The Doctor's Office & Poor Customer Service

I am fed up with physicians and their lack of customer service for patients. Therefore, I am putting them and their office staff on BLAST!

My appointment was at 9:00 am and I was instructed not to eat or drink anything after midnight just in case the doctor had to do a biopsy. Also, I had to bring someone with me just in case he had to administer anesthesia. I arrive 15 minutes ahead of my appointment time to complete some paper work since I was a new patient.

Well, at 9:30, my mother and I are still sitting there in the lobby, waiting. I asked the young lady at the desk how much longer would it be. She replies, "Well, the doctor is in surgery right now so it should not be too much longer". WTH? Surgery? Okay, whatever.

When 10:00 am rolled around, I approached the desk again and asked, "Is this common practice to have a patient waiting more than an hour to see the doctor?". She proceeded to dance around the question with the excuse they were very busy this morning and the doctor should be with me shortly. I said, "Well that's all fine, but you didn't answer my question. Is this common practice to keep a patient waiting so long?". "We had three patients scheduled at 8:00 am and two at 9:00 am so we're running a 'bit' behind", she responds. Are you kidding me?

**Ahem** Excuse me, but you're not running a bit behind, you overbooked patients which has resulted in me waiting over an hour to see the doctor.

When did the doctor's time become more valuable than mine?

Is it too much to ask that the office staff manage the patient's expectations by informing them at the time of sign-in of the delay? There was another patient sitting across from me whose appointment was at 8:00 am and wasn't seen until after I left. Did she say anything about her 2 hour wait? No.

Most doctors' offices will force you to reschedule if you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment but yet you can keep me waiting for over an hour? How is that right? Why should I just accept this?

Here is a suggestion Dr. Jeffrey R. Prinsell, D.M.D., MD of Marietta, Georgia: DO NOT schedule three patients, at the same time, to see the doctor! Maybe, as a patient, I should begin billing the doctor for my time when I am not seen within a reasonable amount of time. I doubt, no, I know I will not receive a dime but I am at a loss for what else to do. If everyone spoke up and voiced their complaint to the doctor maybe, just maybe, they will begin to take note.

The Face(s) of Hatred - Is It Open Season on Blacks?

The assault of a black person at the hands of a white person is nothing new. The inequities in the American judicial system for blacks is almost as commonplace as it was during the days of Jim Crowe. However, two recent events have left me outraged, scratching my head, asking how can this still be happening in 2007?

The first one is the incident in Jena, Louisiana. You can read about it here and here. If you wish to get involved visit Michael Baisden's Mingle City and click the top header, Enough is Enough. The Steve Harvey Show has launch a letter writing campaign. Please visit his site for details. Also, over at Your Black World, they have started a Petition to disbar the Jena District Attorney, Reed Walters.

Now on to the second incident.

Here are the newest faces of hatred in America. These six sickos "allegedly" held a young black woman, Megan Williams, hostage for one week in a remote area of Big Creek, W. Virginia. Apparently they tortured, beat, and raped Ms. Williams. A part of that torture included forcing her to eat animal feces.

Where is the outrage America? If this had happened to "Man's Best Friend", there would be Peta protesters at the courthouse, chew toys made in the image of the accused auctioned off on Ebay, dizzying amounts of news coverage, and numerous suppositions by "experts".

Oh, but wait!! That did happen!! Remember Michael Vick?

Again, I ask, where is the OUTRAGE! The passionate outcry from the bowls of the American people denouncing the cruel, barbaric, INHUMANE treatment of, say, uh, a HUMAN BEING? One could draw the logical conclusion that if you are a black person in America, your life has less value than that of a dog. You could draw that conclusion and sadly enough, many do.

But I am here to tell you WE ARE WORTH MORE! OUR LIVES HAVE VALUE!! We have to speak out, spread the word, and keep this in the forefront of news. How do we do that? The same way we are throwing our support behind the Jena 6! Let's keep an eye on Big Creek, W. Virginia! Email the story. Talk about it amongst your friends and co-workers. Talk about it on the blog sites. Don't let it go.

This isn't something we should just "get over" and forget about in a couple of days.

September 11, 2001

In memory of the 2,974 people who lost their lives on this day six years ago.

We are a nation of SURVIVORS! Does it sound too much like a Miss America contestant to say I pray for world peace? Well, I do. The peace has to go beyond the borders of our nation and so does the prayers.

After we pray for the surviving family and friends of the Sept. 11th victims, take a moment to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, how your life would not be the same without them. This day should serve as a reminder that tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Favorite Quote of the Week

"I don't believe in Al Qaeda, I don't believe in the Loch Ness monster, I don't believe in the boogie-man....I don't believe they've been to the moon...but I do believe in the Big Foot though." Mos Def on Real Time with Bill Maher, September 7th, 2007 (the other guest was Dr. Cornel West)

If you haven't seen this episode, I highly recommend that you check it out. You can find the broadcast schedule on HBO's site, http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/.

Blind Date, Bridges & Humility

He didn’t look like Denzel, Will Smith, Idris Elba, or Boris Kodjoe, although he can hold his own. But more importantly, neither did he look like Gary Coleman. The latter was a huge relief, believe me.

A big shout out to Tracey, my matchmaking friend, who was on point with her description of my blind date. He is attractive, successful, funny, and yes, he was a nice guy. We exchanged contact information and have spoken since. The conversations were not contrived nor did it feel like we were interviewing job applicants. Wherever this is headed, my intent is to get there slowly with no preconceived ideas or expectations.

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How many times have you been in your car stuck on a bridge or overpass during rush hour traffic? If you’re like me more times than you would like. The bouncing, shaking and rattling always made me wonder what would happen if it suddenly gave way. The I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Wednesday answered that question and reinforced my fears.

Living in a large metropolitan area bridges are like death and taxes - unavoidable. On my daily commute to work I cross at least seven bridges. Going forward, each one will be crossed with a prayer.

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Just last night I apologized to someone for something I said and the “way” I said it. On the surface this really isn’t a big deal until I tell you I claimed hell would first freeze over before I apologized.

It was a heated exchange and I went for the jugular. In my relationships, familial, platonic, or romantic, I normally walk away from debates or arguments when I’m angry to avoid such heated exchanges. But there are those rare occasions when, before I know it, I am like a pit bull on attack mode. There’s no stopping until my thirst for blood is satisfied. Yes. It can get like that.

In the ten days from when the incident occurred and the apology was offered, God convicted my spirit. How did He do this you may ask? By using my grandmother, Laura L. Sterling. I kept hearing her voice in my head admonishing my behavior, 'you know you weren't raised liked that'…blah, blah, blah-ba-dee blah. Mother, or “Mudda”, has been gone from this earth for 11 years and let me tell you, they don’t make ‘em like her anymore.

For ten days I pouted, I stomped my feet, and I stood my ground on principle. For ten nights my sleep was restless and fitful. I refused, absolutely refused to humble myself, doggone it, I was right! I have played this game of tug-o-war with God before and I have never, ever won. Thus, I relented, repented, and humbled myself.

After all, when it is all said and done and I've gone to meet my maker, I need there to be one less thing for which I have to answer to God. Besides, I needed the sleep.