Insult To Injury

Why is it that, when you go to the doctor's office, you are asked to wait while they take calls.
"We'll be right with you. Excuse me but I must take this call. This is an important call, just give me a minute here."
Any of the above statements are generally made while you are standing in some degree of discomfort or doubled over in pain with your head slumped on their desk or counter, which may be the only thing holding you upright.
Well, you think to yourself, it's probably a really important phone call and after all, you are already there. They certainly wouldn't keep you waiting if it weren't important.
And then you think, really this is a good thing, because when you call, you most certainly will want them to take your call and deal with your needs right away too.
You go home feeling safe in the knowledge that you will be treated as well with that kind of attention when you need to call in.
A smile eases across your face and a sigh escapes your lips.
Then the day comes when you are the one calling in.
And what do you get?
"Dr Gotchacovered3waysfromsunday's office. Hold please?"
You get out, "Hi this is..." before
Bang. They're off the phone and you are left listening to muzak at loud decibels or advertisements touting the praises of the doc's many swell services.
Bing! They're back on the line, "Hi, Can you hold please."
Wham! Gone again before you can say yea or nay.
You find yourself fighting the urge to reach through the phone to commit a bit of mayhem while la la la la’s run through your brain trying to drown out the tunes you never wanted to hear shrilling out of the earpiece.
They’re back, “Who is this? Hold on. I have to finish the patient in front of me.”
Click.
WTF?
And here you are in the quagmire of thoughtlessness at the intersection of “Rudeness and Whine.”
You sit stunned, wondering if is it just you, did your deodorant fail or was your breath offensive.
Ultimately arriving at the corners of “Conclusion and Don’ttakethispersonally.”
It is them.
Their system of multitasking doesn’t work. Trying to be all things to all people does not work.
It makes for an arena of folks becoming cluttered, incapable and non efficient when thinking they’re perfectly so.
A thought dear physicians and your office people:
“Put one person at the desk and one on the phones, puleeeez.”
They just don’t get that finishing with one person at a time and giving your full attention to that patient will get things done more efficiently and effectively with everyone feeling cared for.
And isn’t that why we go to the doctor in the first place?
Nu?.