I love communications technology. Voice mail. Email. Love 'em. I don't mind if a machine answers and gives me 10 choices, 9 of which involve other machines.
Except when it doesn't deliver. Then I fight the urge to throw my computer across the room. I expect an equal input/output ratio.
Yesterday I typed in the web address from last week's lab visit. Plugged in the appropriate information so everything could be cross checked to be sure I am me. (because the world is brimming with identity thieves who want to be an unemployed middle aged woman with complex hyperplasia) Came up with "We have your results. Please contact your doctor's office to review the results and discuss further treatment guidelines."
Crap. I try it agin just to see if there's a glitch in the software. Nope. So does this mean the whole online results thing is just a taunt to tell you that they are holding your information hostage? Or does it imply that something is less than normal? And who cares anyway, whatever the results are, they are MY results and I want them delivered as promised, ONLINE. Isn't there some sort of right of ownership implied in my payment?
Crap again. This is going to mean an "encounter." I call the office, listen through the choices and realize I'm going to have to talk to a real person. Who then gives me someone's voice mail.
I leave a message, one that clearly says I have checked with the lab and am following their instructions to contact the doctor. Please call me back at xxx...
The next day arrives and no one has returned my call and the stupid online site still advises that I call my doctor if I want to know whatever it is that it knows. Now I'm annoyed. I have a hostage situation with my lab results and I'm being ignored by the lady with the nice voice on the doctor's office voicemail.
I hate being "THAT patient" even more than I hate technology that doesn't give me answers on demand so I'll wait until my next appointment. Which I won't miss because a machine will call me the day before with a reminder.
Yesterday I typed in the web address from last week's lab visit. Plugged in the appropriate information so everything could be cross checked to be sure I am me. (because the world is brimming with identity thieves who want to be an unemployed middle aged woman with complex hyperplasia) Came up with "We have your results. Please contact your doctor's office to review the results and discuss further treatment guidelines."
Crap. I try it agin just to see if there's a glitch in the software. Nope. So does this mean the whole online results thing is just a taunt to tell you that they are holding your information hostage? Or does it imply that something is less than normal? And who cares anyway, whatever the results are, they are MY results and I want them delivered as promised, ONLINE. Isn't there some sort of right of ownership implied in my payment?
Crap again. This is going to mean an "encounter." I call the office, listen through the choices and realize I'm going to have to talk to a real person. Who then gives me someone's voice mail.
I leave a message, one that clearly says I have checked with the lab and am following their instructions to contact the doctor. Please call me back at xxx...
The next day arrives and no one has returned my call and the stupid online site still advises that I call my doctor if I want to know whatever it is that it knows. Now I'm annoyed. I have a hostage situation with my lab results and I'm being ignored by the lady with the nice voice on the doctor's office voicemail.
I hate being "THAT patient" even more than I hate technology that doesn't give me answers on demand so I'll wait until my next appointment. Which I won't miss because a machine will call me the day before with a reminder.
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