called, what day, what time. I spent hours and hours on hold, and many places finally force you to press 1 for a call back after you’ve been on hold too long. Let me tell you, they never ever call you back. I felt like I needed to hire a personal assistant to make these calls. And the worst part of it all was the huge entity my surgeon works for: they don’t do any paperwork. So all of my leave of absence paperwork had to be scanned as a pdf and sent to a 3rd party paperwork company. I don’t think they could have made that system any more complicated if they tried. I had to constantly follow up and be a go-between and call the medical entity to say that the 3rd party paperwork company said they were being ignored and that notes weren’t in the computer. I ended up with a folder with around 100 medical documents in it from one torn meniscus. And of course every medical bill was way higher than it should have been after I got my insurance explanation of benefits statement, so that was 25 more phone calls. One refund took almost 4 months. Being a patient is a full-time job.
And everyone will insist how easy it must have been!
Absolutely 💯!!!
This is why my pile of medical stuff to do for myself gets put off for 6-8 months at a time because this stuff is beyond infuriating.
I live in the UK but man, is it like this everywhere? This is so accurate is hurts. Even the hold music is exactly the same!
Yup, I’m in Canada, I thought it was specific to here, but I get the same hold music when I call my doctor’s office. 😂
That hold music gives me anxiety too! every time I hear it I start to dissociate.
It sure is! I'm in the US and we pay a ridiculously expensive premium on insurance to get treated like dirt half the time, gaslit one quarter of the time, and wait months or years for appointments unless we feel like driving hours away 🤷♀️ The online telemedicine options are okay for some things, now, and you'll pay an average of $100 per visit for those but you can usually get faster and sometimes cheaper care and prescriptions 🤷♀️
It is in my area of the us. Legit can’t get an eye appointment unless it’s a year or more out. I got bleach in my eye and was told by urgent care to follow up with my eye dr and they said sure we can see you in Jan 2025 (for context this was 2021) i explained i needed it sooner and they said that was the soonest they had 😬 meanwhile my grandmother was able to schedule her check up in Nov (same year) and went Feb 2022 😡 same dr
Another great on point video. When you do book that appointment, the next steps are 3x pre-registration so they can get authorization & you can go straight into clinic line. Get there & you still need to go to pre-registration.
Just spent 30 min on phone trying to get seen urgently for my knee.
THREE Weeks from now.
Guess I'm going to the ER.
Call the office daily to see if they’ve had any cancellations. I bet you’ll get in.
I schedule for a group of Orthopedic doctors and this is so true!!......we have to ask a million questions and give tons of instructions before they get off the phone. Lol. And that is after i spend 5 minutes explaining what a referral is and after they finish complaining that I can't get them in tomorrow...😆
Ha! So many little nuggets of funny (Senna, "Jenny", and that godawful hold music! It makes me rage anymore! Lol) while accurately portraying a usual nightmare! Good one, Doc!
I thought I might be the only one who caught those
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the nuggets 😁
That hold music was on point! I recognized it right away
My greatest fear is not getting an appointment.
😬
Sadly, this is all too true!!! 😥❤️ I was calling medical facilities today for a friend because of her needing help with some serious medical issues. Even though I'm an RN, it wasn't easy getting to the right people. 😳
This is what it is like trying to get an appointment at any VA clinic! And, when you finally get to the right specialty, they either don't pick up or tell you that they have to call you back to make the appointment, and then they call back when you are otherwise disposed and the process starts all over again.
My greatest fear is having to make any kind of medical appt in a system like this (which is most of them at this point).
I can't believe it! He knows what we go through on the other side!
That song!!! It’s gonna be stuck in my head for the rest of the day!
No one can escape it 😅
@@Doc_Schmidt are you suggesting more than 1 hospital uses that evil hold music?
Yes! Evil is a good word. I know it’s hard to please the masses, but I have occasionally been on hold with companies who have some pretty good hold music and it’s always such a refreshing change.
@@lionbryce10101 hospitals, any government entity, insurance companies, need i go on?
