BEAT THE HEALTHCARE HOLD

Originally published in Forbes. Read full article

Booking space travel on Blue Origin can feel simpler than reaching your cardiologist. In my work running a healthcare advisory firm, one of the biggest frustrations patients mention is the endless game of “press 1 for this, 2 for that” —  only to end up on hold, transferred or hung up on. I consider this high-stakes phone tag that begs for a communication strategy.

By mastering a few simple tactics, you can reach your doctor faster and turn hours on hold into minutes of meaningful dialogue. Otherwise, patients routinely waste time hunting down numbers, get bounced between departments and risk delays in care, fragmented records and even serious medical errors. Sometimes they don’t get what they need even if they do reach their providers.

Even when calls go through, the next hurdle is often the wait: The average time to schedule a doctor’s appointment in the U.S. now stretches to 31 days. For specialists like cardiologists, delays can double. When compounded by phone tag, these gaps risk worsening conditions — making strategic communication a literal lifeline.

Consider one emergency department I was involved with that logged 10,000 unanswered calls in a single month. Or picture a Friday discharge with seven medications to fill — only to find out the pharmacy is out of stock on one critical medication. The pharmacy clicks “therapeutic substitution,” but the doctor’s office has already closed for the weekend. The patient is left calling, portal-messaging and circling back to the pharmacy, each loop costing precious time and potentially leading to treatment delays.

The promise and pitfalls of digital portals

Electronic medical records and patient apps like MyChart were supposed to bridge the communication gap. Yet many patients find portals just another barrier to getting the timely assistance and advice they need. Even when messages get delivered, asynchronous systems lack the dynamic back-and-forth that could provide a solution to your time-sensitive needs. There are no set standards for when your provider will even check for your message or respond to you or call you if needed.

Due to these limitations, it is important that you know the best strategies to reach out for a real-time call. In healthcare, nothing beats a live conversation with your provider, which allows for ironing out details, flagging concerns and ensuring everyone’s on the same page.

Healthcare professionals feel the squeeze, too. While doctors often exchange direct numbers with trusted colleagues, fielding patient calls through receptionists and multiple voicemail boxes eats into clinic hours and slows down critical decision-making. This is why you must embrace the strategies below to reach your medical provider:

5 strategies to reach your doctor faster

1. Use official channels first
   Set up and employ your provider’s portal or app — it’s often prioritized over voicemails and can route you faster. Be specific in any requests to your provider (what do you need and why they need to assist immediately).

2. Call at strategic times
   Target mid-morning (10 a.m.–noon) or mid-afternoon (2–4 p.m.) and avoid the Monday-morning rush or day-after-holiday backlog.

3. Ask for direct extensions
   “May I have Dr. Smith’s direct line or extension?” Write it down — and the name of whoever gives it to you.

4. Build a human connection
   A quick greeting (“Hi, this is Jane Smith — I spoke with Sarah at reception yesterday”) makes the person on the other end more likely to hustle on your behalf.

5. Be razor-sharp
   Before you dial, list your questions in order of importance. A precise, concise message helps staff triage your needs and reduces tedious callbacks. Be sure to mention why you need immediate assistance and any concerns you have if your message is not received (for example, “I really need to renew this medication so that my asthma does not get worse” or “Without your authorization, the insurance company will not approve the medication you say I need.”)

Every answered call is a step closer to timely, safe care. By mastering these tactics — and by holding our healthcare systems accountable for real-time responsiveness, you can become a winner in the high-stakes game of healthcare phone tag and reach your doctor faster for the care you need.