Co-Pay to get blood results?

[pweyl36]

You do not have to go to the doctor to get your test results. Simply request the records from the office. They are your property.

Its the dr property not the pt, and trust me dr dont get rich off of co-pays. Its the ins co that require a copay not the dr. I have to tell our pt that all the time.

 

[C.Ann]

Yes - one of the main reasons that I changed doctors in 2006..

My current doctors office will give you the info over the phone - as long as everything is normal.. Same with any other tests: x-rays; CAT scans; MRI's; etc..

I have run into the same problem with specialists and I just refuse to make an appointment.. If there is in fact a problem, they will call and say so (to cover their butts) and insist that I come in - if there isn't anything to discuss, eventually they will give in and reluctantly say, "Everything looks fine.."

Money is far too tight to hand them $20 after every single test just for them to say, "The test came out fine.."

 

[soonerlpn]

Its the dr property not the pt, and trust me dr dont get rich off of co-pays. Its the ins co that require a copay not the dr. I have to tell our pt that all the time.

Wrong. The lab results are part of the patients record and IS the patient's property. All the patients have to do is request a copy of their lab results. The doctor has no reason to charge a patient for a visit when they can mail them the information. No one said they get rich off co pays. Does your office bill the insurance company for an office visit for the full minute the doctor says everything is fine and leaves the room? If the patient is paying a co pay, the doctors office is billing an office visit through the insurance company. Again to the OP, you do NOT have to make an appointment to find out your lab results. You can simply call the office and have YOUR results mailed to you. They are your property. The doctors office is required to keep a record of your labs/ visits, etc...but in the end you have free, yes i said FREE access to your records whenever you want.

 

[kent285]

I get my results online-Cleveland Clinic.

 

[Muushka]

Wrong. The lab results are part of the patients record and IS the patient's property. All the patients have to do is request a copy of their lab results. The doctor has no reason to charge a patient for a visit when they can mail them the information. No one said they get rich off co pays. Does your office bill the insurance company for an office visit for the full minute the doctor says everything is fine and leaves the room? If the patient is paying a co pay, the doctors office is billing an office visit through the insurance company. Again to the OP, you do NOT have to make an appointment to find out your lab results. You can simply call the office and have YOUR results mailed to you. They are your property. The doctors office is required to keep a record of your labs/ visits, etc...but in the end you have free, yes i said FREE access to your records whenever you want.

Yup, do all that and then switch to a more reasonable doc.

How about X-rays? Do they have a right to charge for a copy of your X-ray? Sorry, thread hijacking

 

[pweyl36]

Wrong. The lab results are part of the patients record and IS the patient's property. All the patients have to do is request a copy of their lab results. The doctor has no reason to charge a patient for a visit when they can mail them the information. No one said they get rich off co pays. Does your office bill the insurance company for an office visit for the full minute the doctor says everything is fine and leaves the room? If the patient is paying a co pay, the doctors office is billing an office visit through the insurance company. Again to the OP, you do NOT have to make an appointment to find out your lab results. You can simply call the office and have YOUR results mailed to you. They are your property. The doctors office is required to keep a record of your labs/ visits, etc...but in the end you have free, yes i said FREE access to your records whenever you want.

Your wrong they if you what copies you do have to pay,But you can come in to the dr office and go over your records, The dr does have every right to charge you for copying the records. When I have pt call in to get results I tell them all I can do is give them the result after the dr has seen them. If they have questions then yes you have to come in. Until you work in an dr office you every thing you think you know is actually wrong and you actually understand the reasons on why you have to be seen to go over labs,get med refills,and come in for a cold in order to get an anitbiotic.

 

[Muushka]

Your wrong they if you what copies you do have to pay,But you can come in to the dr office and go over your records, The dr does have every right to charge you for copying the records. When I have pt call in to get results I tell them all I can do is give them the result after the dr has seen them. If they have questions then yes you have to come in. Until you work in an dr office you every thing you think you know is actually wrong and you actually understand the reasons on why you have to be seen to go over labs,get med refills,and come in for a cold in order to get an anitbiotic.

Actually, in my very long medical career, I spent about 10 years in Doc offices and I was the medical technologist, the one in charge of the blood tests.

The routine was if the blood tests were fairly simple, increase your meds, your chol was elevated, diet or decrease your coumadin, that sort of thing, it was done over the phone. Always a copy if they asked for one.

If their blood tests required treatment (new diabetic, chol totally out of whack, elevated enzymes that needed the doc to do an exam to see what is going on or order more tests) then they came back for an appointment.

The doc that required a visit to go over the tests, her secretary (a friend of mine) told me that she did it to increase revenue. And judging the way the doc treated me (poorly, not just the blood test issue), I believe she would do anything she could to up the patient count, so many left her.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Mine sends a postcard with all routine test results. Even (cholesterol) instructions for care. I appreciate not having to waste another hour + copay going back into the office.

