No cost for preventive care????

[disneysteve]

Can the receptionist not find you two appointments that connect?

Just guessing but the reason a doctor is unlikely to do this is because of the no-show/cancellation risk. If you miss your appointment, he has one open spot. If you have a double appointment slot and miss that, now he's got two open spots.

when I had an appointment for abdominal pain, and said "Oh, in the last week I started having issues with irregular heartbeats and very low blood pressure" - we took care of both, and I didn't feel rushed at all.

That's different because the "other" issue you raised was potentially serious. He couldn't tell you to come back next week because you were having symptoms that demanded immediate attention. Had you raised a concern of a more chronic or benign nature, he might have asked you to return at another time.

 

[disneysteve]

I asked about two appointments one after the other and was told each procedure had to be on two seperate days. I just talked to the doctor about it last week when having to take my son in both Thursday and then Friday for two different things and he said he hates it. He wishes he could just address everything at one appointment but with the regulations from the state coming down on him it was not his choice.

I do know that when I go in for my thyroid to get my blood TSH checked I have to make an appointment with the doctor despite not really needing one just need that blood checked.

Quite frankly, this is all about billing issues. Your doctor can't bill for two visits on the same day so by splitting up the visits onto separate days, he is able to charge more. Also, two visits means two co-pays if you have a co-pay.

The same goes for the thyroid check. If you just come for a blood test, he bills a much lower fee than if you come for an office visit and blood work.

In the practice where I used to work, patients could not get blood work and an office visit on the same day. Why? Because that way they had to pay a co-pay each time instead of only once.

 

[angwill]

Quite frankly, this is all about billing issues. Your doctor can't bill for two visits on the same day so by splitting up the visits onto separate days, he is able to charge more. Also, two visits means two co-pays if you have a co-pay.

The same goes for the thyroid check. If you just come for a blood test, he bills a much lower fee than if you come for an office visit and blood work.

In the practice where I used to work, patients could not get blood work and an office visit on the same day. Why? Because that way they had to pay a co-pay each time instead of only once.

Sadly, it just sounds like a way to bleed the people of more money when money is tight for a lot of people right now. I really hope to still be alive when the US gets the medical system working for the best of the people over business.

 

[disneysteve]

I really hope to still be alive when the US gets the medical system working for the best of the people over business.

You and me both. Trust me. The doctors don't like it any more than the patients. We hate having to think about insurance rules and regulations and billing issues constantly. We'd much rather be focusing our attention on providing good care. But if the money doesn't come in, the care doesn't happen.

 

[dawnball]

I do know that when I go in for my thyroid to get my blood TSH checked I have to make an appointment with the doctor despite not really needing one just need that blood checked. The nurse checks my weight and blood pressure and the doctor comes in to hear me tell her what I am there for and that is it. I pay for that appointment for nothing too but those are regulations. I wish I could pay a smaller fee to wave seeing the doctor.

That seems really odd to me. When I have routine or investigative blood work done, I call and talk to the nurse, she checks the standing order, and I go straight to the lab. No doctor visit needed. If I wanted a TSH test, I'd have to make an appointment and explain why I thought I needed one, but that's a new situation, not an existing one.

Things work differently in different practices and parts of the country, though.

Oh, and I did go in for an IUD string check once - Nurse says "Put on the sheet and I'll be back to take your vitals." I was changed, checked and redressed in <5 minutes. Waved at the nurse coming to check my vitals on my way out, and paid $30 a copay. Insurance paid just like any other office visit. So ideally, it all sort of averages out.

 

[dawnball]

That's different because the "other" issue you raised was potentially serious. He couldn't tell you to come back next week because you were having symptoms that demanded immediate attention. Had you raised a concern of a more chronic or benign nature, he might have asked you to return at another time.

Well, yes, that's what I was trying to say. That an appointment is of a fixed length, and only so many issues can be covered in one appointment. I want a doctor who won't let people (me included) overrun their appointments for things that aren't critical, but will for things that matter. And I want them to handle "This isn't a big deal, can we talk about it at another appointment?" gracefully.

I value the time of my doctors and specialists pretty highly, and they're very generous with it. But I'm also grateful that they value -my- time highly, and I consider that mutual consideration to be important when I choose a practice.

 

[disneysteve]

I value the time of my doctors and specialists pretty highly, and they're very generous with it. But I'm also grateful that they value -my- time highly, and I consider that mutual consideration to be important when I choose a practice.

I couldn't agree more. I wish all patients had that mindset.

 

[angwill]

You and me both. Trust me. The doctors don't like it any more than the patients. We hate having to think about insurance rules and regulations and billing issues constantly. We'd much rather be focusing our attention on providing good care. But if the money doesn't come in, the care doesn't happen.

Just think of all the money saved if you didn't have to worry about insurance rules and regluations and billing issues like improper coding and such. Savings on your end and the patients end.