I have been trying to get an appointment for my dad who lives in assisted living. First they had to have a referral from the primary - fine, not unusual. Then, after the referral, they wouldn't even make an appointment until they received his medical records from the primary. And the receptionist wasn't nice about it either. Then, after I made sure all that had been done, I called for an appointment and was told that they would review his medical records and call the primary care doc with the appointment - not me, but the primary doc. Really? I asked. What if it doesn't work with my schedule? They you have to call back and reschedule, she says. So are we talking a week, two weeks, a month? They'll look at the records tomorrow and then let your primary know. At that point, I was done and found another pulmonologist in town that actually treated me like a person, and the reason he was in business. I'm stunned at the bureaucratic nonsense the medical practice embraces, and how little concern they have for the patient. Apparently they are so concerned about wasting their time, that they forgot that the patient's time is valuable as well.
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