Gosh, I hope that post card is inside of an envelope. Otherwise, that Dr's office is in violation of HIPPA laws (at least here in MD, can't speak for other states as I'm not sure in HIPPA laws are state or federally mandated.)

Your wrong they if you what copies you do have to pay,But you can come in to the dr office and go over your records, The dr does have every right to charge you for copying the records. When I have pt call in to get results I tell them all I can do is give them the result after the dr has seen them. If they have questions then yes you have to come in. Until you work in an dr office you every thing you think you know is actually wrong and you actually understand the reasons on why you have to be seen to go over labs,get med refills,and come in for a cold in order to get an anitbiotic.

what?! do you read your posts before hitting submit? Not trying to be snarky, but this sentence doesn't make any sense.
Some offices do DO things over the phone. Ours will give 'normal' lab results over the phone (does NOT have to be done by the DR either here in MD) , they will give refills over the phone, I've even gotten an antibotic over the phone because they didn't have any appt's left and I have chronic sinusitis and they didn't want me to wait. I've also had them give me the drops for DD over the phone when she had pink eye. They asked several questions, said "OH, Pink eye" Don't need to bring her in as it's very contagious. Granted we have been w/ the same practice for a long time now and the DR knows our family, but each practice is run differently. So you can't make blankets statements regarding the way the offices are run. Each DR can set their own rules as long as their not breaking any laws. So I guess the DR of that practice could choose to say that THEIR OFFICE requires a follow-up visit for test results. I however, would then choose another practice as I think that practice is done more to pad their accts than out of patient concern. I would suspect though, if you don't give in on the follow-up, eventually, they will mail you the results. But I could be wrong.
BTW, a DR really shouldn't be prescribing antibotics for a cold. A cold is a virus, antibotics are only good for bacteria.

 

[soonerlpn]

Your wrong they if you what copies you do have to pay,But you can come in to the dr office and go over your records, The dr does have every right to charge you for copying the records. When I have pt call in to get results I tell them all I can do is give them the result after the dr has seen them. If they have questions then yes you have to come in. Until you work in an dr office you every thing you think you know is actually wrong and you actually understand the reasons on why you have to be seen to go over labs,get med refills,and come in for a cold in order to get an anitbiotic.

I am sorry, I must point out something...my screen name does say LPN in it. I have been a nurse for 11 years and am well aware of the ins and outs of a doctors office. A patient does not need to be seen to go over labs. 99 percent of the time the labs are within normal limits and there is no reason at all to see a doctor. There is also no reason to for the insurance companies to get billed for a one minute visit that could have been done through the mail or the phone.

I never said that if the patient had questions about the results AFTER they have seen them they should not make an appointment. I wonder why every doctor doesn't make it a practice to force their patients to come into the office to receive normal lab results. Because its NOT RIGHT. So your office charges to make copies of a patients record. Ok, how much per sheet? 5 cents? 10 cents? So lets say the patient had a BMP, lipid levels and hepatic panel run...that can easily fit on two sheets so lets say thats going to cost the patient 20 cents. But yet your office wants the patient to come in and pay their co pay and bill their insurance. Makes ZERO sense to me.

If my doctor ever tried that with me I would find another because believe me the majority of doctors do not require that. If the patient says NO then its no. In the end the patient is in charge of their health care decisions not the doctor. I know a lot of people find that hard to believe because for the longest we have lived under the principle that the doctor is always right. Do whatever the doctor says.

Sorry for the rant but this is a subject that mystifies me.

 

[mommytoone]

Have you ever been told by your doctor's office that you needed to come into the office in order to get the results of your blood work, rather than getting the results over the phone.

I feel like my doctor's office is holding my blood results hostage. I am basically being forced to come into the office ($30 co-pay) in order to speak with the doctor. I told the nurse to schedule me in for a full physical, that way I at least feel like I am getting something for the co-pay.

My appointment isn't until Friday, and now I'm just starting to think that they don't want to give me "bad news" over the phone.

Has this ever happened to anyone? I feel like many doctor's have just become "BIG BUSINESS - MONEY MAKERS" rather than people who actually care about your health.

This used to happen to me all the time at my Others Doctors office. They even quit giving me my meds because they said I did not come in. Well, I had enough, been going there for 11 years. I finally found another Dr. I have never been happier. They call with results the next day, I don't have to wait 4-5 days, then make an appt. It is the best decision I made. I would look into doing that.

 

[Kies99]

My doc will give results over phone if things are normal. If we want a copy we call and then go pick them up. No charge.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

If we don't tell doctors' offices that this behavior is not acceptable, it will continue and become more prevalent.

Write a letter to your doctor and let them know that it's not ok.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Its the dr property not the pt, and trust me dr dont get rich off of co-pays. Its the ins co that require a copay not the dr. I have to tell our pt that all the time.

You have a legal right to your medical records.

You paid for that test, it's YOUR test.

It is not the doctor's property. He is allowed to charge you for copies made, but you have every right to request your original records. I can quote you the legal statutes, if you need them.

