The world's greatest healthcare system

Found an email inviting me to "Check-in online and save time!"

Was it a belated note from Delta Airlines from my trip last week?  No, it was from the orthopedic clinic, for my appointment.  "Why pre-register?" it asked, and replied that it would save time and give me more time to talk about my health.  (Not sure how that's going to work -- are they going to give me ten more minutes with the actual healthcare provider because I've obediently done my paperwork online?)

And what kind of paperwork are we talking about?  I just filled in a boatload of forms two weeks ago.

But I figured what the heck, and proceeded to check in.

Hmmm -- in order to verify who I am, I had to choose from six possible street addresses, one of them mine.  (This is kind of like proving that I'm not a robot by finding all the photos of bicycles...)

Having passed that test, I had to get a security code.  This required me to choose which phone I wanted to use, type in that number again, then pick up the phone to receive my code.  I typed that in on the next screen.

That got me to a slew of pages where I got to verify that everything I had told them two weeks ago was still true.  No, I still am not allergic to chicken.  Yes, I still use the Kroger pharmacy.  Etc.

But look at all the time I'm saving, doing it at home instead of in the office.

So tell me, why do I still have to arrive 15 minutes before my appointment time????