@@lionbryce10101 It's the Cisco default hold music... basically, most people who haven't changed the hold music will have THAT. (And it's called Opus No. 1...)
"I'm sorry sir the social security number you've entered is for a woman named Jenny"
wait what
Rookie mistakes here: giving them your SSN and not having your insurance card with you
🎵Eight six seven five, three oh ni-ee-ine 🎵
I'm sorry sir the social security number that you have used is for a woman named Jenny lol
Similar to the experience with the ambulance service.... after calling 911 for a car accident you witnessed you get transferred to the ambulance service to repeat the information. And then getting asked for the ages and medical history of the accident victims. Oh, yeah, like I know their medical history.
Dear god !!
Basically, you just need to tell the ambulance to get out there and hang up to attend to the people.
Yikes. Glad I’m Canadian. When there’s a referral to a specialist, the specialist just calls me and tell me when my appointment is. Unless it’s through a hospital, then I call the hospital and find it very easy to get through to the right department and make an appointment :)
lucky!😉
My 6 year old recently had an upper endoscopy. After the results came in, the doctor started her on a new medication and said we should come back in 1 month for follow-up. Guess who doesn't have any openings for at least 2 months! 🤦♀️
And that hold music sounds exactly like ours. Now it's stuck in my head. 😅
This happens way too often... Usually a few times throughout the day, I have to call clinics to let them know of a critical (e.g. incidental malignancy) or time sensitive finding. Most often, the clinicians are quite appreciative and it's a feel good moment. But man... some clinics are awful like this skit and it is impossible to talk to a human being, let alone the referring clinician.
The practice I go to makes calling them as frustrating as possible to incentivize having you schedule online.
Yep. My neurologists office pushes using the portal for everything. Like to the point you will call, and they just tell you to use the portal and hang up on you. Like great, what part of "I sent a message about this on the portal and the reply told me to call this extension" makes you think I haven't used the portal? It took me four phonecalls to actually get through to them that I had because they kept just telling me to use the portal and hanging up as soon as I told them my name. I made a complaint, nothing changed.
I tried to call a family member who’s in a nursing home, the staff left me on hold for 45 minutes hoping I’d hang up
I used to work at a local nursing home. (The cook, I didn’t answer phones)
I’m sorry this happened.
It shouldn’t happen.
But I do know that at certain times of the day, the staff can be stretched very thin with all the residents wanting/needing cares at essentially the same time. Not all of our residents paid the extra to have a phone in their room and so some residents had to be brought to the telephone room.
Again, such an experience should not be happening… but when it does, it is not always because staff are being lazy. (Sometimes, but not always)
@@tanya5322 it is frustrating but I did call again later and got to talk to her.
To be fair, have worked in nursing home. Phone rang while attending fall in bathroom when he said roommate had chest pain.was giving nitro,doing vs,dressing wound,darting out to reassure dementia pt this wasn't her room, don't call police, taking her with me to call me, family, ambulance for chest pain. Diabetics we're clamoring for fingerstick so the could go eat. Pharmacy came to drop off...and you want me to answer a phone??
@@cherylcarlson3315 No, we want you to have more staff to attend patients
@@EveTater well,too late. Went inactive.
I am laughing as usual, Dr.Schmit is incredible and those wigs are super. This is so true about appointments. Like the way you address all topics.You are so awesome and appreciated kind Sir.Greetings from here in England. A tonic for sure. Thank you so very much. Kindest regards
Lmao! This reminds me of when my doctor referred me to be assessed for ADHD. I go through the whole new patient phone call with their office, until the admin starts asking me questions as though I'm a parent making this appointment for my child. I say, "No, I'm the patient. It's for me." Turns out, my doctor referred my 20-something self to a child psychiatrist 🙄
TBH they're probably the best fit for treating ADHD. My dad got his ADHD treated by a child psychiatrist.
