Doctor Nonsense

Why is it than when you need to see a specialist because YOUR DOCTOR referred you, that the standard wait time is 3 weeks?

What is it about 3 weeks that makes doctors think (or rather, doctor offices think), "oh, that patient who's being referred to me...they can wait about a month to get in.  Just because they're referred to me, doesn't mean that I actually need to see them any time soon."

Now, you can raise all hell with your own referring doctor and get them to pressure the specialist to get you in earlier, because, SHOCKING, they actually have plenty of appointments in the next few weeks- it's just that you weren't viewed as "important" enough to warrant one of those closer appointment times.

But why should you have to?

Some things, like hormones, for example, will be completely different in three weeks!  So, what happens is that, after getting the appointment, and then taking the time off from work, and then going for the ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS "I'm a specialist" appointment, you go to have some blood work done or an x-ray or some other test....

...and they don't see anything.

BECAUSE THEY WAITED TOO LONG!

Now you have to wait for the problem to happen AGAIN and go back in AGAIN and hopefully get another appointment when it's your illness is actually happening!

It's an absolute crock of poo!

Frankly, what surprises me the most is that the HMOs are ok with this approach.  They're really rolling the dice when it comes to increasing disease severity with increased wait times.  I'm actually, also, shocked that they don't mandate that you have all of the blood work and tests done BEFORE going to see the specialist so that you don't have to have the stupid, "I'm a specialist, isn't that nice?" appointment for twice the regular co-pay.  When you get to the specialist, you should actually be seen for, heaven-forbid, the illness that you have with the full compliment of test results so that the specialist can look at what the diagnostician said is the matter with you and console you with the result.

People of the US:  START MANDATING SMARTER HEALTHCARE!