Hi Starz,

I have one doc that has email contact and I use that so I don't get caught up in the 3rd party talk back and forth. The problem with that for this particular doc is he is not very good about checking his email and responding. Sometimes there can be a considerable delay. HE prefers patients call him on his personal cell phone. I don't like to do that. I did call him one time (per his instructions) and he was in the car, driving his grandkids somewhere. EXACTLY, why I don't like to call him on his personal cell phone.

I have another doc that I send him a FAX. That way he knows exactly what I want to know, has time to review MY chart, and then he calls me back at HIS convenience. The funny thing is, he usually calls me back within 10-20 minutes of my sending the fax. If I called his office, he would return my call at the end of the day. This system works out well for both of us because I usually need to send him data with my question and he has it all written out in front of him. He also has time to prepare to speak to me and not just give me a quick off the cuff response to a question he is not expecting and without review of my specifics in front of him. This has been the best of all systems for my satisfaction. Nothing gets mis-communicated. The doc is prepared to speak to me and I to him.

And then there are the docs that are protected by their staff. NO ONE gets to talk to the doctor. There is NO way through the staff. First you have to tell the person that answered the phone WHY you are calling. Then you get transferred to another person. Then you tell THEM why you are calling. Then, they come back to the phone and tell you his nurse will call you. Then, you finally get a call from the nurse. She has been told why you called but for some reason, it is either NOT what you told others already, OR, you still have to tell the nurse. Then, she says she will need to speak to the doctor and then she will call you back once again. You get the long awaited call, hoping to have the answer you were seeking from the doctor, but the nurse does not address the concerns you relayed and you are left with only partial answers or none. So, you ask for more information or clarification or something and the whole process starts over again. THIS is my pet peeve. This is the system that drives me up a wall. What a waste of time for EVERYONE involved. How does THIS protect the doctor or save his time?

Then there is doctor #4 that has an inter-office system. The patient calls and the person on the receiving end, a staff member, maybe clerical, types into their computer system that you called. They supposedly write the nature of your call but it is never as you stated. This message is picked up by the doctor and HE does personally call back but he answers something different than the purpose of your call since the person typing the message got it wrong and shortened it and it was distorted in the process. While this is not my ideal system, at least it IS the doctor that calls me back PERSONALY, and not someone on the staff.

That is why speaking to the doctor PERSONALLY is one of my top priorities. I won't go into the horror story of how one doc of the past almost killed me due to all the third party miscommunications and his refusal to speak to patients on the phone at any time. My very last call to him was blocked by office personnel and I could only "leave a message". My message was: Please tell Dr. X to call me personally. I will NOT speak to his nurse or any other person. I wish to speak to HIM directly. If he is unwilling to do so, please inform him that I will take up my near death episode that he caused with the appropriate source and he and I will NEVER speak again.

He did call me PERSONALLY. I told him what he had done nearly caused my death. He told me to make an appointment and he would review my chart. I never saw nor spoke to him again. I have, however, received letters, over the years, from his office advising me that it is time for me to come in for an exam. HA HA As if I will EVER seek his care again. There is MY rant for today. That is also why I am so insistent that I not go through 3rd party back and forth. The mis-communications almost cost me my life on one occasion.