Back in January I came down with whatever had been going around in my office and was sicker than I could remember being in a VERY long time.
Congestion, fever, persistent cough...it was awful!
One Monday it got so bad I decided to seek medical treatment.
I called my doctor's office to see if I could go in THAT DAY and was told that I couldn't be seen until the FOLLOWING TUESDAY. What?!?
I said, "Ok. How 'bout ANY of the doctors in the office. I'll see whoever is available."
The receptionst responded by telling me that ALL of the doctors were unavailable and the SOONEST I could be seen by MY doctor was EIGHT DAYS away.
WOW!!!
I was super sick and needed to be seen PRONTO. Eight days wasn't gonna cut it.
Ultimately, I ended up going to urgent care. It took about a month for whatever I (and the rest of my office) had to FINALLY go away COMPLETELY, but it did.
Now we fast forward to TODAY.
Although I am overweight, I am blessed with good health.
No DIABETES.
No HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
No HIGH CHOLESTEROL.
Just in overall good health.
I don't take good health for granted though, so I decided to call and make an appointment for my annual physical, just to make sure that everything is still functioning as it should.
Well...here we go again!
I called to schedule my appointment and the EARLIEST that my doctor can see me is TWO MONTHS from now...TWO MONTHS!!! That's CRAZY!!!
This caused me to wonder.
What in the heck is going on?
Why are the waits so long now?
Is this a result of the Affordable Care Act?
I am simply BAFFLED and BEFUDDLED.
Anywhoo...I'm thankful that nothing is ailing me at this time. Although if it were, I'm sure (or at least I would HOPE) that I could be seen before two months time.
Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have YOU noticed longer wait times for appointments with YOUR doctor? If so, what's the LONGEST you've had to wait to get in?
Talk to me!
Til next time...
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In concert with the ACA and roll out of electronic medical records, many practitioners retired. Additionally, many closed their private practice and became employees of larger groups such as Kaiser or HealthCare Partners. Those who could afford it now only accept PPO or cash payment. While ACA enhanced care for many, it also devastated others. As an employer, I must offer benefits however as a small business I do not have the "buying power", thus my rates are higher. I feel for my employees because while I pay 50%, it is very expensive for a family plan. Then to pay hundreds of dollars per month, have months of waiting for an appointment and co-pays of $20-$30 is not what the end user wanted. I could go on...but we'll just wait to see what November brings.
ReplyDeleteWell I can't speak for every doctor, but mine only works 3 days a week! Monday, Tues & Thursday. With that kinda of schedule I am not surprised with the delay in getting appointments! If you are in the Kaiser network, I hear that wait time is standard, not sure why, but everyone I know with Kaiser complains about how long it takes to get an appt.
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