Five Ways to Get in to See a Medical Specialist Faster

So you have an appointment with that medical specialist you were told you should see. You heard great things about this doctor and have been told he/she is the best. There’s only one problem. The appointment is 3 to 6 months from now, you have pressing needs and concerns about your situation and want to be seen earlier.

In some cases, depending on what the ultimate diagnosis is (e.g., cancer), delaying treatment for months can negatively impact prognosis and can even be a matter of life and death. So, you have a choice:  a) find another doctor who can see you sooner but is not as highly regarded as the doctor you want to see, or b) find a way to get in to the doctor you want to see quicker. Here are five quick tips you can use to increase the chances you can accomplish the latter.

1. Ask to be placed on a waiting list. Cancellations happen regularly due to life circumstances (e.g., a sick child, death in the family, unexpected schedule conflict) and doctor’s offices maintain a waiting list to quickly fill in the appointment slot if a cancellation occurs. Some doctor offices will provide you the option to be placed on a waiting list but sometimes you will need to ask. Be sure to provide a cell phone number as a well as a land line to increase the chances you can be reached.

2. Check in once a week with the secretary. Getting on good terms with the appointment secretary is always a plus. If you call every day, you will not accomplish that goal, but calling once a week is a good idea for several reasons. First, it adequately conveys your desire to be evaluated, which can cause you to be moved up the waiting list when a free slot becomes available. Second, you may find that the secretary just got off the phone with someone who cancelled and since you just so happen to be on the phone, you may get chosen as the person to fill the appointment slot. I recommend using this technique mid to late morning to take advantage of an afternoon cancellation. You can still be on a waiting list and check in once a week.

3. Use your contacts. If you have a friend or family member who knows the doctor you want to see or someone who works at that office, use this to your advantage and see if that person can arrange for you to get moved up on the schedule.  You would be amazed how often this works and it can trim months off of appointment waiting time.

4. Ask the doctor who referred you to exert some pressure on the specialist. Doctors like to keep each other happy because they usually refer to each other. If option #3 is not applicable, the referring doctor is who you can reach out to try and expedite the appointment for you. This can be done with a quick email or phone call. 

5. Lastly, you can try to personally reach out to the specialist and convey why you feel that you or a family member should move up on the schedule. This can be done with a phone call although it will be difficult to reach the person directly. Best bet is usually to do an internet search for an enail contact by which to compose your message. If you know of other techniques, feel free to post that here.