How Many Incompetents Does It Take to Mishandle Hick's Appointment?

That's a rhetorical question, not a contest. It's not like counting jelly beans in a jar on the counter. There's no winner, but you can jot down a guess before reading ahead. Incompetent health care workers. Not as colorful, nor as tasty, as jelly beans.

Hick has a medical procedure coming up, with a cardiologist. The local office who referred him said the surgeon's office would call about scheduling the appointment. It's been a couple weeks, so Hick called the surgeon's office and got a recording. The surgeon's office then left a message for Hick to call them back.

Hick called. He was not pleased with the interaction.

"That girl didn't know NOTHIN'! It was like talking to a third-grader! She didn't even know where to send me. 'Well, we have an office in Bridge Town...' I guess she meant Bridgeton. I had to spell my name for her three times! Then she said she didn't make the appointments. I'm going to have to call the doctor down here again."

Hick called the local office, which gave him a number with an extension for a specific person. He got a recording. But they DID call him the next morning, at 8:20. This gal apologized. "I'm sorry you had a bad experience. That's our answering service. We have a lot of trouble with them."

Well. I'd think if I had a lot of trouble with the answering service for my business, I'd get a better answering service. But what do I know? I'm not a medical professional.

This second gal set up Hick's appointment, took information, and told him he needed to have blood drawn. That he could do that down here at the local hospital. Later that day, Hick went to the lab. He masked up, went to the third floor of the hospital, checked in at the lab window, and sat down to wait. For 30 minutes. Amongst sick people. As far as he knew, anyway. Sat there with a bunch of masked people in the hallway-like waiting area. When they called Hick in for his blood-letting, the gal said, "We don't have an order for your blood draw."

 

What in the Not-Heaven? I've been to that lab many times. EVERY time I check in at the window, the window-minder asks me who my doctor is that sent me for the test. Then she looks on her computer, and affirms that my test has been ordered. I don't know WHY the window-minder would tell Hick to sit down and wait, without verifying that he indeed had an order for a blood draw.

Hick was not pleased. He'd driven a half hour down there, waited 30 minutes, and then didn't even get his blood drawn. He called back to his extension number person, and got a recording. Later, she left a message. "This is Somebody from Dr. Something's office. I'm sorry about your blood draw. I don't have a fax machine, and I had told a co-worker to send the order, and she said she would. She says she will send it right now. It's 2:00."

Hick waited until the next day. You know how labs are. Sometimes you get there, and they say their courier has already picked up the blood for the day, and they don't want to do your draw, depending on what you blood is being tested for, and how immediate it needs to be done. Hick went to the closer hospital this time, same entity, but just an ER and cancer treatment facility. He again had to wait 30 minutes, but said the old lady who took his blood was so smooth that he didn't even feel it.

 

I don't know if this surgeon employs family, or if his staff is too busy doing TikTok videos. 

I am a bit concerned about this upcoming procedure...

The answer to the rhetorical question is FOUR. Four incompentents had a hand in mishandling Hick's appointment. The Third-Grader, the Window-Minder, the Extension Gal, and the Non-Faxer.