1 /5 Suzuki K: I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Helen Lin, MD, at Kaiser on February 19, 2025, for the earliest available slot on February 26 at 4:30 PM in Redwood City. I coordinated my schedule with both of my jobs to ensure I could attend.
Upon arrival, I struggled to find parking due to the small lot and had to park across the street, nearly making me late. After checking in at the front desk, I was directed to Lobby C, where I waited patiently.
Despite checking in twice via the Kaiser app—once in person and once five minutes before my appointment—I was left waiting past my scheduled time. At 4:45 PM, only two of us remained in the lobby. The husband of a fellow patient mentioned that his wife had been waiting in the exam room for 30 minutes—for the same doctor I was supposed to see (on top of the 30 minute wait they had in the lobby)
At 4:55 PM, I was finally called, only to be told I would need to wait another hour on top of the 30 minutes I had already waited. The excuse? "Dr. Lin is very thorough." While thoroughness is important, it should not come at the expense of patients time and proper scheduling.
Waiting over an hour past an appointment time is unacceptable. If a restaurant made you wait an extra hour after a reservation, you would leave. Why should medical professionals be any different? Patients time is just as valuable. This level of disregard is unprofessional, and in my opinion, a failure in patient care and time management.
