Your doctors time is valuable, and so is yours. The importance of medical appointment scheduling is that your time and your doctors time will both be well used. Of course, there are going to be times that you have to go as a walk-in patient, but these should be as few and far between as possible.
The Difference Between Walk-Ins And Appointments
A walk-in patient is going to be seen in between the other appointments in the doctor’s office. This means that if the doctor has the time in between their other meetings, they will see that patient for a brief amount of time. While this is fine for something such as having the flu or even bronchitis, it’s not okay for some other conditions.
Taking the time to schedule the appointment will ensure that the doctor has plenty of time to answer questions regarding the proper care of the particular medical condition. It will help the doctor to make sure to budget enough time to see you and to answer your other questions that invariably crop up during the doctor visit.
Less Expensive
Many medical plans require that you schedule your appointments or they may not cover as many of the visits. While these plans recognize that you will have a few times that you may require urgent care, they also acknowledge that many of these visits could wait until you can schedule an appointment.
Always use your best judgment in determining if you require urgent care or if it can wait a day or so until your doctor can see you. Of course, if there is blood involved or a high temperature, chest pain, rapid or low pulse or some other serious issue, don’t hesitate to get immediate care, it could save your life.
Follow-Up Appointments
If you have been to urgent care, they will usually recommend that you have a follow-up appointment. If it’s after hours at your regular doctor’s office, make sure to call the next day and explain that you are scheduling a follow-up appointment for the reason that you were seen in urgent care. Also, ask that the information is shared between the urgent care facility and the regular doctor if they’re not the same.
Keep Your Appointments
If you don’t keep your doctor’s appointment, you risk having to go as a walk-in only in the future. This can be far more costly, and it can prevent you from having the time to ask the questions that you need to ask of your doctor. If for any reason you can’t keep an appointment you’ll want to let your doctor’s office know immediately and reschedule as soon as possible. You may also be charged for any missed appointments. Many doctor’s offices have this policy, and it can be costly in the long run.
It can’t be stressed enough the importance of medical appointment scheduling. Be proactive about your healthcare and take the essential steps to take care of yourself. It will be far less expensive in the long run.