Why do I have to tell the Dr's receptionist all of the embarassing details of what is wrong with me? Can't I just make an appointment and talk to the doctor?

Sometimes the Dr's receptionist is also a nurse doing triage to determine when to get you in. Trust me, we've heard everything. It's not like you are the discussion at the dinner table.

I understand the doc may need to prepare the room or they have to figure out how much time to schedule,
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This is coming from above, she is an employee of the Dr, so she is doing what she was instructed to do by her boss-The Dr. Don't complain about the receptionist for doing her job.
Being prepared keeps the appointment schedule on schedule. Nothing pisses the staff off more than to have a pt.come in needing to speak to a Dr. and then find out she's in there for a thrombosed hemorrhoid. Thus, resulting in an easy 45 minute delay in the schedule. Now everyone in the lobby is pissed and so is the staff. You see where I'm going with this?

Coming from a patient's view... I couldn't care less. Like the pp said, I'm sure they've heard everything and I figured if they all ask then there must be a reason. I'm also not very shy lol

ahhh i know, it sucks, but it is hard to prep the Dr etc if they dont know SOME details

I've never had to tell the receptionist details of why I need to see the Dr. All they ask is if I need a long or short appt.

If you are that concerned, just say it's a personal matter I'd prefer to speak with the doctor about. Indicate if you need a pelvic exam and the basic problems. Like the first poster said, they do need some info to determine the appointment and all, but you can give info without being embarssed.

She is trying to determine whether or not your situation is an emergency and/or how soon you should be seen. It's part of her job. If you were about to bleed to death, would you want to wait a week to see the doctor?

They have to ask those questions to determine how quickly you need an appt, how long you will need, and if there's a possibility that they might need to tell you to go straight to the ER for emergency treatment or something of that nature. It's embarrassing, yes, but it's necessary. In order to get the best, most effective treatment for whatever may be wrong with you, you need to swallow the embarrassment and simply tell them what they ask.

as much as it sucks, the receiptionist is under the same oaths and have to practice the privacy acts and HIPAA. you can't talk directly to the dr bceause of other patients needing appointments, someone may have an issue more sever than you, plus, rarely are you goung to ask directly for the dr and talk to hi because he has other appts going on. the receptionist asks because they have to make notes, the dr has to prepare for your appt and know what to do and say, at least have an outlook. though it's embarassing to you, the receptionist has probably heard it all andprobably dealt with it theirselves. check your receptionist out....some of them are nurses answering the phone sometimes or CNAs

for example if you had a gyno issue, if the doctordidn't know you may end up in a room that doesn't have the equipment to evaluate your issue so now you have to pick up and move, time out of your appt before the next. if they know ahead of time, you canbe put in the right room