This is why doctor offices irritate me:
February 2, 2012I received a letter in the mail yesterday that looks like this:
January 27, 2012
To the Parents/Guardian of:
Alexander
(address here)
We’re sorry we missed you!
Your provider, Dr. So-and-so, has asked us to schedule an appointment for you with the Ophthalmology Department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
We’ve left several messages for you at the phone number we were given, but we haven’t heard from you. Now we think you may not want this appointment, so we won’t try calling you again.
However, if you would like an appointment after all, please call us at —– weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and any of our schedulers can help you.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
The Staff of the Connection Center
sal
CC: Joe So-and-so, MD
______________________________________________________________________________________
So, I put the following letter into the mail this morning:
February 2, 2012
Dear Staff of the Connection Center,
My provider, Dr. So-and-so asked you to schedule an appointment for my son, Alexander with the Opthalmology Department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Lebanon, New Hampshire. You left me several messages.
I did not return your phone calls. To be more specific, I called you four times. My son Alexander had his 5th year annual exam on Monday, September 26th. The following day Dr. So-and-so made the referral for Xander to your office. On Wednesday, September 28th, I called your office to confirm that you had received the referral. The office assistant informed me that you had received the referral, but that the calendar had not yet ‘opened up’ to book the appointment and I would likely hear from you next month.
So I waited. On October 26th, I called again. The office assistant informed me that the calendar had not yet ‘opened up’ and that they had just finished booking the referrals from August, so I should hear back from your office next month.
So I waited some more. On November 16th, I called your office again. Once again, the office assistant informed me that the calendar had not yet ‘opened up ‘ for January, but I should hear from someone soon.
So I waited some more. On December 15th, I called again. This time the office assistant I spoke with was new. She was not familiar with the referral process, but offered to transfer me to another office assistant who was apparently at lunch, but she assured me I would receive a call back that afternoon.
On Wednesday, December 21st, I still had not received a return phone call. So to review, I called your office once a month for four months. Each time, I was told the calendar was not yet ‘open’. Finally, after the fourth month, I felt a little silly. My son is in a full day kindergarten program. He is active and busy all day every day. If his vision was a problem, I decided I could no longer wait for a calendar to open up. I called Dr. So-and-so’s office and asked for a new referral. One of the nurses gave me some names and numbers of a few offices in the area. I called a local optometrist and booked an appointment for the very next day.
Dr. Eyes was wonderful with Xander. I could not have been more pleased with the exam and the service we received through his office. Ultimately I decided my son’s needs were better met by someone who could actually take the time to see him. Your office blew me off for four months before finally getting around to calling me. Dr. Eyes’ office scheduled an appointment for my son the day after I called. It turns out Xander’s vision is 20/30. Nothing to worry about this year, and we will return to Dr. Eyes’ office again next year for a follow up.
I appreciate your note, but I definitely do not need your assistance and will not be calling to set up an appointment.
Sincerely,
Sara
The Parent/Guardian of: Alexander
CC: Joe So-and-so, MD
