00:00What's the most unprofessional thing a doctor's office ever did?
00:02My five-year-old son was screaming in pain from what looked like appendicitis,
00:06but the receptionist told us to wait because we were ten minutes late to our appointment.
00:09Ma'am, my son can barely stand, I said, showing her how he was doubled over.
00:12She didn't even look up from her computer.
00:13Policy is policy. Late patients wait.
00:15I explained we hit unexpected traffic from a car accident,
00:17but she just shrugged and pointed to the waiting room.
00:19Other families were staring as my boy collapsed into a chair,
00:22clutching his stomach and crying.
00:23Twenty minutes passed.
00:24I approached her desk again, my son now pale and sweating.
00:27Please, something's really wrong with him, I begged.
00:29Sir, your son needs to learn patience, she said coldly.
00:31The doctor will see you when it's your turn.
00:33I asked if we could at least speak to a nurse to check his temperature.
00:35The nurse is busy with on-time patients, she replied,
00:38not even glancing at my suffering child.
00:39An hour went by.
00:40My son vomited into the waiting room trash can,
00:42and other patients started offering help.
00:44One mother whispered,
00:45I can't believe they're making you wait.
00:47I marched back to the desk.
00:48My son just threw up.
00:49Can we please move this along?
00:50The receptionist sighed dramatically.
00:52Children get sick.
00:53That's why you're here.
00:53She handed me paper towels like that solved everything.
00:56My son was now lying across two chairs, barely conscious.
00:58A grandfather in the waiting room stood up and said,
01:00this is ridiculous.
01:01That child needs help now.
01:03The receptionist shot him a look.
01:04Sir, please don't intervene with office practices.
01:06I pulled out my phone to call 911, but she quickly said,
01:09you can't make emergency calls in here.
01:10It disrupts other patients.
01:11That's when I lost it.
01:12Are you seriously telling me I can't call for help?
01:14Hospital policy, she said, pointing to a tiny sign.
01:16One dad offered to drive us to the ER himself.
01:19My son's lips were turning pale,
01:20and he'd stopped crying because he was too weak.
01:22I finally stood up and took my son to the ER.
01:24We rushed to the ER, my son barely responsive in his car seat.
01:27The triage nurse took one look at him and called for immediate assistance.
01:30Within minutes, doctors were surrounding him, running tests and starting an IV.
01:33How long has he been in this condition?
01:34The emergency doctor asked.
01:35About four hours, I said.
01:36His pediatrician's office made us wait.
01:38The doctor's face darkened.
01:39Four hours?
01:39With these symptoms?
01:40Twenty minutes later, they were wheeling him into emergency surgery.
01:43The surgeon came out afterwards looking grim.
01:44His appendix was minutes from bursting.
01:46The infection was already spreading.
01:47My heart stopped.
01:48What would have happened if we waited longer?
01:49Sepsis.
01:50Possibly fatal, he said quietly.
01:51You got here just in time.
01:52I spent that night in the hospital chair,
01:54watching my son sleep with tubes and monitors attached.
01:56The next morning, armed with surgical photos,
01:58hospital reports, and a lawyer's business card,
02:00I walked back into that doctor's office.
02:01The same receptionist was at her desk, looking surprised to see me.
02:04Oh, you're back.
02:05Did you want to reschedule your missed appointment?
02:06I placed the hospital discharge papers on her desk.
02:08I have a question.
02:09When exactly did you get your medical degree?
02:11Her smile faded as she read the emergency surgery report.
02:13Sir, I was just following protocol.
02:14Your protocol almost ended my son, I said,
02:16pulling out the surgical photos.
02:18These are pictures of his infected appendix that nearly burst while you made him wait three hours.
02:21The office manager came running out, having heard the commotion.
02:24Sir, please, let's discuss this privately.
02:26No, I said loudly.
02:27Everyone here should know what happens when you follow the late policy too strictly.
02:31The office manager was practically begging now.
02:33We'll review our policies immediately.
02:34This won't happen again.
02:35You're right, it won't, I said,
02:36because I'm reporting this to the medical board,
02:38your insurance company, and every parent review site I can find.
02:41The receptionist finally spoke up, her voice shaking.
02:43I didn't know it was that serious.
02:44That's exactly the problem, I replied.
02:46You're not qualified to make that determination.
02:48Two weeks later, they called to tell me they'd implemented a medical emergency override system
02:52and retrained all front desk staff.
02:54The receptionist had been transferred to their billing department,
02:56where she couldn't make life-threatening decisions anymore.
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