Doctor Appointments - 7 Ways to Get One Quickly

Being a medical receptionist at your doctor's office is not an easy job. The 'phones ring constantly. The receptionist is expected to prioritize requests for appointments so that people with urgent medical problems are seen before those who can afford to wait. Most days there are fewer available appointments slots than there are people calling to demand one of these fast appointments.

If you need to see your doctor quickly you have to convince the receptionist that you merit a fast appointment. Here are 7 ways to do this:

1. Speak calmly and courteously. Treating the receptionist like an obstacle or a being of lesser intelligence will not help your cause. Learn the receptionist's name in advance and use it when you call the office. "Hi Marilyn, this is Joan Smith calling..." You want to be seen as a fellow human being, not just another demanding, disembodied voice on the 'phone.

2. Be willing to describe your medical issue to the receptionist. They're trained to respect your confidentiality and the doctor expects them to assess appointment requests so that more urgent cases are seen first. When the receptionist asks, "Why do you need to see the doctor?" view this request for information as a golden opportunity to (persuasively) explain why you need to be seen quickly.

3. Describe your symptoms using objective details. When did the symptoms start? How high is the fever? Tell the receptionist if you have an underlying medical condition. A severe cough is a more serious symptom if you have chronic asthma.

4. Did your doctor tell you to come back if you experience "X" symptom? If so, tell the receptionist this because it means your request for an appointment is the doctor's idea. That's all any receptionist needs to justify giving you an appointment. Warning: Never lie about whether your doctor told you to come back. The receptionist will find out and your credibility will be destroyed.

5. If the receptionist does not agree that you need a fast appointment you may ask to speak to the doctor (or request that the doctor give you a call back) so you can describe your symptoms to him or her. Another idea is to respectfully ask the receptionist if they would please ask your doctor whether you should be seen quickly in view of your symptoms?

6. If your doctor is 100% booked (and has told the receptionist s/he'll be keel hauled if any unauthorized appointments are scheduled) then a good strategy may be to persuade the receptionist that you really need the appointment and then ask if you can see another doctor in the same practice?

7. If no one at your doctor's office can see you then your options are to wait until your doctor is available or seek treatment elsewhere. You may either attend a walk-in clinic or (if the problem is genuinely severe and urgent) the Emergency department at a local hospital. In these cases, it is especially important that you bring your health journal with you because no doctor will treat you without asking you for your basic medical history. If you're seen at an Emergency department, ask them to send a copy of any test results to your regular doctor's office.

Most medical receptionists are caring (if somewhat rushed) people who want to be helpful. However, there are exceptions. My daughter had a couple of bad experiences with a receptionist at our dentist's office. She was so annoyed that she quit going to that office. When I told my dentist what happened he was really troubled to hear about my daughter's experiences. His immediate response was, "We try to train people so that doesn't happen but sometimes problems occur. If she'd asked to speak to me I would have rectified the situation immediately." The lesson I took from this is that if you feel you've been reasonable but the receptionist has not, remain calm and discuss the matter with your doctor.

by virginia Menzie