Sorry I Kept You Waiting ….

I find myself running behind in the office and sometimes doing what I hate the most… keeping someone waiting for their cosmetic surgery consultation. I am on your side here. I don’t like waiting in the doctor’s office either.

So first and foremost if you are reading this and I have kept you waiting, or will keep you waiting, I offer you my sincere apologies. There is more to this blog however. I thought you might find it interesting to know how and why we can get backed up.

—–The cascading arrival time: While we have a good scheduling program all it takes is one late arrival to shift the schedule off kilter by 30 minutes or more. Unfortunately that will happen on average about twice during an office day at anyone of my plastic surgery practices in the Washington DC, Rockville Maryland area.

—–The exploding consult: for the average consultation we have a pretty good estimate the time it will take for me to evaluate, explain and go over treatments. However, it is extraordinarily common for a patient to book a consultation about one type of surgery but then also ask about two or three more. At 25- 30 minute per topic the math gets a little scary. Interested in knowing more about that topic, read my past blog “What Goes Together- More Than One Procedure of Plastic Surgery”.

—–The mom/friend phenomena: I love it when a patient brings a friend or family member to the consultation another set of ears and eyes is comforting and helpful. It is extremely common though that the friend or family member becomes the second consult in that room at the same time.

—–I am long winded: yes, it’s true. I love to teach and educate my patients and I don’t want anyone to leave feeling they did not get the best and most informative experience they could. So if one topic becomes 3 or if mom or friend has a question I will always feel compelled to answer it in detail.

I hope this doesn’t scare you off. A busy cosmetic plastic surgery practice is a good thing.

So a few tips: Morning consults are less prone to cascading delays, if you’re interested in many things, or so is your companion, just let us know ahead and we’ll leave more time. Bring a book just in case. Whether it’s breast, body, face, nose, or liposuction I’d love to meet you and I’ll do my best not to keep you waiting.

If you have any more questions about my office or to schedule a consultation please contact me.

January 31, 2012 2:57 am
Categories: Blog, Plastic Surgery