Rude GI Office Manager! What would you do?

[Fighting-this-Together]

I am at my wits end with the way the Office Manager at our GI conducts herself on the phone. We have only been to the office one time at this point. He is recently Dx, and yes we are being pro-active about his care, but we don't call everyday. Should it be a crime to inquire about blood work that is very important to the treatment?
Any suggestions on who to speak to about her behavior?

Strike one: Hubby calls Hospital to schedule Bx. They call the Drs. Office and it is a 3 way call now. She(the offfice manager) is not aware Hubby is on the phone also. She tells the Scheduling person."He already called here this morning! What a nucense." The Scheduling lady was pretty appauled, and said she would call him back.

Strike two: He called this morning to see if HCV RNA blood work was in, and Bx results. He asked to speak to so and so, and the OM asks to take a message for her. He gives his name, and she makes the snide remark "didn't you call last week?"

Now I am mad :(, and my Hubby feels that he shouldn't call them.

[GrandmaA]

You have to weigh all your choices. We have to fight the virus not the people in the doctor's office. I try to avoid ANY negativity in my life. I know sometimes it is very difficult. Maybe the OM's behavior will change once the doctor is aware of it. I hope so. Best wishes to you and your hubby.

[Fighting-this-Together]

How sad that this seems to be more common than I would have thought.

Thank You Both for the speedy and informative posts.

At this point they should be happy they are treating my husband and not me. I am not as tolerant of this sort of behavior as my husband, ok I don't hide it as well! LOL. I am having to learn that patience is a must. I do not want to comprimise the care that my Husband will receive. The girl that does call with results is very sweet.  However I will now be documenting the incidents and the Dr. will know how his front office manager treats his bread and butter on the phone. I am sure that for every patient that says something, there are more that just don't call :(

[mikesimon]

I like letters stating clearly what has occurred, who did it and exactly how you feel about the behavior. I'm a lawyer and I love paper trails or documentation just in case the situation digresses. I also believe that when people read a well reasoned complaint they are less defensive than they would be if you were there in person. They can reflect privately and hopefully adjust their behavior accordingly. It also demonstrates you're not going to silently tolerate the behavior. If it were me, I'd probably write the offending party or parties directly. You wouldn't have to threaten that you'd bring this up with the doctor because only an absolute idiot wouldn't conclude that you would if things didn't change. And often the person you will have to coordinate through is the one you are complaining about and I try to cultivate that relationship if it's possible. Mike

[jmjm530]

I've reported such behavior to the doctor directly as have several others who have posted such here. Best to do it in person at your next visit unless it can't wait. Also best to do it in as calm a manner as possible but don't mince words. Tell it like it is with as much detail as possible and don't forget to mention how badly it reflects on his office as a whole, etc. The couple of times I went out of my way to do this I found a complete 180 degree turnaround in the offending behavior. Real sorry you're having to go through this, as if you didn't have enough on your plate.

-- Jim

[Fighting-this-Together]

Excellent posts and ideas.

I am not really sure I like the Dr. ........ So I would have no problem leaving. Now, Hubby on the other hand is ready to get things rolling. Tired of the stress of the unknown. He is ready to treat even with minmal damage. He feels the sooner treated the better.
We have only seen the Dr. one time. He sat us down asked Hubby some ?'s. Asked Hubby if he was interested in treating, Gave him the slip for lab work, and got the paperwork started for ins. approval for the Bx.
I figure this must be something he sees a lot, since he was so nonchalant.

[orphanedhawk]

The only thing I would add to the above suggestions is to mention to the doctor how you are pleased with him and would hate to have to look for a different doctor based on the inappropriate behaviour of his office manager.