Kitsakatsa Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 My mind is just spinning and I am getting so worked up that now I cannot sleep. I've been awake for 45 hours because of a wicked insomnia/stimulant cycle and I just cannot get over the fact that I am constantly battling the secretaries from my two doctor's offices. I am so frustrated that I just want to crumple up and cry. I have been calling and waiting for 3 weeks to get a message to my neurologist. Every time I call she says that she cannot remember what my message was about. Then, the internal med's secretary cannot seem to find the dictated letter- dictated over a week ago that I need to have the insurance cover my Scottsdale visit. And- the Scottsdale visit is over a year old because the secretary there processed it wrong!! This is just this week- every week something different!!!Isn't is sad that in America we have the most accessible healthcare and we are stopped at the front desk. All of the training, education, life-long committments and research towards the medical care that we have today and the whole thing is halted because a secretary at the front desk will not answer her phone, loses messages or just plain has an attitude. I have been a secretary in an extremely busy medical clinic before. There is no excuse for this inadequacy!! It has even gotten to the point with my internal med that the sec is going out of her way to make my life worse. She snickers and rolls her eyes whenever I set an appointment, and purposely (I think) miscommunicates messages to the doctor (I called about a hormone level, she told him that I wanted a pap smear- what?!!) I can't even talk to her on the phone- she stands over the receptionist and tells her "say this to her.. well, tell her this"? AAARGGG!I just want to either strangle the secretaries or just roll up in a ball and give up. What am I trying to get everything in order for to go to Mayo anyway- there will just be more secretaries there!!!Thank you for letting me vent. This has apparently been spinning around in me for a long time and now I feel very emotional about it. I don't know what to do. I've complained, faced them head on and the more I try to work with them, the more they seem to enjoy messing up my files, messages and thus life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steph37822 Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsakatsa Posted May 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Thank you. I feel a little more centered after getting alot of sleep and now better after reading your reply. I am always trying to be nice about this and I guess I just got to a point where all of the frustration and anger came out. I am going to do as you suggested and be more agressive. I'm also going to talk to the office managers tomorrow and say that I have not been comfortable with the way that I have been treated by the staff. There so many multi-faceted struggles with this syndrome. Each one is unique and takes some solving. Thank you for your support. I just needed a shoulder to lean on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsakatsa Posted May 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Oh, and I forgot- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miriam Poorman-Knox Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Perhaps you could communicate via. fax????/or e-mail, although thats not usually as good an idea. Miriam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Hi. One of my doctors is really hard to get in touch with and his secretary is totally non-responsive. One thing I did was get the email address for the doctor and things have been a lot better since then. I get responses very quickly. I'm not sure how far the doctor is from you, but it also might help to make an appointment or drop by the office. I think they are sometimes more responsive to a face than a voice (or at least they can't avoid you if you show up in person ).-Rita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsakatsa Posted May 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 Thank you everyone. These are good ideas for my strategic recon on the doctor's office (I'll get into camo and everything to overtake the enemy at the front desk!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted May 19, 2005 Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 I like that idea of just dealing with one secretary! Even in small offices there are usually several people who answer phone calls.My pcp has two phone assistants that deal with all phone calls. I made it a point of getting to know them and one understands more about me and my condition than the other. If I feel I am not getting "through" I ask for the doctor to call me back. The doctor wants for us to be able to communicate with the phone help and I think will help this process along for you after you address it with the doctor!best regards, tearose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 I generally tell them to stick it and I want to talk to the office manager....morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briarrose Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 I'm with Morgan! Office manager please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelby Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 I think that this is ineretesing. Here is how I am dealing with the secretary issue, I went to school to be one. I am hoping that if I can make a positive influance to others and share my horror stories with other people on how I was treated, at least to the secretaries, then maybe they will remember to think twice before being a pain. I will graduate with my degree in May of 2006 and I will be going to try to make a positive impact on the rest of the people around me and try to get them ot understand. Shelby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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