Sunday, December 02, 2012

first time fee

I recently had to go get something checked out and it was my first time to this particular hospital.

Without a referral, you need to pay a "first-time" fee. And without an appointment, you need to wait...over two hours!

While you wait, you need to take your own blood pressure and give it to the nurse.

After finally being called, I had to wait again in front of the doctor's room, I was amazed because in Hawaii, the doctor goes around to various exam rooms to see patients, but in Japan, you go into a room to see the doctor.

I was also amazed that the doctor, himself, types in the computer onto your medical chart and schedules your next appointments on that computer too.

After all of that, you go to the lobby to pay your portion. Oh, but you can't just pay, they need to figure out how much you need to pay, so you need to wait again.

When you're finally called to pay, they send you over to a machine to pay.

Pretty interesting, yeah?!

p.s. the temperature has gone down into single digits (celsius)...brr!

8 comments:

Alan said...

Hi: I get so frustrated sometimes with the bad customer service and the bureaucracy in the medical profession sometimes, but there are places, like your experienced where things are really bad! I think I would go bonkers with that kind of stuff.

K and S said...

bad customer service is not fun at all Alan!

Take care.
Kat

jalna said...

Wow, that's so opposite from the usual excellent customer care that's usually given in Japan. Is it government run?

K and S said...

I don't think so, Jalna.

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

And you did this all by yourself?! It just sounds like one big maze and you are the mouse trying to figure out where to go/what to do just to get out!

K and S said...

Satoshi was with me for the majority of the time until he had to go back to work, Rowena, I know I wouldn't have been able to figure it out by myself!

Take care.
Kat

K said...

Oh man, as if going to a doctor's office didn't take long enough as it is! I hope you're doing ok!

K and S said...

Thanks K!

Take care.
Kat