I need to send my doctor a letter in regards to an office staff issue that has become very upsetting to me. How it is handled may determine whether my family and I remain his patients or not. Is there a way to indicate that the letter is private, and for the doctor's eyes only?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and any responses. Appreciate it!

No they generally don't. The office manager does this work for the doc. If you want to complain on office staff, you need to make an appointment and speak with the doc in person.

Actually--one way that MAY work (no guarantees, because every office is run differently) is to mark the envelope as "Personal and Confidential".

I know that in every office I've worked in, whoever opened the mail for the usual stuff did NOT open anything marked in that manner.

Sometimes it just depends on the doctor. I work for 8 of them and each has a slightly different preference. ALL like their mail opened for them and placed on their desk. TWO like to have letters marked "private" or "confidential" opened for them as well.

I suggest you call the office and inquire if there is an "Office Manager" or "Practice Manager" and find out that person's name. If there is a person in this position, take your complaints to him/her. Chances are, if your doctor is employing a manager, they expect those complaints to go to them for review before the doctor becomes involved. If there is no manager, its more likely (though not guaranteed) that the doctor is more "hands on" with these issues and would be the one to address your concerns.
Doctors do care about their patients and the actions of their staff, but in general they distance themselves from problems like yours. Many did not learn anything about running an office in school, so they'll hire an Office Manager to take care of the finer details in running a practice. Once a manager speaks with you, he/she would THEN talk to the doctor about your concerns at the same time addressing possible staffing solutions.

Good luck ~ I hope you get the right result! :)