[schn]

This is a byproduct of their time generally being worth so much more than yours. You would not complain if you had to visibly pay for any time a doctor is waiting with no patients.

As for structuring appointments more appropriately, it's quite easy to think of reasons an appointment could take more time than anticipated, and if you had to buffer for that time, you would have to pay for the buffer.

[demallien]

No, you don't have to pay for the buffer time, or at least, yes, ok, you do have to pay for the buffer time, but the hourly rate of 'buffer time' will only be a percentage of what you pay for actual 'visit time'. The percentage that you pay for buffer time should be a reflection of the probability that the doctor will be busy for that buffer time. I would expect that buffer time would be billable at about 30% of visit time, because on avergae a doctor will be busy for the buffer time about two thirds of the time. Obviously that number is just a guess, but it should certainly be under 50%, if I believe my experiences in doctors' waiting rooms..