Does the amount of time you have to wait to see your dr correspond with how good or bad the Dr is?
I had to wait over a half hour at the least at my last rheum office. I wait 15 minutes or less at my new rheum office. I like my new rheum better than my old rheum.
At my old rheum office, a patient showed up about a half hour late and they ushered her right in.
I am noticing that the wait time is increasing again at all my appointments because they are scheduling more like in the past because the covid situation is less concerning. Honestly, that was one good thing about covid. All my appointments were on time.
I feel that if you are lucky enough to have a rheumy who is kind, attentive and actually listens to their patients the waiting times tend to be longer. I'm happy to wait for mine as she is amazingly nice. Conversely, the awful GP usually has appointments free and a short wait to be seen. He seems efficient but has all the bedside manner of a boar with sore feet.
Could it have to do with the love of money? You know, double booking in case of cancellations.
are you from the US? As the UK system is free at point of delivery, and rheumies are paid for the job, not by the patient.
Yes, I'm from u.s.
So the government pays the rheumatologist? I don't understand how they get paid by the job. They get the same salary whether they treat 100 vs. 200 patients?
Most rheumatologists in the UK work for a hospital on a contract like any other salaried employee. There are standards and targets that provide guidelines for how they work.
And yes depending on your grade you will get the same salary. Not all doctors are just motivated by money.
If you get paid by the patient then that surely encourages doctors to give each patient the smallest amountnof time possible?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rheumy on time but I’m happy to wait because they are obviously not rushing people through. I’d rather them take time to listen and help people than rush them through to keep to time but that’s just me.
I actually don’t have an issue with waiting to be seen. It shows that the specialist will devote the time needed to listen and examine properly. My respiratory specialist is often an hour late, and yet never makes me feel rushed to make up her time. Personally I prefer that to one who clock watches and ushers me out because my time is up. I worked with many consultants over the years. The ones who had more empathy and could recite a patients home circumstances was always running late in clinic, but their empathy shone through, and no one ever complained at waiting to see them. I also think it’s wonderful that your consultant squeezed a patient in who arrived late. You don’t know what stress they went through to get there and the delay could have been out of their control, due to an accident or something. Too many people spinning plates, and unwilling to just press pause and wait for a bit.
My rhuemy here in the UK consistently runs at least an hour late by the time they get to me. And yet they rush me though with 15 minutes or less. One of the nurses suggested that because I was at the end of the morning's session they had to vacate the room for the next clinic so the further behind they get, the faster they have to get rid of the last few patients.
That's blooming unfair! Perhaps insisting on an earlier appointment would be helpful to you. Let some other poor soul 'enjoy' the dubious honour of being tail end charlie for a change.
Sadly I am also a carer for my adult disabled son, and we live a long way from the main hospital. And they only do morning appointments.
The previous rheumatologist that did afternoon appointments was still running 20 minutes late, and I was his first patient too! It is as if the rheumatology, and generally the whole of MSK in our area, don't actually care about patients.
I'm not sure but it may be a US thing. Our healthcare systems are very different, we don't pay for anything, not directly anyway! Or, it could depend on the Specialist. My h sees a Gastroenterologist who you can be guaranteed will be at least half an hour or longer behind on appointments, even early morning or after lunch break. That said he doesn't clock watch each patient & is worth any waiting time he's so good. So I think it could just be the Specialist or Consultant & it how good or not he is in practice, otherwise it would be a generalisation & that doesn't work really.
Since my Rheumy left over 3 years ago I’ve not seen the same person twice so waiting time varies. None have been as thorough as her, I’ve only had my DAS taken once for example whereas she took it each visit. So, again I can’t relate to the experience you've had.
It’s been a very long time since I went as an outpatient (Covid), but waiting 30-60 mins was pretty standrd to see my Rheumatology Nurse [who is fab]. My Consultant waiting time was maybe 0-30 mins..
Did you ever ask the people in the waiting room what time their appointment is for? I think once someone had the same time as I did, but that was a dentist.
some dentists run two rooms in parallel as there is waiting time during various procedures (allowing anaesthetic to take hold, ceramics to set, etc)
Celebrex - taken first dose now waiting in terror to see if I die!
Waiting but not patiently
Waiting for this to happen!! 
Wait for appointment 
