I just finished reading an interesting article in Men's Health about something totally NOT health related: E mail etiquette. Good article talking about how certain E mail techniques can be perceived as insulting, improper or just a time waster.
So, why don't health care offices understand this concept?
Here's the thing: Very few people E mail with their doc. I'm not referring to that, but to that other "mail" that's a tecnological improvement over the Pony Express, a.k.a. Snail Mail. That is, for you novices, voice mail.
I called a physician's office at 11:50 a.m. today. I get a recording that says the office is closed every M-F from noon until 1 for lunch.
What time did I call? Oh yeah, 10 minutes BEFORE the lunch break. Did I have the option to have my call returned? Nope. Just a message saying call back during business hours.
I don't think I'm that much different than other people here. I don't like my time wasted. By taking an earlier than stated lunch break, my time was wasted by the office staff. Now, I have to call back after 1 instead of someone calling me back. A little thing? Yes, but having that option to leave a msg would have made a big (and positive) impresion on me.
And what happened when I called back at 1:23 p.m.? I press 1 to schedule an appointment...and, without ever speaking a word to a human being, stay on hold until after 1:35. Again, had I been able to leave a voice mail, an extra 10 plus minutes of my time would not have been wasted. Now that my time has been wasted on two separate occassions in one day...well, I'm thinking there needs to be an article like the E mail etiquette article in Men's Health. And who shall write it? Me. And I'll be on that soon.
In the meantime, though, if you're office staff can't get it together, please understand that it's making a bad impression on your patients.
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