You’ve likely spent countless hours in a medical office waiting room, glancing at your watch or phone as minutes past your appointment time slip away, disrupting your day’s plans. The inability of many doctors to honor appointment times is frustrating. According to *The New York Times*, it takes Americans an average of 10 days to secure an appointment, with a 67-minute wait past the scheduled time once at the office.
For working people or those bringing children to the doctor’s office for sick or well visits, an “appointment”—defined as “a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting”—feels anything but mutual. Society seems to accept that doctors and their staff routinely run late. Signs proclaiming, “We may run behind because we take time to truly CARE for every patient,” excuse delays. While caring is vital in medicine, many offices seem indifferent to your time.
Why Overbooking Undermines Patient Care
Overbooking to account for no-shows—one in six patients misses their appointment—leads to crowded waiting rooms, often filled with sick people, which is both rude and unnecessary. Medical staff admit to overbooking despite knowing it underestimates the time needed for proper care. Doctors bill insurance for 45-minute appointments while often spending less than 20 minutes with patients.
What if patients mirrored this behavior? Many offices penalize late patients, sometimes refusing to see them, yet tolerate doctors’ delays because of their credentials. Patients are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for paperwork, only to wait an hour or more. What if patients arrived late to minimize waiting? Or called ahead to reduce in-office delays? Perhaps doctors could offer discounts for excessive wait times.
Your time is as valuable as a doctor’s. You may have errands, work meetings, other appointments, or kids to pick up. You chose an appointment time to suit your schedule, yet doctors often disregard this. Is it elitism or a pursuit of profit driving this behavior? Regardless, it’s disrespectful, and patients have had enough.
It’s reasonable for doctors to expect punctual patients, just as patients expect timely doctors. Waiting 5–15 minutes is tolerable, but sitting through an entire soap opera episode while juggling a packed schedule is infuriating. Your time, expensive and billed accordingly, deserves respect as a mutual commitment.
Occasional delays are understandable, but habitual tardiness—requiring patients to block out four hours for a 60-minute visit—is unacceptable. Unapologetic staff may offer to reschedule, citing vague excuses while doctors linger with pharmaceutical reps. This unprofessionalism signals disrespect and questions their commitment to your well-being. In any business, including a doctor’s office, consistent lateness and broken promises are inexcusable.
What’s the longest you’ve waited for an appointment? Do doctors have valid reasons for keeping patients waiting well beyond agreed-upon times? Would this “hurry up and wait” approach fly in your profession?
