Patients Sue Doctors who are late?

An Australian group of lawyers think this is feasible. There is even precedent here in the United States. A Nevada man sued his doctor in small claims court after being kept waiting for three hours. The plaintiff settled after getting a letter of apology from the doctor.

What do I think? Suing your doctor is going to extremes. I do however have no sympathy for doctors who keep patients waiting. It's a matter of arrogance and laziness. The physicians only see their time as valuable and their office staff just don't want to expend the time to call patients when the doctor is running seriously late. What is so hard about calling patients when the doctor is running an hour behind time?

I have a Plastic Surgeon who removed some of my cancerous moles, his name is Dr. Alan Pillersdorf here in Palm Beach County. I like the doctor personally but he is notorious for being late. I had surgery for some moles, the appointment was at 9 a.m.. My wife came with me etc. The procedure takes 20 minutes. Guess when I left the office? 11:50! That's an early morning appointment too. Another time I was there for an hour and forty minutes without seeing the doctor and just walked out.

I walked out on a podiartrist once who kept me waiting. He called me at home and asked why I left. My wife talked to him because I was annoyed. This doctor said if I didn't come back, he'd never see me again. Talk about arrogant knucklehead doctors, his name is Dr. David Feirman and he has an office in Boynton Beach. Guess what? I never did go back to him. Good riddance.

Patients need to understand doctors are busy, but on the other hand doctors have to learn their patients have lives and jobs too. Get off your asses and call your patients if you're running thirty minutes or more behind. Otherwise expect someone to sue you one day.

Hat tip- Overlawyered
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A group of Darling Downs lawyers says doctors could be sued for being late for appointments.
But GPs say patients should be more understanding.

The Downs and South West Law Association's Darryl Cox says some people are waiting up to an hour for appointments, costing them time and money and doctors need to stop over-booking.

"If it's the case that the doctor's practice is to just book people at random and essentially over-book the people, then it may well be the case that people who are forced to wait because of the over-booking may well have a claim against the doctor," he said.

The chairman of GP Connections in Toowoomba, Dr John Lamb, says doctors are not deliberately trying to make people late.

"I could also respond by saying that if a patient has a right to take legal action against the doctor because the doctor's running late, does that mean the doctor also has the ability to take legal action against the patient if they're late or don't turn up?" he said.