{"id":18231,"date":"2019-05-31T14:02:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T19:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18231"},"modified":"2023-03-03T15:38:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T20:38:26","slug":"what-to-do-when-your-doctor-isnt-calling-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/what-to-do-when-your-doctor-isnt-calling-back\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Your Doctor Isn’t Calling Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago, I woke up with a miserably clogged ear \u2014 the kind of clogged where, despite my best efforts, no amount of sound reached my eardrum. After a few semi-soundless days, Q-tipping and ear-dropping only seemed to make the problem worse. I called my primary care doctor to see if she could remedy the clog herself or refer me to a specialist for treatment. The kind receptionist said she\u2019d check with the doc and call me back with an answer that day. Two days went by with no response. Annoyed, I went to urgent care and dropped $150 on a standard <\/span>earwax-clearing procedure<\/span><\/a>, where a healthcare professional sprays a warm water solution into your ear to clear the clog. At my primary care doctor, I only would have owed a copay.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s likely my doctor never even got my message, says <\/span>Linda Beck,<\/span> a board certified patient advocate who founded <\/span>Square One Elder and Health Advocacy<\/span><\/a>. In fact, this sort of communication breakdown happens all the time: \u201cA lot of healthcare providers are incredibly pressed for time and don\u2019t find a way to squeeze these messages into their day.\u201d The complicated phone automation systems used in many healthcare offices don\u2019t always help matters, Beck adds. As a result, it\u2019s not unusual for patient messages to go unanswered. <\/span><\/p>\n

In extreme scenarios, a doctor\u2019s failure to respond can constitute <\/span>patient abandonment<\/span><\/a>, such as when a patient makes several unsuccessful attempts to reach their doctor and incurs an injury as a result. A Louisiana judge ruled that <\/span>a doctor could be found legally liable<\/span><\/a> for medical complications suffered by a patient following an unreturned call.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a lot of cases \u2014 when ears need declogging or birth control refills run out \u2014 not hearing back from a doctor is more irritating than life-threatening. Still, patients deserve better. Here’s <\/span>what you can do when it feels like calling your doc is the equivalent of screaming into the void. <\/span><\/p>\n

Establish communication protocol<\/span><\/h2>\n

To lower your chances of dealing with an unresponsive doctor, take the preventive step of asking a new healthcare provider about their preferred methods of communication, says <\/span>David J. Zetter<\/span><\/a>, founder and lead consultant with <\/span>Zetter HealthCare Management Consultants<\/span><\/a>. Does the physician want all communication to take place through the patient portal? Are scheduling calls the only telephone communication the practice accepts? \u201cI\u2019ve got clients that will not accept any patient calls for script refills, medical record requests and even in some cases, they have to request an appointment through the portal,\u201d Zetter says. \u201cThat\u2019s just an example of how things some things may be changing and patients aren’t aware.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While making a phone call might seem like the fastest and most efficient way to acknowledge a medical query, practices are often busy and understaffed, says Julia Pinckney,<\/span> a patient advocate and CEO of <\/span>AmbassaCare<\/span><\/a>. Doctors might not receive all their messages if their schedules are packed or notes get lost in the shuffle. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to return the call if they are buried,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beck, Zetter and Pinckney are proponents of the patient portal. If the practice has one, utilize it, as it creates a written record of patient needs and requests. \u201cPhone calls are very inefficient, not only for the patient but for the practice,\u201d Zetter says. \u201cAnswers can be done much quicker through patient portals. They can get back to people right away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the impetus is on the healthcare professional to emphasize this as the preferred course of patient communication, Beck says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be persistent<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you don\u2019t hear back from your healthcare provider within two working days, Beck suggests calling or emailing again. In her experience, reaching out to someone else in the practice, such as another doctor, a physician\u2019s assistant or the practice manager, will expedite the response time. <\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, after a number of voicemails to her primary care physician went unanswered, Beck wrote a letter explaining her reason for calling \u2014 she needed a specialist referral \u2014 and dropped it off at the office. She received a call back two hours later. \u201cIt got into the doctor\u2019s hands,\u201d Beck says. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to belabor the point. I stated what I needed, which is a referral to a specialist, and it was a very clear thing he could hold in his hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Know who you need to talk to<\/span><\/h2>\n

In order to get a call back, it\u2019s important to reach out to the right person (or people). Leaving a voicemail for your physician regarding a prescription refill is not always the most effective course of action, Zetter says. \u201cIt should be going through their nurse or the medical assistant,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re the ones that should be handling that, otherwise you\u2019re never going to get a call from that doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For a clogged ear-level health concern, a prescription request, an insurance coverage question or any other nonemergency situation, Pinckney suggests asking for the nurse. \u201cThe nurse can reach out [to the insurance company] and they\u2019re going to have a quicker return time than perhaps you might,\u201d Pinckney says. If a day goes by and you haven\u2019t heard back, don\u2019t hesitate to call the<\/span> practice manager, who\u2019s responsible for resolving communication issues. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you have a question about a medication you\u2019re taking, Beck likes communicating directly with pharmacists. They\u2019re well-versed in side effects, dosing guidelines and any potential conflicts with other medications, and they can contact your healthcare provider on your behalf. A call from a pharmacist might be more likely to reach a busy doctor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Be transparent<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you finally do get face-time (or phone time), it\u2019s appropriate to voice your communication concerns. Whether speaking to your healthcare provider or the practice manager, Pinckney says to share what went wrong. In my case, which ended with an urgent care visit, she suggests saying something like: \u201cThis is an unfortunate sequence of events, and ultimately it led to me seeing a physician who does not know me, who does not have a history with me.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Beck agrees: Be upfront with communication gripes. \u201cThey can\u2019t make improvements if they don\u2019t know what the problem is,\u201d she says. \u201cUltimately, it\u2019s the practice manager who should be overseeing the communication links to make sure everybody is getting the patient communications that they need \u2014 and that the patients are getting good care, which includes good, timely communication with your healthcare provider.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ditch your primary care physician <\/span><\/h2>\n

I jumped ship to an urgent care facility without so much as a second call to my primary care physician. Don\u2019t follow my lead. Pinckney\u2019s a proponent of keeping primary care physicians as the central hub of your healthcare. \u201cAlways coordinate through your primary care physician,\u201d she says. \u201cFor the most part, there are specialty care providers that will always require you to go to the primary care physician first.\u201d Plus, a primary care provider has a more comprehensive record of your health history at large, something the ER urgent care does not, and is better suited to provide care simply because they have more information. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, if you\u2019re still getting silence after reaching out multiple times, it might be time for a new doctor. \u201cIf you\u2019re not getting good bedside or chair-side service or if the practitioner or practice is rude,\u201d Zetter says, \u201cthe patient\u2019s going to go somewhere else.\u201d And they should.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book a doctor’s appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You left a voicemail yesterday and nada. What’s your next move? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":18232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[108,69,144,163],"class_list":["post-18231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-doctors-and-patients","tag-the-psychology-of-being-a-patient","tag-waiting","tag-weve-all-been-there","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi","specialist_by_city-find-primary-care-physicians-near-you"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to Do When Your Doctor Isn't Calling Back - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You left a voicemail yesterday and nada. 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