@@AbsolXGuardian Yeah, except this one didn't accept adult patients :')
@@onlyinsomniac ooof. That's really something the doctor should have checked
@@AbsolXGuardian yep. I've been referred to doctors offices that aren't taking new patients, and even closed offices. One of the closed ones had actually moved, but I'm not driving over an hour to get to my primary care doc when there are like 15 in a 15 minute drive.
Hahaha Senna (glycoside), and the Walmart pharmacy waiting tone. Hahahaha
The waiting song sounds so familiar! I think it’s the same one they use for our hospital clinics
I sense a Dr. Glaucomflecken reference there with the wig and glasses. Love it!
This is ENTIRELY accurate 😂 I was the front desk who filled in "opt out" on all the extra demographics because arguing with the patient for information (completely irrelevant information that our medical providers absolutely were never going to use) that was often offensive for many demographics was not something I was wasting my or the patient's time on 💖
So true! I'll transfer you--the story of our lives when trying to get a doctor's appt.
I would rather do this than the forms. But when they want this AND forms? 🤯
I'm having Vietnam flashbacks from the hold music 😭 I don't know how other hospitals are but going through the VA is just being on hold for literal hours lol
In the uk you just go the doctors and they send out an appointment letter. You direct call them and you get an appointment that suits you. No money worries, no bill, no issue with what meds you get prescribed, no details needed.
This reminds me of trying to navigate the system in Quebec SO MUCH. C'ept I'm anglophone, so it's even MORE "fun"
The "music" for being on hold, gives me a trigger response... truly.
I have one day a week devoted to making calls, being put on hold, being transferred and finally weeping.
Love this video.
That hold music gives me so much anxiety 😂
😂That hold music is spot-on! I hate it and I hate the phone trees
SO TRUE, laughing almost out of control.
The waiting music is universal and i fear it alwayd
Still remember the day I decided to just leave the spots for SS# and Marital Status blank and...nothing happened.
OMG that hold music is giving me horrid flashbacks!
My doctor's office uses that music! My kid's doctor does! My obgyn does! That hold music haunts my dreams
That dial tone is the same worldwide! It’s the same here in Australia
This is sickeningly true.
First! Great content and so true for all medical centers in the world. Greeting from Germany! :D
Thank you and thanks for watching!
The Trust I work for in the UK uses the exact hold music for switch it gave me nam flashbacks of trying to get hold of vascular surgeons
What that clinic does not have commercials as part of the hold music.
Tip: have your primary care doctor send off a referral to the specialist's clinic, then the clinic will call you to set up the appointment.
I need a referral to psych because of that ringtone. Unfortunately, I incorrectly identified my last bm per the Bristol Scale, and got sent back to the Operator to start over.
So True!! The phone tree's are Hades!! lol.
My elderly client is hard of hearing so for her to hear press this press she's already confused. I only still once a week for 2 hours otherwise it falls on her family. But her son is also totally now and also hard of hearing. It's unreal frustrating that our medical system or so called system does this to people. Even more lovely for her as when they say you can use a portal. She doesn't use a computer not everybody does.
They'll even tell you to use the portal when you tell them "I used the portal and they told me to call". Like uhhhh, WHAT??
I am having a cardiac arrest from laughing 😂😂😂
That hold music…. 😂
The hold music 😂😂😂
1:33
THAT HOLD MUSIC!
Last time I tried to call, I was on hold for forty minutes and gave up.
Spiders???
Your greatest fear is obviously the Senna Hospital phone tree.
That is too funny! That is a bit over the top, even for him...BUT...HE IS HILARIOUS!!! And, some days, that interaction is so true! Greatest fear: getting stuck in the winding stairs of trying to make an appt with my opthamologist who is in a very large practice!! Or, spiders. #TRUEDAT!!
I wish I could LIKE this 1000 times
How universal is that waiting ringtone? Haha
Greatest fear... this medical appointment phone tree.
And that’s when he decided it may be easier to risk going blind
Stares in Jonathan
I thought the answer for the last "What's your greatest fear?" was going to be "Scheduling a doctor appointment over the phone." hee hee
That music is standard hospital hold music, isn't it? I just got hit with a wave of "Oh no..."
