Mad as a Hornet!

Hi All, I went for my pre-op appointment today and was supposed to be there at 8:45 am.  Because of the 2 to 3 inches of snow we got here yesterday I left home early because the roads were still a little messy.  I got to the Surgeons office at 8:00 am.  I sat there and watched 8:45 roll  by with two other patients in the lot waiting for someone to open.  I waited till 10:00 am and still no one came in to the office. 

   I left and went to the Mission weight loss center by the hospital and spoke to them.  They finally were able to get the Office manager for the Surgeons office on the phone and She said, " Oh, I don't know why he wasn't called to be told we wouldn't be open today".  The Lady at Mission told her there were other Patients there that told me they hadn't been called either.  She didn't have an answer for that.  I'm now thinking about calling the Administrator of Mission hospital and discussing this with them.  This is supposed to be a program of excellence and People from the Surgeons Office can't come in because of 2 inches of snow!  I informed them I had been faithfull on this liquid diet and my surgery had better not be put off or moved or someone would have to fight me!  Sorry for the rant guys but this has really ticked me off!  Hope everyone else is having a better day.

I cannot believe you waited until 10! I'd have been gone at 9, personally. 

Did they not have the closure on your local news? We had a number of closures here due to the snow, but I'd be beyond livid if I had shown up and the office had been closed and I'd not been called AND if they did not have it on the closure list. I always check that first.

I cannot imagine it impacting your surgery. Did you have a requirement to be weighed today or was this just a regular visit? If you are required to be weighed for insurance or your doctor, I'd hoof it back to the hospital have them weigh you and document the results on their letterhead TODAY. If it was just a regular check in, I'd call tomorrow. 

Additionally, I would write a letter of complaint to your surgeon, the practice manager and the hospital. I have found that hospitals want to know when there are issues with care for doctors that have privileges at their facilities.

I'm so sorry, that's ridiculous.  Unfortunately, the criteria for being a Center of Excellence doesn't include good customer service.  It doesn't include a lot of things you'd think it would, actually.

I would definitely complain to someone in charge.  Someone should have been responsible for notifying patients that their appointments would need to be changed.  And I certainly  hope it doesn't affect your sugery date.

Tim, I am so sorry.  I can't imagine how I would be feeling at this point.  I'm hoping your day turns around.

Ugggh that SUCKS!!! How many appts are required through out your liquid phase? Will you be able to meet tomorrow or Friday instead?

Just keep in mind you are going to have surgery. You have worked hard.So it will pay off.It really sucks that they did this to you though.Thankfully you got there without being in a accident there were so many I saw on Tv.

"Customer Service" seems to be a thing of the past.  I went to a confirmed appointment with the doctor who does the sleep study.  Went in on a miserable day, and was told the doctor was off for the week.  They said a letter went out.  I told them I received a letter and a phone call confirming the appointment.  They didn't care - it was just "Oh well, we have to reschedule"  -- other people came in after me too -- so no one received a letter.  I was LIVID too - but it's just too bad for the patient.  

I've already been approved and I've met all my required appointments, so no problems there.  It's just so ridiculous to close a medical office for two inches of snow and not notify your Patients.  They will be discussing this with me, trust me on that.

Since the south has been slammed with bad weather and many business and office closures and officials have been warning people to stay off the roads, a reasonable option would have been to call first to see if the office was going to be open. As you sat waiting, did you call the office to see if there was a message posted on the answering service regarding the closure.

It's unfortunate you did not think of that and equally unfortunate that the staff did not notify you.  However, since everyone was aware of the hazards of driving, I don't think this rose to the level of professional incompetence or merits sending angry letters.  Everyone has to make adjustments when weather conditions are severe.