Can I just have your payment please?

This may not be the longest entry. As much as I love Wednesday nights and Thursdays. I'm not a fan of Fridays. Its the start of an actual 4 day work week. Which means I gotta get up early tomorrow. :( And I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Right from work I have to head out and go about a half hour from work. I'm gonna chill at Barnes and Noble for a bit- get a wonderful book that has been suggested "taking charge of your fertility." And then I have a dress fitting. Wonderful. I didn't get to shave tonight- I feel bad for the people there. haha! I'm in a wedding in about a month and a half and I have to get the dress, and the best appointment they could give me was 11. So no back to bed tomorrow. But its okay. It will be worth it!

Work today. Lets talk about patients shall we. Or as someone (I don't remember who- sorry!) said to me, "patients who don't have patience." Monthly fees are due on a specific day of the month. That day was a few days ago. A patient comes in today with a full balance. And I asked him VERY politely "do you have your payment today?" And I get a strange crazy look

Patient:"what's my balance?"
I tell him.

Patient: "Well I still have time."

Me: "No, no you don't fees were due X days ago. It is now the 23rd. You don't have time."
I can see his frustration escalating.

Patient: "Yea, but they know me, I don't have to pay today."
I point to the sign we have up saying that they are due on that day X days ago and tell him

Me:"_______ As far as I've been told that sign has been up for months. I know you don't come in every day, but I know you've seen it. Either you pay now or you detox."

WRONG! He starts absolutely LOOSING it on me.

Patient: "WHY DIDN'T ANYONE CALL ME AND TELL ME MY FEES WERE DUE? You can't detox me! Where is __________ (the director)?! I wanna talk to her. No one said my fees were due! You can't spring this on me!"

Oh really?

Me: "______ has gone home for the day. You are welcome to talk to her on Tuesday. But for now I have to detox you. Its what I was told to do. No one gets an exception."

Wrong again?

Patient: "THEY KNOW ME! Why didn't anyone call me and tell me?!"

At this point I was loosing my mind trying to figure out what his problem is.

Me: "Sir, you want me to call every active patient before their fees are due each month and tell them they are due? Do you know how many patients we have active? We have _____ patients. That would take days!"

Patient: "I don't care if you have 1200 patients! You need to call us all and tell us when they are due!!"

really???

Me: "Sir this sign has been up for months. You need to pay or you are detoxing. End of story."

Patient: "I'll give you $100. Then the rest you can have later. I have it all but I am not giving it to you


You must be kidding me!!

Me: "Fine I'll take that. You can take your doses home, but you have to pay on Tuesday."

Patient: "What is your name? I want your name so I can tell the director about you on Tuesday too. In all the years I have been here I have NEVER been given the run around like this. No one has ever bugged me for my payment the way you have. This is bullshit. I pay my money so I don't get treated this way, yet I am getting treated this way."

Okay 1) You clearly AREN'T paying your money. 2)Treated like what? I absolutely CANNOT take it when people are ignorant and stupid. I can take it when people are rude, because that is just humans. But ignorant and stupid. No.

He complained, of course, to the nurse. Who pages me and asks if there is anything we can do as far is him taking the rest of his doses home. I tell her nope. Explain the incident that happened up front. Told her that HAD he been polite about the whole thing then maybe I would be more inclined to work with him. But he wasn't. So I won't. She said she stood behind me.

Moral of the story. Don't fuck with the girl who controls the money. :)

And I just realized how truly long this really was!!