Your appointment is only 10 minutes long...

[qt2168]

My mother does not like going to the doctor so to get her there is a big ordeal. She had had a bunch of little things that should have been seen by a doctor but she puts it off. When she started getting numbness in her left hand I made her go to the doctor. Well actually she visits a NP. I usually prefer the NP because they seem to have more time and really listen to you. I encourage my mother to write her problems on a little note card before we go so she will not forget anything. When we got there my mom started on her list and after 2 issues the NP stopped her and said " your appointment is only 10 minutes long so we need to wrap this up" THIS SHOCKED ME! It has been a few days and I am still upset... really upset. My mother did not get to finish telling her what her medical problems were and she is now double reluctant to go to a doctor because now she doesnt even want to go to the NP anymore. Im just upset and frustrated but what I am really looking for is for some ideas on how to deal with this. I really want to send the NP a letter or somthing but would not know what to say. I love my mom a lot and just want her to take care of herself and this NP really SUCKS. Any ideas on what I should say in the letter or what I should do? Thanks for any help.

[nursel56]

If they are completely different areas like a hurt ankle from a fall 6 months ago, clogged ears for the past 2 months, and wanting an std check, I don't even think House can have a diagnosis where those would be related. LOL

:fnypst: :chuckle:chuckle

OP, I would agree that a letter pointing out how you and your mother were upset by her communication style (rude) would be a good idea. I know that for me, if I'm still disturbed by something after a few days to think about it, I need to address it.

[qt2168]

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could word this letter?

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

My doctor's office lets you make extended appointments if required.

[Katie82, RN]

This issue is a classic example of attempting to charge the maximum allowed in return for the minimum amount of effort. I worked as a Practice Administrator for several years for a large Healthcare System. I was always under pressure from above to insure that my docs saw 22 - 25 patients a day while delivering above-grade customer service. Impossible. Don't blame the providers, they hate it too. I finally left that job because I felt I was being forced to place the corporate need above the patient. I am now a Case Manager and advocate for the very patient that I delivered care to. Two of my tasks are Utilization Review and QA. I monitor my patient's claims data for compliance and am always amazed how a system can get away with charging for a Level IV Office Visit (30 min. 2-problem focus) for every single 10 minute patient they see. I don't blame the healthcare systems, however. PCP practices receive the lowest reimbursement in the feeding scale, and are the costliest to run. Healthcare reform needs to focus on recruiting more docs to Family Medicine and paying them better.