[Vailgang]

I would like to hear some of the excuses that your patients come up with when they are late for their appointments or when they want a refill on their pain medication before it is time. I think this will be an interesting post. I will start.....

The other day a lady came in, she had a 1:30 appointment, it was 3:15. Can she be seen? Well, if her appointment was at 1:30 why was she so late?, she forgot. I said no. Then she continued to beg and say that she waited three months for this appointment. The front office asked me again, can she be seen? The lady failed to mention that the reason the appointment was booked so far out was that she was going to germany and this was the soonest she could come in...... It just amazes me.

Next day, another patient that came in the day before calls, could you please just call in my prescription (pain medication) to the pharmacy I forgot my script at home and would like to pick it up on my way home from work. NO

Please share yours... I am sure that they will make us all laugh

[MrsK1223]

We get all kinds of excuses in our offices. This particular incident wasn't so much about his excuse as it is about his behavior after the fact. This man comes in, someone we have seen before and have had similar problems with him, an hour and half late, right before we close for lunch...stands at the check in window talking on his cell phone and a few people in the waiting room. He stays on this phone for several minutes and our receptionist is getting impatient as his behavior is very rude and other patients are trying to turn in their paper work. He signs his name on the check in paper and sits down...then the receptionist calls his name and tells him he's over an hour and half late and needs to fill out new paper work and that he will have to come back after lunch...(remember this man has done this before). He gets very rude and starts arguing as to why it matters whether he was here at 10am or 11:30...that he's a long time patient. The receptionist had already told us he was here and as a group with the doc, was going to make him wait till after lunch, which we doing as a courtesy instead of making him reschedule altogether. He continues to argue and finally the receptionist tells him to leave or she will call the police.... He left but stood outside our office on his cell phone and acted strange. He was sent a letter giving him the name of another physician that can take him...for continuity of care.... We've had several we've had to call the police on...we get some real wackos!!!!

We get alot of people saying they lost their scripts, which who is to say they didn't but it happens alot. And a lot that want refills on meds we gave them over a year ago and we haven't seen them since.

I'll ponder on some other nice office incidents and come back and share them later.

[melsay]

The "My car was broke into and they stole my Percocet" is one of many I have heard. Also, "During the flood, I dropped my Methadone in the water and they got ruined"
When asking the patient for a police report for the "stolen" meds, she replied..."well, it was my boyfried that stole them , and I didn't want to get him into trouble"....(think he may have shared w/ her?)....lol
Also, never fails....when we refer certain patients to a surgeon for whatever pain they are having, they somehow "know" when that surgeon who has been prescribing their narcs is out of the office...lol, they always call us w/ the same sob story "But Dr. so-and-so is out of town for 1 week and I ran out yesterday"...ummmm, too bad, shoulda thought about that yesterday. Hate to be crude, which I know some ppl have legit pain, but the ones who are seeking stereotypes all. What a wonderful world we live in

[Roozeyk]

Ever notice the ones who "couldn't get a ride b/c they live so far from the clinic" live just a few block away from the facility?
One time in a Peds clinic I worked in....the Mom came in with her child...(late for an appointment of course)..got her panties in a big bunch and started demanding to be seen right then, so...the Receptionist very politely, but just loud enough for the full waiting room to hear her...."Well, remember, you were late for your appointment, so if you would like to tell the other patients that came on time, that your visit is more important than theirs, and they all agree, then we'll go ahead and see you ahead of them...hhmmm that went over well....hee hee. She had to wait, the sad part is, it's the child that had to wait too.

[Nurse Ratched]

Got a kid who comes into the office at least monthly because of his medication, and it's a full Broadway production every single time. I'd heard about him and the elaborate stories he concocts about why he is ALWAYS late - and it's never 5 or 10 minutes - it's always by two hours (and why shouldn't he be late - he is always seen anyway - no consequences, no altered behavior.)

I happened to get him the previous month and he just looked like I'd sprouted a second head when I told him he needed to be rescheduled. Started going into why he was late. Informed him I considered it a no-fault situation - the reason WHY he was late was irrelevant; he needed to reschedule. He was on time for his next two appointments .

[Hellllllo Nurse]

When pts are late to the dialysis clinic, their dialysis time is shortened. So are their lives as a result, I'm sure.

But, the pts who got there on time deserve to get their full tx, and they wouldn't if we don't cut back the time of the late ones.

[Jenn CLPN]

I work in a Rheamatology office. We have MANY patients on narcs and it drives me crazy. One time a woman came in with 3 little kids. It was way to soon for her Oxycodone refill, she had an excuse that she lost the script when her purse was stolen. She refused to leave so we had to call the police. Unfortunetly her kids had to witness that. Sometimes i wonder if people are selling the drugs on the streets. The ones i question are the ones who get irate when you tell them NO!