Secrets to a smooth doctor's visit

Filed in archive Miscellany on November 1, 2005

An insider's guide to your doctor's visit:

Best time of day to have an appointment: In most cases, early in the morning or right after lunch, before the doctor has a chance to get too far behind. But remember that surgeons and obstetricians, for example, may get caught up in a procedure and might not be on time even then.

Worst time of day to have an appointment: Between 11 a.m. and noon or between 4 and 5 p.m.

Worst days to have a routine appointment: Mondays and Fridays. Mondays are crowded with patients who were sick all weekend and want to be seen NOW! Fridays are crowded with people who don't want to be sick all weekend (or don't want their kid to be sick all weekend) and want a cure NOW!

Is it OK to call to see whether your doctor is running behind? Absolutely. But before you show up late, make sure patients will be seen in the order of their appointment, not in order of arrival.

Best time to call with a question for the doctor or nurse: Between 9 a.m. and noon, or between 1 and 4 p.m. Avoid first thing in the morning, the lunch hour and late in the day.

Worst time to call with a question: Late in the day. Many offices let messages pile up until there's time to pull files to look up information, which they need to do even for what seems like a simple question. And they deal with questions in the order they're received, so if you call late, yours might not get answered that day.

Worst time to call a specialist's office with a question: Mornings. Many specialists spend mornings at hospitals, so if your question can't be answered by the nurse, you'll wait. And wait. And wait.

Should you research your ailment before your appointment? Yes, as long as you understand that your physician may recommend something different. Being convinced that what worked for your neighbor will also work for you is not good. Medicine is not an exact science.

Worst time to try to remember what you wanted to ask the doctor about: While you're sitting on the Exam table, half-naked. In that situation, "we all tend to forget what it is we wanted to talk about," says Johnson. Make a list of your questions ahead of time and take the list with you to the appointment.

Worst time to call for a prescription refill: After 4 p.m. In fact, some offices won't even consider a prescription refill at that time of day.

Best way to get your doctor's attention: Be direct. Studies have shown that many physicians spend only a short amount of time listening to a patient before starting in on their own agendas, perhaps because something in your chart caught their attention or because they heard only the first part of what you told them. If you have something that's a concern to you, say so: "This is of concern to me."

Best way to keep the receptionist (and everyone else) happy: When you call to make an appointment, be specific about what you or your child needs to be seen for. If a doctor is expecting a two-minute earache check and you bring up three other concerns as well, plus a "Can we do his MMR booster while we're here?" you won't be popular with the nurse, the doctor, the receptionist or the patients waiting behind you. Most receptionists know how much time to allow for what kind of visit, so tell the truth.