Waiting on Godot (Doctors, Actually)

Do you ever wonder why hospitals and doctors insist that we cannot be late, but then often make us wait forever to call us? I took my Dad to the VA in Palo Alto today for an MRI, and when we booked the appointment, the scheduler was quite insistent (rude, actually) that we better not be late. In fact, we should be a 1/2 hour early. So, my Dad and I dutifully arrived a half hour early (well, actually 26 minutes early because it took us close to 10 minutes to find a parking spot) and then waited two hours (I'm not kidding) before he was called in for his MRI (and then another 50 for him to finish). It's as if they think that our lives revolve around theirs. That unlike them, we aren't busy with our days chock full of appointments and responsibilities. I suspect we wouldn't put up with such treatment if we had more leverage, but because we're so dependent on the services they offer, they can basically treat us any way they want.