So, today I go to the Dr.'s office for a routine follow-up on treatments I've gotten in the past, and to check a few new minor issues.  I'm there on time, actually a few minutes early, which it turns out is a very good thing as my Dr.'s office policies have been changed again recently with them getting to be really nasty about missed appointments or late arrivals for appointments.  In the future, missed appointments will be $50 charges, and arriving later than 10 minutes after scheduled appointment times will be classified as a missed appointment requiring a reschedule.  :eek:  :shocked smiley:

I understand that the Dr. has a busy schedule, as do most of the Dr.'s in this one's specialty (at least in my area).  Getting an appointment for my original issue was a quite interesting and trying affair, with the earliest appointments I could get at least 6 months to a year off, and many of the Dr.'s turning away patients saying they couldn't accept any new patients.

Anyway, presented with the form to sign acknowledgement of the new policies I read it (I think that may have shocked the receptionist a bit, but I don't just blindly sign things, I read them first and determine if it is in my best interest to sign them, or if I might have a choice or alternative to consider) and signed it.  Though I'm not always the most punctual individual, I do try hard and normally do get to my Dr.'s office on time or slightly early, so I think I can handle getting there on time.  Besides, the intent of the policy is to make sure that the Dr. can stay on schedule and see the patients that he has scheduled in a timely manner.  Potentially opening up time on his busy schedule to handle patients he otherwise might not get to see.  In other words, it should be a good thing.

Anyway, I'm called for my appointment, apparently by an assistant in training.  I swear that every time I ever go to this particular Dr. he's training someone new.  No worries as the assistant that was working with the Dr. previously came in checked up to help lead the new-hire through settings things up for my visit.  She was able to clarify for the new-hire exactly what I was being seen for today, including the new issues, and with her help I was just about ready to be seen.  At that point the senior assistant says that the Dr. has a new PA (Physicians Assistant) type that is interning and in order to get me processed faster they would have the new PA provide service today.  Um, sure, ok.  Gets me out faster, gets the Dr. on to other things, and in reality nothing that was being done today was out of the ordinary or really required follow-up from the Dr. himself.

The non-practicing assistants get ready to leave the exam room, tell me to go ahead and remove clothing as necessary for exam, and that the PA will be there shortly.  Sure enough, within a few minutes of getting prepped, there she was.  She checks the chart asks a couple of quick questions about what brought me to the office, have I been following the Dr.'s advice, etc.  She then proceeds to administer treatment for the issues at hand and finally finishes up.  Some minor mention of stay on course, come back on regular schedule, and thats it.  Or at least that seems to be it.  Maybe.  Kinda.  Sorta.

That's where I'm little stuck and not sure how I'm supposed to proceed as the PA left the room and didn't say anything along the lines of we're done, please get dressed, see the receptionist, pay for service and schedule your next visit.  Just sort of a an awkward pause that left me wondering if the Dr. was going to check on me (the non practicing assistants had said if necessary the Dr. would follow-up if the PA found anything of concern) or if I was done and should be leaving.

The Dr. himself is a bit disorganized at times too, and seems bad at following up on things that get mentioned quickly and then seem to be lost along the way.  From one visit to the next, he seems not to recall having discussed something, and/or leaves questions unanswered as to what exactly should be happening on future visits, or how exactly he'd like to follow-up on an issue that might have been getting treatment.  Just a bit lacking in the thoroughness of the communication with the patient.

So, where exactly is that anonymous feedback form as I do believe I'd like to fill it out and offer some feedback that might help tell the Dr. how he needs to improve and/or how his assistants need to improve.  I'd offer it non-anonymously but you just don't know how it would be taken and if the concerns wouldn't instead be taken wrong.