In and Out in a Flash, Sort of: How to Have the Most Efficient Physician Office Visit

1) Arrive on time. Yes, maybe you’re only five minutes late, but here’s the thing—so was everyone else, and now we’re all behind. Many offices will refuse to see tardy patients and will charge for the inconvenience. And, should you fail to grace us with your presence without the customary 24-hour notice, be prepared for a bill equal to at least the amount of your co-pay, if not more. If you’re a new patient, plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time to complete the necessary paperwork. Better yet, download the forms from the physician’s website or ask the receptionist to mail them to you when you make the initial appointment. Completing paperwork beforehand saves everyone valuable time.

2) Know the doctor’s schedule. Some doctors perform hospital rounds or surgeries at given times during the day or are out of the office completely on certain days of the week. It’s usually best to book the first appointment of the day or the first after lunch, so as to avoid delays from previous patients who were only five minutes late.

3) Bring your insurance card and driver’s license. Even if you’ve provided the information in the past, the office has made copies in the past, blah, blah, blah…personnel changes, charts get lost, and computer glitches occur. Unless you wish to spend precious time negotiating a payment plan because your insurance coverage cannot be verified rather than being evaluated by your provider, come prepared.

4) Allow plenty of time between your daily appointments. You booked an appointment across town within an hour of this one and you’re in danger of missing it. NOT. OUR. PROBLEM. You do not hesitate to tell us how we are causing you to miss this other appointment. NOT. OUR. PROBLEM. Trust me, your other obligations, however pressing they may be, will not make your time here pass more quickly. Be realistic about your time constraints for the day and plan accordingly.

5) Hold your water. Before you use the restroom, inquire about whether you will need to give a urine specimen or need a full bladder for a specific test (e.g., a sonogram). Failing to do so means you’ll almost certainly be asked to provide one with your now empty bladder, which only increases your idle time in the office or lab.

6) Ask whether and/or for how long you should fast prior to your appointment. This simple clarification will prevent an additional trip to the office or lab to have your blood drawn because you absentmindedly gulped down a grease-laden, sugar coma-inducing meal before your previous appointment.

7) Focus on a specific complaint or a discreet list of symptoms. A single office visit cannot possibly address the myriad whole-body aches and pains you’ve accumulated since your last visit, which could have easily been a year or more ago. Honing in on your main concern gives the physician and the healthcare team a target to work toward a healing game plan. A point worth remembering is that modern Western medicine is increasingly specialized. Multiple, disparate complaints often leads to referrals to multiple specialists, which results in fragmented, more costly, and time-intensive care. This approach is sometimes necessary if a patient has a complex constellation of problems, but for those of you who are prone to complain about everything and for whom every symptom is the proverbial nail in your coffin, you know who you are—the same folks who complain about how long everything is taking—this tip is for you.

8) Keep a list of all current prescription, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal remedies on your person. Don’t forget to include any drug, food, and contact (e.g., intravenous contrast dye, latex, iodine) allergies on this list. A list drastically cuts the time necessary to compare what you were taking previously with your current regimen. It helps the healthcare team quickly scan your drug regimen for appropriate dosages, duplicates, or contraindications (i.e., two drugs that interfere with one another in a harmful way). Honestly, telling us you take a “blue” pill for your heart means nothing but wasted time for everyone involved. Be informed about your health; make a list and update it regularly.

9) Bring a short list of specific questions or someone who can quote these questions verbatim and take notes. This list will help everyone focus on your main concern and ensure you have a satisfactory visit. If you bring someone with you, be prepared to discuss all of your healthcare history in front of this person. This includes sexually transmitted illnesses, birth control use, pregnancies, abortions, psychiatric care, alcohol, illegal drug use, and any other potentially embarrassing or stigmatizing information in your file. The healthcare team cannot be expected to navigate the minefield of each particular patient’s relationship dynamic and refrain from discussing certain issues. If you’re not completely open with your support person, get another one or get a short list.

10) Avoid bringing small children, unless of course, they are the patients. They will inevitably disturb other patients and the staff. The staff is not a temporary babysitting service and cannot be expected to control your squirming, projectile snot-snorting toddler while you discuss your infinite, nonspecific symptoms with the physician. The other patients don’t take too kindly to it either as the time we spend with your bundle of yuck means less time spent attending to their needs for which they are paying.

11) Turn your phone off and pay attention. We know you can multi-task like a champ, but demonstrating your Olympic-caliber texting skills while getting a pap smear and then asking the nurse to spend additional time answering your questions for the physician after s/he is long gone and you’ve signed off with the BFF is unacceptable. Stay in the present; it saves us all invaluable time.

Will adhering to these tips guarantee a quick visit? No, but it will mean you’re not contributing to delays, which translates into a more efficient process for everyone involved.