r/mildlyinfuriating • u/transfatpikachu • 1d ago

I just wanted a hot dog Doctor’s appointment scheduled at 9:00am, still waiting almost an hour later

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I have a lot of doctor’s appointments, and I know how busy and hard these people work. I’m not mad at them and I’d never be rude. I know it’s not on purpose. Nevertheless, it’s still a bit infuriating to make time for a scheduled appointment, arrive 15 minutes early (required), and then wait this long with not even an acknowledgment of the delay from anyone. Sigh. 9:55 now, still waiting.

Edit: I really appreciate all the comments! The doctor ended up coming in shortly after 10. This was a specialist ortho appointment for my shoulder. Still no acknowledgement of the delay, which would’ve been nice, but I’m more annoyed that my concerns were pretty much brushed off again during the whole 3ish minutes he spent with me. I know waits can get long, I wouldn’t care as much if the doctor had at least seemed somewhat concerned with my issue. Sigh… gotta love American healthcare!

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84

u/Dareboir 1d ago

VA has signs up saying “If waiting more than 15 minutes, notify front desk ASAP.”

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u/CDecker127 1d ago

I’ve never waited more than 5 minutes and sometimes I get called back early. Checking in with your phone is the best thing the VA ever implemented.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 1d ago

Oh well there you go, they've got a SIGN

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u/Dareboir 1d ago

They alarmed have people, and volunteers checking people who are waiting if they need assistance..

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u/Silaquix 1d ago

Yeah because it used to be that you'd wait all day and not get seen.

I remember years ago going into the urgent care side of my local VA because I was sick and needed antibiotics. It was just after 8 and the waiting area was full. I ended up waiting along with several other ppl until almost 5pm before anyone decides to see me. I had gone to the desk multiple times throughout the day and got ignored.

Suddenly when the pharmacy was closing and other departments were leaving and noticing so they looked bad, they could finally get to work.

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u/Dareboir 19h ago

Luckily it seems to be better.. not for sure how long with the shenanigans going on now.

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u/Lower_Pass_6053 17h ago

I got out in 2016 and never experienced the horror stories you hear about the VA. I had some complicated issues happen and have had multiple surgeries, it's always easy to get appointments and I never have to wait.

I live 2 hours from the va hospital and qualify for community care, but I just go to the va hospital whenever possible. I feel like i get excellent care there.

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u/Silaquix 1h ago

This was probably 2011. Around the time a bunch of horror stories about the VA were making national news. It took a lot of public outrage but they eventually overhauled the system. That's also around when the Veterans Choice Act was passed to allow for veterans to more easily access community care

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u/mesembryanthemum 20h ago

My oncology office has one that says 15 minutes. I had to for my first infusion: the nurse apologized profusely as she was gathering everything up. Since they rushed my first infusion to the next day after my first real oncology appointment (not just information gathering) I can believe she was a little frantic trying to make sure she had everything.

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u/Ketamouse 1d ago

What VA was that? Lol Ours had 2 appointment times for everybody 8am and 1pm. You showed up and got seen in the order you checked in.

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u/Dareboir 19h ago

Long Beach..

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u/Lower_Pass_6053 17h ago

How small is your hospital? Or is it a small clinic? I hae been to topeka, KCMO, and sioux falls. They all got specific times to be there.