Dr. Danny Lee’s Blog

One question I get asked at least once a day [by my staff] is: “Mr./ Ms. [blank] is here and >30 min late for his/her appointment. Can you still see him/her?” This, more than anything else I face all day, really puts a monkey wrench into my day. My schedule is usually booked pretty solid everyday, so seeing a late arriving patient is no different than seeing a ‘fit in’ (AKA the walk in) patient. Before I answer, I try to look to see where I am in my day and who is going to impacted. A late show means someone else has to spend more time in the waiting room waiting for their turn to come back. I do try to accomodate everyone but I do try to draw a line somewhere. It also depends on the day of the week. Mondays and Fridays are by far my busiest days and I will not have wiggle room in my day to accomodate late arrivers. Most other times I do make every effort to get everyone seen. If I am running late, it’s most often due to trying to accomodate a person who has arrived late. So please, for my sanity and to be considerate of my other patients’ time, please arrive on time. Facing a sequential row of unhappy patients due long waits is not how I want to face my day.