Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Warning! This post is going to be long and boring and mainly for my own documentation. If I EVER become as bitter and insensitive as the staff in my doctors office then there is no reason to continue on. How can life be enjoyable?
I started going to my doctor on the recommendation of a friend. I loved them for the 4 or 5 years I have gone there and talked Mark into switching too. For about the past year their customer service has gone downhill. Mark never was crazy about them. The wait was NEVER under an hour and I had to keep Mark from complaining several times. I was just patient because I liked them. The last couple of appointments stretched almost to a 2 hour wait. My last appointment I scheduled 1st thing in the morning and still waited 45 minutes. Mark had gone in for a follow up appointment and had them do a TB test while he was there for our adoption paperwork. The technician failed to tell him to come back in 48-72 hours to have it read. Mark isn't a doctor, he didn't know. So the test ended up being invalid and they told him in order to fill out the paperwork he had to come have it done again. He scheduled another appointment on Thursday. He knew he had to have it read in 48-72 hours which would be the weekend so he called the office just to verify on Wednesday. They said it was fine. He went in and had to argue with them about paying for it a 2nd time. The office manager said he HAD to pay again and he continued to wait. THIRTY minutes went by and they informed him they couldn't do it because the wouldn't be able to read it in 48-72 hours. This was all the paperwork we had left to complete our adoption file and this doctor was not making ANY effort to work with us in any way. EVEN after I expressed to them our desire to get this done as quickly as possible. They said he would have to come back AGAIN, Monday. Not once was I rude or demanding. We decided Mark would go to the Health Department so he could do it on Friday and they could read it on Monday. We got the results back Monday and I faxed it to our doctor asking them to complete the Physician Statement we still needed their signature on with the exception of the TB test results since we had that. I spoke with the Office Manager and she said she would have to talk to the doctor. I waited for her call back the next day after lunch. She said "First of all, where did you get this test done? The health department usually stamps their forms" I said we had it done and the health department and she asked me which one??? I felt like I was being interrogated. Was she implying I was a liar? Also the health department put the read date by 5/13 which would be 120 hours from the time it was administered. I don't know WHY they put that date or what their requirements are but Mark had it read on Monday, 72 hours afterward. Which according to the doctor is the requirement. She put me on hold and came back to say the doctor will fill out the form but she will note on it that the TB test was not done within the guidelines and not performed by her. Fine. I tried to talk to her about what we had been through to get this done and she would not listen. She said she knew the story and kept blaming my husband for not coming back in and said the receptionist doesn't know you can't schedule a TB test for a Thursday. She should know, or she shouldn't be scheduling. We wasted time, gas and money AGAIN! She continually blamed us and did not accept any portion of the inconvenience on the office. Not a single apology! We are adopting, not trying to scam anyone. I assumed they would be on board with trying to assist with finding a child a good home. I guess I was wrong. They are so wrapped up in themselves and building this cold defensive wall they can't see humanity around them. Its so sad. They have obviously forgotten that the patients that support their business and in turn their families are people themselves. My husband and I were made to feel like a liar, an inconvenience, a criminal and it was completely uncalled for. I am still in shock by the way they treated us and offered NO apology. Finally, I asked if they would let me know when they fax the form to the adoption agency and she said no, she couldn't do that, she is too busy and I would have to check with the agency. I asked if she thought it would be today and she said no. They were busy and I could call and check with the agency tomorrow to see if they possibly had a chance to do it. I have no idea what they are going to put on the form. It asks if they think we would make good parents. I really don't know what they will put after all of this. I'm not expecting it to be helpful or good and that hurts. Its very disheartening to see that people shut themselves off to the world so much that they no longer see you as a human being. I hope I'm wrong but I do know that I will never go back to that office. The doctor is a good man and its a shame that his staff is going to be the downfall of his practice. It brings one saying to mind that I hope out of all of this that everyone will remember, especially when dealing with the public or customer service.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato