Phone tree frustrations for patients

Anonymous865 · Apr 30, 2016

I hate phone trees. Fortunately I haven't encountered phone trees with health care yet.

I hope you write a letter of complaint to the organization regarding your experience. Maybe you will make it so the next patient doesn't experience the same frustrations you did.

I hope you are feeling better now.

Boomer MS, RN · Apr 30, 2016

I had minor surgery, tried to call for better nausea medicine, and really had a hard time getting through due to phone tree. It took hours, meanwhile not able to keep down pain pills, it was stressful and frustrating.
Companies have gone to phone trees obviously to save overhead. Doctors offices basically patient dump on ERs because they don't want to make themselves available, are too busy and have too many unfunded mandates. The hospital where I got my surgery is an enormous institution with a great ability to save life and limb through marvelous, high tech interventions. Yet, when I had a simple post surgical problem, I was almost forced to visit my local ER to deal with a minor problem.

This is egregious. When you are feeling better, I hope you do write a letter to the CEO with a CC: to your attending physician and the nurse manager of the facility. I am huge proponent of writing letters, whether they be complaints or letters of praise, both which I've written. As I keep saying, this is commonsense in order to take care of the patient. Any patient. I feel disheartened hearing yet another story when a patient was let down. Forgive me for my frustration. In the mean time, I do hope your nausea and pain are now under control. These experiences make us more empathetic to our patients, don't they? :-))

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Apr 30, 2016

I've been fortunate. My primary care doctor has a receptionist that always answers the phone within 3 rings or so during business hours, and outside of business hours has her cell phone number on voicemail for emergencies. My specialists all have EMR's linked to patient portals that I can email them through with non-emergent complaints, and someone will address within a business day.

Boomer MS, RN · Apr 30, 2016

I've been fortunate. My primary care doctor has a receptionist that always answers the phone within 3 rings or so during business hours, and outside of business hours has her cell phone number on voicemail for emergencies. My specialists all have EMR's linked to patient portals that I can email them through with non-emergent complaints, and someone will address within a business day.

And this is the way it should be. Overwhelming nausea, however, needs to be addressed sooner than within a business day.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Apr 30, 2016

And this is the way it should be. Overwhelming nausea, however, needs to be addressed sooner than within a business day.

Yes, agreed. Post op patients need a quick and reliable way to get in touch with their provider.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 30, 2016

- "do you have any questions?"

- "yes, what is the DIRECT phone number to reach you or any of your practice associates on call in case I need it? This one? No, sorry, I am asking about a DIRECT one. Why? Because I do not want to go to ER for possible minor problems such as (...)".

Showing them that you know what you are doing and talking about and just will not procede with anything till you have backup usually solves the problem. Hard lesson learned after dental work gone totally wrong.

P.S. intractable postoperative nausea/vomiting is a very legible reason for visiting the nearest ER. I would hate it myself, but if things go the way that a shot of Zofran is needed to cut the circle open, then so be it.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · May 5, 2016

Phone trees are the devil. Years ago (and I mean MANY years ago), I had heard on the radio that some companies were using a system that could detect cursing by the caller, and then transfer them directly to a live person to improve customer service satisfaction...this has not proved even remotely true in recent times for me.

I used to have a doctor that was part of a big clinic. The clinic got too big for its one name. The wait time to be polite and call the clinic to cancel an appointment that I (or another family member) was unable to make was 30 minutes minimum. To call and request a call back or script was the same wait that may or may not result in a call back/script that day...but maybe a week later. I called specifically because I was vomiting and needed something to calm it down. I had problems with my GI tract that the doctor was aware of and sometimes it just comes and goes for a few days. I was willing to go in if necessary. I stressed to the woman who took the message that I needed a call back that day regardless. It was a Friday afternoon. She told me she would make sure of it. No call and no script. Over the weekend I was miserable but was fine by Monday. Thursday that week I get a call from Publix telling me that my script was ready for pickup...ah, thanks, I'll save it for next time???

Insurance companies are also fun. One of mine in the past had a thing for trying to deny everything. I would call them and explain to them that it was covered and why...after waiting in the cue for over 45 minutes. Of course it would usually take a few calls to actually take care of the issue that I originally called about in the first place. I swear if I was one of the poor elderly people who have memory impairment I may have had trouble remembering what I was calling about or why by the time someone picked up. Sometimes I think the wait time is a way to get us to give up and just accept the denial. However, when I call anyone and get the operator and say that all I want to do is pay my bill I get someone immediately.

Boomer MS, RN · May 5, 2016

nsurance companies are also fun. One of mine in the past had a thing for trying to deny everything. I would call them and explain to them that it was covered and why...after waiting in the cue for over 45 minutes. Of course it would usually take a few calls to actually take care of the issue that I originally called about in the first place. I swear if I was one of the poor elderly people who have memory impairment I may have had trouble remembering what I was calling about or why by the time someone picked up. Sometimes I think the wait time is a way to get us to give up and just accept the denial. However, when I call anyone and get the operator and say that all I want to do is pay my bill I get someone immediately.

HA! Well stated. I agree.