The doctor is REQUIRING a followup visit, the insurance company has a rule that states whenever you see a doctor, you pay a co pay.

It's the doctor that is forcing the patient to come in so he can bill for a "brief visit" (usually several hundred dollars).

I worked for a doc's office too, and this is not right to do to a patient that HAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM.

 

[branv]

I had the absolute WORST Endocrinologist in Houston. Well over an hour wait every single time I went in (despite low level of patients), one of the worst billing situations I have ever experienced (they would make me pay EVERYTHING up front despite being in network, then double bill the insurance. I had to fight every single time to get my money back), questionable tests ordered by her creepy husband (I still have no idea if he's even a doc as he wasn't even listed as a partner), etc. They wanted to do a biopsy on a node on my thyroid...prepped me, told me not to move, then promptly left me flat on the table for over an hour before doc showed up...ugh, worse in plain view of the 8 needles they were about to shove in my throat.

But the worst -- as anyone knows with thyroids, docs like to do tests every few months at first to figure out the best med level. I was used to being tested every 2-3 months anytime I saw a new doc. This one had me come in to be retested every 3 weeks, and ALWAYS forced me to come back in for new results. I didn't even see her, saw a nurse who handed me a new prescription. And the worst was that my levels were stable after the third visit, but she continued to require new testing every single month for another 4 months...refusing to write a prescription for longer than a month. I'd come in, they'd say, "it's normal, here's your Rx." Nothing like waiting an 1.5 hour during a work day to get a prescription.

I was in my twenties and still in that "don't rock the boat" stage, but I RAN from that office when I finally came to my senses that this was so not normal. I found out that a year later this Endo started also doing botox, microdermabrasion, etc to make more money.

BTW: I tried to get my records mailed to my new doc. After five requests they never did send them, despite my having faxed in all the paperwork.

 

[Them!]

I really do think that the drs' offices are trying to get more copays lately. My insurance covers my copay for my yearly pap. This year, I got billed the copay by my doctor's office. When I called to ask why they said because the provider talked about my cholesterol during my well woman visit. Which, by the way, she brought it up and I already had a separate appointment for that specific thing by my regular dr. at the same practice three weeks prior.

Note to self: Next time keep don't answer any 'upstairs" questions when in for a "downstairs" appointment! LOL

What doofusses.

 

[Muushka]

Yup, the best thing you can say to docs like that is Buh Bye.

I thought my recent experience was a hoot. I went in for a clinical study, first visit. Mind you, this is volunteer. I have done them before and know how they work.

I check in for my 10 AM appointment. At 10:15 someone who is already in a study checks in. At 10:50 they go to the desk to ask what the delay is. The receptionist responds

They are having problems with the phones, but it's all good

with a big smile on her face. NOT the time to say 'it's all good' as that man was late for work for a volunteer study.

My response? Buh Bye. Got my paperwork back and left.

 

[3boymthr]

Keep in mind that unnecessary Drs. visits are always additional money out of your pocket - and not just the co-pay. Your insurance company calculates your future insurance costs based upon what expenses are incurred by the plan/the loss ratio. The more money the insurance company pays out in claims the more your premiums go up - so avoid unnecessary office visits! (I'm an insurance underwriter - yep this gets looked at all the time.)

I don't see why you need a follow up drs. visit. Tell them you want to know if there was anything to be concerned about and if there isn't you're not coming in as it is unnessary to and tell them if you they aren't qualified tell you you want to talk to a nurse. Remind them that this costs you more than your co-pay long term and you want don't see the need to spend money unnecessarily if the issue can be resolved over the phone.

Also, if they need you to come in because there is an issue then they should tell you so you can be prepared with questions about the condition they are concerned about.

BTW in my experience if there is something "wrong" they don't wait to tell you they have always said "there is something about x that concerns us we would like you to come back in to discuss and to schedule follow up tests." That way they know you won't blow of the appointment.

 

[OKWAnneMarie]

You do not have to go to the doctor to get your test results. Simply request the records from the office. They are your property.

You are absolutely correct. I always have my blood tests faxed or mailed to me.

 

[Belle5]

Have you ever been told by your doctor's office that you needed to come into the office in order to get the results of your blood work, rather than getting the results over the phone.

I feel like my doctor's office is holding my blood results hostage. I am basically being forced to come into the office ($30 co-pay) in order to speak with the doctor. I told the nurse to schedule me in for a full physical, that way I at least feel like I am getting something for the co-pay.

My appointment isn't until Friday, and now I'm just starting to think that they don't want to give me "bad news" over the phone.

Has this ever happened to anyone? I feel like many doctor's have just become "BIG BUSINESS - MONEY MAKERS" rather than people who actually care about your health.

OP--what did you do?

 

[CarolA]

Mine sends a postcard with all routine test results. Even (cholesterol) instructions for care. I appreciate not having to waste another hour + copay going back into the office.

A POSTCARD?????

Your doctor is crazy. Call his office and say HIPAA violation!

POSTCARD for protected health information is a clear violation of the law! GOOD GRIEF!