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How often do you encounter phantom appointments?
What are phantom appointments? They’re patient visits that are nowhere on your schedule.
I’m not talking about someone who shows up on the wrong day or time. That’s at least partially understandable. I’m talking about people who you have no record of but say they have an appointment.
The first impression is to assume they’re scheduled with someone else in the building or another neurologist in my area, but they’ll often pull out a crumpled sheet of paper with my name and address on it, and a time circled.
Where on Earth do these people come from? I have no clue. When asked who made the appointment, it’s always “They made it for me,” or “They told me to be here.” It’s never clear who “they” are. These folks almost never can give you the name of their referring doctor, or who they spoke to. I’m a pretty small office here, just me and my secretary, so there aren’t many people here to talk to.
These aren’t common, maybe a handful per year, but generally unpleasant when they occur. If they happen to show up when I’ve got a gap in the schedule, I’ll try to see them, but the majority end up being turned away. We always offer to make an appointment for them, but most leave, usually angry.
I suspect some were referred for cognitive issues, which partially explains the confusion. Others may be doing it intentionally, hoping that they’ll be seen. (I suspect these are the minority.) Misinterpreted information from other offices likely plays a big part. Perhaps they were given my name and info by another office and told to make an appointment. Somehow, a time for something else got mixed in on the same sheet … and they show up here.
Although they are a minor annoyance on the scale of daily office goings-on, these patients are still a problem. Most are angry and frustrated, as they want to see me. Some are willing to schedule an appointment, but most aren’t. The awkward situation interrupts the routine flow of check-ins and phone calls, and it certainly isn’t something anyone waiting in the lobby wants to overhear. Oftentimes, I have to go up front to handle it, taking me away from a patient. In cases when the patient was referred by another doctor, they might call that office to complain.
It’s a losing situation for all involved. I wish there was some way to prevent them, but their uncertain nature makes it impossible.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.
How often do you encounter phantom appointments?
What are phantom appointments? They’re patient visits that are nowhere on your schedule.
I’m not talking about someone who shows up on the wrong day or time. That’s at least partially understandable. I’m talking about people who you have no record of but say they have an appointment.
The first impression is to assume they’re scheduled with someone else in the building or another neurologist in my area, but they’ll often pull out a crumpled sheet of paper with my name and address on it, and a time circled.
Where on Earth do these people come from? I have no clue. When asked who made the appointment, it’s always “They made it for me,” or “They told me to be here.” It’s never clear who “they” are. These folks almost never can give you the name of their referring doctor, or who they spoke to. I’m a pretty small office here, just me and my secretary, so there aren’t many people here to talk to.
These aren’t common, maybe a handful per year, but generally unpleasant when they occur. If they happen to show up when I’ve got a gap in the schedule, I’ll try to see them, but the majority end up being turned away. We always offer to make an appointment for them, but most leave, usually angry.
I suspect some were referred for cognitive issues, which partially explains the confusion. Others may be doing it intentionally, hoping that they’ll be seen. (I suspect these are the minority.) Misinterpreted information from other offices likely plays a big part. Perhaps they were given my name and info by another office and told to make an appointment. Somehow, a time for something else got mixed in on the same sheet … and they show up here.
Although they are a minor annoyance on the scale of daily office goings-on, these patients are still a problem. Most are angry and frustrated, as they want to see me. Some are willing to schedule an appointment, but most aren’t. The awkward situation interrupts the routine flow of check-ins and phone calls, and it certainly isn’t something anyone waiting in the lobby wants to overhear. Oftentimes, I have to go up front to handle it, taking me away from a patient. In cases when the patient was referred by another doctor, they might call that office to complain.
It’s a losing situation for all involved. I wish there was some way to prevent them, but their uncertain nature makes it impossible.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.
How often do you encounter phantom appointments?
What are phantom appointments? They’re patient visits that are nowhere on your schedule.
I’m not talking about someone who shows up on the wrong day or time. That’s at least partially understandable. I’m talking about people who you have no record of but say they have an appointment.
The first impression is to assume they’re scheduled with someone else in the building or another neurologist in my area, but they’ll often pull out a crumpled sheet of paper with my name and address on it, and a time circled.
Where on Earth do these people come from? I have no clue. When asked who made the appointment, it’s always “They made it for me,” or “They told me to be here.” It’s never clear who “they” are. These folks almost never can give you the name of their referring doctor, or who they spoke to. I’m a pretty small office here, just me and my secretary, so there aren’t many people here to talk to.
These aren’t common, maybe a handful per year, but generally unpleasant when they occur. If they happen to show up when I’ve got a gap in the schedule, I’ll try to see them, but the majority end up being turned away. We always offer to make an appointment for them, but most leave, usually angry.
I suspect some were referred for cognitive issues, which partially explains the confusion. Others may be doing it intentionally, hoping that they’ll be seen. (I suspect these are the minority.) Misinterpreted information from other offices likely plays a big part. Perhaps they were given my name and info by another office and told to make an appointment. Somehow, a time for something else got mixed in on the same sheet … and they show up here.
Although they are a minor annoyance on the scale of daily office goings-on, these patients are still a problem. Most are angry and frustrated, as they want to see me. Some are willing to schedule an appointment, but most aren’t. The awkward situation interrupts the routine flow of check-ins and phone calls, and it certainly isn’t something anyone waiting in the lobby wants to overhear. Oftentimes, I have to go up front to handle it, taking me away from a patient. In cases when the patient was referred by another doctor, they might call that office to complain.
It’s a losing situation for all involved. I wish there was some way to prevent them, but their uncertain nature makes it impossible.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.
