Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm

Here’s my HMmmm-bug for today. Why do medical offices nowadays have signs threatening you about appointments?

I’m holding back no punches here. Yup, those be threatening signs held up with scotch tape on that dividing window between the hot waiting room and the air-conditioned staff area.

Signs carefully conceived and printed on a laser printer no less. Signs that use bold, bulleted lists. Signs that shout at me as I sit in a stuffy waiting room.

► Appointments are made for a purpose.
► Keep your scheduled appointment time.
► If you are late for your appointment, you must make a new appointment.
► You will not be seen between other appointments.
► The receptionist will not book appointments. Use the automated phone system to book appointments.

Okay, already. I got your point! Quit shouting out me in your dark laser-tone print.

Now here’s my point. I arrived 10 minutes early for my APPOINTMENT. I was not late.

Then I read your stupid sign for another 20 minutes while I waited. Every bulleted point on your list made a deeper wound in me as I looked at my watch tick past my appointed time.

Is my time any less important than yours? Should I laser print a sign and have it ready to tape to my forehead the next time you are late seeing me at my appointed time?

The sign bugged me because it shouted at me while I sat in a stuffy waiting room avoiding eye contact with others looking at their watches and waiting for appointments as well.

It was just a small HMmmm-bug today. But a HMmmm-bug nonetheless.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 28th, 2006 at 11:30:37 PM and is filed under JOURNAL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.