Las Vegas physician appeals award in lawsuit over waiting time

Telling patients why you are running late and giving them interesting things to do while waiting helps mitigate irritation.

By Tanya Albert, AMNews staff. Aug. 18, 2003.

Pain management specialist Ty Weller, MD, has added a new sign to his waiting room and a couple of new sentences to his patient forms: We try to see everyone in a timely manner. But if we're taking too long, please let us reschedule you.

The new verbiage comes after a patient, upset over waiting three hours, sued him in small claims court and won.

Dr. Weller said he was trying to do Aristotelis Belavilas a favor by getting him into the office for a pain injection that day. The Las Vegas doctor's schedule already was full, but since Belavilas planned to leave for vacation in Greece the next day, Dr. Weller said he would try to fit him in.

Dr. Weller's day, however, got off to a bumpy start. His morning surgery went far longer than expected, and he just couldn't get caught up.

It was about three hours after Belavilas' scheduled appointment by the time Dr. Weller got to him.

"I felt terrible, but like any physician, I could only work as fast as I was comfortable. I had my staff updating him," said Dr. Weller, noting that he had to drive 25 minutes to get across town to the surgery center where Belavilas was waiting. Dr. Weller said he doesn't usually work out of that center, but Belavilas' insurance company would only pay if the procedure was done there.

Belavilas was upset at the wait time and that the doctor couldn't be reached when he asked for pain medication while waiting.

He left the center before Dr. Weller could give him the injection.