Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine

Every patient has experienced this, leaving a message at the doctor’s office, expecting the doctor to call back. They never do, or worse, they call much too late. You’re frustrated, stressed, angry and just confused. Really, how hard is it to call back with an answer?

Responding to you calls, questions and concerns is part of a doctor’s job, but with so much on their plates, it’s often one of the first jobs to be put aside for later consideration. To make sure you set your doctor up for success and ensure a return answer, I’ve provided the following tips:

1. Make certain that you immediately follow-up any unanswered message with calls to the receptionist, medical assistant, nurse, or office manager. Tell them that you are very disappointed at the failure to get a call back.

2. Discuss the failure to call back with the physician when you are in for your next appointment.  Ask for suggestions about how to get the office to call back more rapidly.  Does the office prefer faxed or traditionally mailed correspondence? Do they use a messaging system, such as email (which, by the way, is not HIPAA protected). Make sure you know how to effectively reach the office.

3. If you’ve tried the previous tips and you’re still not hearing back from  your doctor, it may be time for you to get a second opinion and doctor. I have ten commandments regarding when and how to geta second opinion that I discuss in book Surviving American Medicine. Two of these center around lack of communication.  Failure to get back to you in time can sometimes be life threatening, so making certain that you have found a doctor and his office  that will respond to you in a timely fashion (within a day!) is most important.