Do Drs offices get incentives for prescribing certain medications?

[disfan07]

I absolutely loved our pediatrician. He was such a common sense guy. He never prescribed anything if he didn't think that it would benefit. My oldest had a terrible time with ear infections when he was a baby. He was going to have to get tubes when he suggested that we switch to soy milk, because in some cases bad ear infections were actually milk allergies. It worked. He was such a mellow guy that he can put any scared mommy at ease. If for any reason you feel like your doc is not the doctor for you, switch. You can interview doctors if you like.

I'm curious if you don't mind me asking...where in Northern VA are you? That's where I grew up (I'm only 22) and I had an amazing pediatrician when we lived there. I know he is still practicing I think still in Reston.

And to counteract pediatricians like yours, there are so many who just shell out prescriptions like they are candy espcially for ear infections. You pediatrician sounds wonderful.

 

[malibuconlee]

What concerns me is that he keeps putting your child on the same antibiotic. The ones I've been to will ask what they were on the last time and give something else if it was at all recent.

 

[Alesia]

Don't believe everything you see on TV....especially from Dr. Oz.

True dat.

 

[princessmorgan]

I absolutely loved our pediatrician. He was such a common sense guy. He never prescribed anything if he didn't think that it would benefit. My oldest had a terrible time with ear infections when he was a baby. He was going to have to get tubes when he suggested that we switch to soy milk, because in some cases bad ear infections were actually milk allergies. It worked. He was such a mellow guy that he can put any scared mommy at ease. If for any reason you feel like your doc is not the doctor for you, switch. You can interview doctors if you like.

I'm curious if you don't mind me asking...where in Northern VA are you? That's where I grew up (I'm only 22) and I had an amazing pediatrician when we lived there. I know he is still practicing I think still in Reston.

And to counteract pediatricians like yours, there are so many who just shell out prescriptions like they are candy espcially for ear infections. You pediatrician sounds wonderful.

Yes, please what is the name of your pediatrician, both of you I live by Reston and would totally switch! None of my friends have a ped doctor they love. Sometimes they love one doctor in the practice, but the rest are just eh.

 

[disfan07]

Yes, please what is the name of your pediatrician, both of you I live by Reston and would totally switch! None of my friends have a ped doctor they love. Sometimes they love one doctor in the practice, but the rest are just eh.

Dr. Marty Forman at Reston Pediatrics. I LOVED LOVED LOVED him. He was my pediatrician from when I was born until I was 14 when I switched to an adult internist. He is wonderful.

Dr. Ruth Mann is also at the same practice and she is wonderful as well. She has also been at the same practice as Dr. Forman since the mid 80s.

The office is on Sunrise Valley Drive. Now I haven't been to either of them in about 8 years but if they are still anything like they were when I was a patient, they are wonderful.

 

[princessmorgan]

Blah! I just got the bill from this last Dr.'s visit. $350 for the office visit and the strep and flu test. $600 for lab work and chest x-ray at the hospital! Sorry, I just felt like griping. All for nothing. I guess it's good I didn't fill the prescription for the antibiotics. That would have been another $70. With this visit, it put us over the top for our health fund, so now we pay 100% out of pocket for our dr's visits. I guess I should be grateful we have insurance at all.

 

[princessmorgan]

Dr. Marty Forman at Reston Pediatrics. I LOVED LOVED LOVED him. He was my pediatrician from when I was born until I was 14 when I switched to an adult internist. He is wonderful.

Dr. Ruth Mann is also at the same practice and she is wonderful as well. She has also been at the same practice as Dr. Forman since the mid 80s.

The office is on Sunrise Valley Drive. Now I haven't been to either of them in about 8 years but if they are still anything like they were when I was a patient, they are wonderful.

Thanks, I looked him up. I read some reviews though that said he likes to joke around a lot. Some people said it was over the top. I'm all for joking and light heartedness, but I also believe there's a time to be serious. Did you find that to be the case with him?

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I read the first page and a half so I'm sorry if this was mentioned, I'm getting ready to go out the door and couldn't finish reading. When they do a blood culture to look for an infection it can take at least 24 hours if not longer for the bacteria to grow so if your child's temp is 105 and her white blood cell count is high enough to be fighting an infection your dr. may have put her on antibiotics until the culture came back to keep the infection from turning into something more serious or doing more damage until they found out exactly what it was they were fighting.

Rapid strep tests are not as accurate as blood cultures either.

 

[princessmorgan]

I read the first page and a half so I'm sorry if this was mentioned, I'm getting ready to go out the door and couldn't finish reading. When they do a blood culture to look for an infection it can take at least 24 hours if not longer for the bacteria to grow so if your child's temp is 105 and her white blood cell count is high enough to be fighting an infection your dr. may have put her on antibiotics until the culture came back to keep the infection from turning into something more serious or doing more damage until they found out exactly what it was they were fighting.

Rapid strep tests are not as accurate as blood cultures either.

Hmm, that's interesting to know, thanks! You just gave me more info than my doctor did

 

[nilseks]

Don't believe everything you see on TV....especially from Dr. Oz.

Yep, that! I haven't read all the replies but my SIL is a cardiac drug rep for a very large drug company. Not only do they not allow any type of incentives anymore, it would get her in some major hot water. They have VERY strict guidelines about what they can and cannot do, and there are definitely no kickbacks going on.

 

[disfan07]

Thanks, I looked him up. I read some reviews though that said he likes to joke around a lot. Some people said it was over the top. I'm all for joking and light heartedness, but I also believe there's a time to be serious. Did you find that to be the case with him?

To be honest, I don't remember it being over the top. I do remember that I never hated going to see him. And I was there A LOT!

BUT, we also knew him from our synagogue. That might have affected how we perceived him.

He's very laid back and just very relaxed. But that doesn't mean he can't be serious. He can be serious when needed. I remember once when I was 10, we had a scare where he was concerned because of a high WBC and my spleen was enlarged. He was able to be very serious about what he wanted done immediately but he was also able to be laid back enough not to scare ME.

It's all matter of personal opinion of course. I take those reviews online with a grain of salt. My current doctors love to joke. They are all very sarcastic and crazy. It's one of the many things I love about them. But they are also all amazing at what they do. I have trust issues when it comes to doctors and all of my doctors now are absolutely amazing. And their bedside manner adn compassion is top notch.
But I also know that most of my doctors really are ones who you either love or you hate. It's all about personality.

I personally don't think you would have an issue with Dr. Forman. I think he's a wonderful doctor so if you really want to switch, I would not hesitate to make an appointment for like a consultation to talk to him.

Hope that Helps!