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Sean Camara
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Social media slams GP for hitting patient who waited for over an hour with a $50 “cancellation fee”
Social media users were fuming after one Aussie was hit with a $50 'cancellation fee' after being kept waiting for over an hour at the GP.
We've all been there. You book a GP appointment for 1.30pm on a Friday afternoon, check in 10 minutes early, and are told by the receptionist that you might have a short wait, but not too bad.
45 minutes later, you're still sitting there. The receptionist apologises and says something unexpected came up, and has caused a delay. 2.30pm rolls around and you have to leave, you tell the receptionist again, he goes and checks with the doctor, comes back and says "5 minutes he will be right to see you" so you hang around, hoping traffic won't be too bad.
10 minutes later, still nothing.
We’ve all experienced waiting and queuing for hours at the GP. Credit: Todd Bigelow Photography.
So you apologise to the receptionist for bugging him for the last 70 minutes, but you have to go, you can't leave your young son at school with no one to pick him up. You ask if you can change your appointment to a telehealth and the doctor can call you while you're driving. He says this is not possible, this doctor will not do telehealth.
You call back the next morning to reschedule another appointment, only to find that they are slugging you with a $50 cancellation fee for the appointment you 'missed'.
Social media users scrutinised the act, with many calling out the clinic for making the patient wait for over an hour before cancelling the appointment and demanding a cancellation fee. Credit: Alicia Canter/The Guardian.
Social media users have taken to Reddit to share their thoughts on the matter, with many saying that a wait time of 70 minutes is just too long.
One user said: "Call them and demand to speak to the practice manager. Tell them that you did not miss the appointment and you were there ten minutes early and waited over an hour. It's them that missed the appointment, not you, and as such, you should not be charged." (a second user added: "Slug them with a $50 cancellation fee, and a $25 administration fee.")
Another said: "GP here. Just no. That’s rude and disrespectful of your time. Dispute the charge and point out the incredible inconvenience to you that you wasted your time and didn’t get your referrals. If they won’t listen then don’t pay and change practices to somewhere that respects you and your time. I get that things come up but anything more than 30 mins over is pretty poor. I do things like book out catch up slots and clearly communicate if I’m running late. There aren’t many good excuses for running 70 mins late other than a critical incident, and even then communication could be better. Ugh. No."
But not everyone was sympathetic, with one user writing: "OP (referring to the 'Original Poster'), could you tell us what would your post be if you were kicked out after the 15 min consult undiagnosed and unhelped because the doctor in your imaginary world is more concerned about a perfect schedule than taking time to listen and provide the best service they can?"
Another added: "You sound super out of touch and childish about how the world works. I think you need to do more thinking than posting online. Book an early appointment next time."
One user was more circumspect. "I guess it depends... I'm in a pretty rural area and our doctor is always flooded, so personally I wouldn't make an appointment if I had somewhere to be in an hour. A wait time of 70 minutes would be a little frustrating, but definitely not unusual here.
On one hand, I feel like you should have left more time (maybe different if it's a private doctor in a metro area? I'm just speaking from my own experience I guess). Doctors are known for running very behind and having things come up. On the other hand, I still think they should waive the fee for you since you had such a long wait time."
What do you think? Should a doctor be allowed to run 70 minutes late? Or is this an acceptable wait time for a GP appointment? And should the patient be charged a 'cancellation fee' in this instance?