The really frustrating part is that this is not because of insurance companies or big pharma. It's stuff that absolutely could be solved on the local level but they just won't.
And then they wonder why I’m so rude on the phone!
That's about right. Almost always that way when making appt.
The one thing I find very interesting is if you really need to see a specialist like a surgeon or oncologist because you have a real urgent need(Biopsy proven Triple Negative Breast Cancer) you are in within 48 hrs .
If you were seen by a specialist like endocrine as an inpatient say for adrenal failure caused by Immunotherapy, you get outpatient follow up within a week.
If your Family Medicine doctor is trying to get you a new patient appointment with a Rheumatologist because you have seronegative joint pain the wait is at least six to nine month...you take that Celebrex Rx and pray for a miracle...enough cancellations that you get seen just a bit earlier.
If it makes you feel any better, rheumatology is one of the worst compensated specialties as well.
Also, they gave you Celebrex?! I had a couple of steroid packs and then Tylenol for 9 months while I waited for my rheumatology appointment, which was then rescheduled for three months later for unknown reasons.
On the plus side, once you’re in, you’re in, and scheduling is a little bit more reasonable.
Yep. I waited three months for my "emergency priority appointment" with neurology for my non-stop migraine. Which at least was better than the 10 months I'd originally been given. My referring doc had to call and beg for an earlier appointment.
Accurate!
Ey, that's my social security number you've t a k e n
Such excellence!!
Lol!!! Spot on
True story
We have to fill the form
You forgot calling peds versus adults and co insurance questions and we will send you a 15 page welcome packet that will take 2 hrs to complete that pretty much no one seems to read, and that’s when they don’t send you back to a doctor earlier in the line or with more authority in that domain etc etc
I call this the medical roulette game and with special needs kids I have played 100’s of hours of.
Then there is the no appointment in 2 yrs so no mychart access need to go back to pcp to get referral as a new patient when you have been there 20 times before. Etc etc etc oh and love how you can only book certain types of appointments for certain doctors online.
I know its not true but it frequently seems like they make the processes purposely difficult.
I had an appointment with a doctor yesterday at 2pm . I got there between 20-30 mins early. The university hospital I had to go to is 90 mins where I live . I was waiting in the waiting room for over an hour. They called me to wait for the doctor. Another pass by its almost 4pm rush hour is about to start . I haven't eaten lunch yet. I ask the nurse what's going on? They said she has a new patient needed extra whatever that means. They keep saying just to wait patiently until she is ready to see you. I got. Feud up with them and walk out. And this is the same university hospital I had to get some MRI and they forgot to tell me I needed blood work. So I had to leave home at 6:30 am to get to the hospital to get food and go home again for a 7 hour work shift . And when I got surgery telling me if I wanted to go home I needed to pee more than 10 times in three hours after I woke up from surgery.
That hold music triggered me
😂😂😂 make and model of car.
I like how ophthalmology obviously pays the staff better because they can afford beachy waves and sound slightly more upbeat.
I detest that muzak! And it's usually 10 minutes, not just 5! I really hate the auto recording " our menu options have recently changed, please, listen carefully" ,
and there is no number for "speak to a representative"...
I am acutely familiar with and hate that specific hold music. Yeeeeesh!!
you forgot the enormous co-pay because you had to go out of network.
What's your greatest fear?
Trying to get appointments.
"neonatal endocrine surgery" wow that really needs its own department.
Exactly what happened to me except was sent otolaryngology. So disgusted no one seems to have back line numbers. Bet opthalmologist wonders wht he never sees pts for follow up. My appointment is May
Omg scary accurate - I want to both laugh and cry at this, and I truly feel for our patients (and myself when I am one). On ANOTHER note - that's the wig, Ben. Last day wig. 😊
😅
The only thing that wasn't accurate were those hold times. Try 10-15 minutes per transfer lol. And that hold music from this video is the same one I get to hear all the time 😂
Senna hospital 😂😂
Dot-on frustrating!
Wait I didn’t know they all used this music
Where is the scribe?
😂😂😂