At my MD's office, you can pay $1,800/yr for him to see you on time.

[wtmusic]

That's right, "premium" medical service guarantees the doctor will see you "within 15 minutes of your appointment time".

Since I go to see him maybe 6 times/year, that works out to $300 a pop for him to show up when he said he would. I get parking validation too, but I wonder if it includes freedom from his whining about how Obamacare will ruin medicine? That might actually be worth it.

Nah, I'm finding another doctor. And I plan to inform him immediately of my new "Premium Patient" service, which means I won't send him a bill for my time should I be forced to wait longer than 15 minutes. Since I'm fairly certain my time is less valuable than his, I'll offer it for only $500/year, which for him should be peanuts.

I'm one of the lucky ones - I can afford insurance (barely). It costs my family $19,812/year, and it seems like they might throw in being on time for that kind of money. But what do I know? Maybe when Obamacare kicks in.

I can't wait. </rant> :grr:

[Occulus]

1. Almost... twenty... grand... a YEAR.....

An amount that would make a mob loan shark blush out of shame.....

:grr: :cry: :grr:

[FSogol]

5. Almost 2, not 20 but just as despicable. n/t

[Occulus]

6. "I can afford insurance (barely). It costs my family $19,812/year"

Almost. Twenty. Grand. A year.

[FSogol]

10. How was I supposed to know what you were thinking? You were

responding to a discussion of a doctor wanting to charge an extra $1.8k/yr fee.

My family of 4 gets our insurance thru my wife's company. We pay about $250 a month but her company is picking up the majority of the tab. Still the whole tab is probably under 7k a year. Sorry to hear about a 20k bill. Any chance that the upcoming State pools will help?

[MuseRider]

27. Last time we looked

in 2002 it was 15 grand for the two of us per year for crummy insurance. Who knows what it would be now. He retired, we lost our insurance and even though he was a doctor we can no longer afford regular insurance. We have catastrophic and are damned lucky we can pay for it. $30,000.00 deductible. Isn't that nice? What we pay for that, really it is like no coverage at all until something really bad happens, is less than what our monthly cost would be for regular but crummy coverage (no dental, no mental health, no meds).

All because of pre-existing illness. Last we looked the new plan does not help. We were told the only way we could get the new plans that have to cover you was if we were denied insurance for 6 months because of the pre-existing illnesses. Nobody is denying us but we are not paying what would be well over 15 grand a year for something we barely use and would have a very high deductible on top of that. I fear that is how they will get around this for so many people. Sure we will cover you, it will be $20,000.00 a year. Can't afford it? Too bad, you can get insurance so you can't say you are denied.

Out of pocket baby, it sucks but we are lucky enough to be able to afford that. It sure sucks it out of your retirement though.

***We are lucky*** I just want to add that. I am just telling a story not looking for sympathy. It should not be this way for anyone.

[FSogol]

30. Agreed: "It should not be this way for anyone."

[bemildred]

2. Gosh, this is the same kind of marketing bullshit you car dealer offers. nt

[JNelson6563]

3. You have a doctor?

And you get to go see him?? Lucky!

Julie

[FSogol]

4. Here in No. VA, I was looking for a doctor and found a practice that wants to charge me $75 a month

for their "Wellness Plan" which I would get to email their office with concerns and get a nutritional email newsletter. I told them it was obvious that they were trying to limit their clientele to the rich and healthy and that it showed that they cared little about the health of their patients. Certainly not the type of doctor I'd every visit on purpose.

[wtmusic]

7. And maybe they offer on online chat for emergencies!

Are there an extreme shortage of doctors? Why is there no competition? I'm missing an important piece of the puzzle here. :crazy:

[FSogol]

12. They'll email me instructions on applying a tourniquet in between holes on their golf course. n/t

:shrug:

[madrchsod]

15. there`s a shortage of doctors

[defendandprotect]

23. Trust that may be because many realizing that medicine today is so far from its

original purpose --

Understand that 50% of the GP's want to be doing something else!

And, what I see is doctors who left their brains in med school -- overcome by

the rubrics of medicine they are taught they lose all common sense and listening

abilities -- and patients pay a high price for that in being mistreated too often.

Medicine today seems to be more about doctor-induced illness than wellness!!

Good luck to us all!!


Yikes!

[cilla4progress]

29. Same with law

It's all bureaucratic, procedural paper-pushing, marketing, form-completing any more! Justice? What's that?

[defendandprotect]

43. Are you afflicted with a law degree? Actually, I have heard that

a huge percentage of those who trained as lawyers gave it up ....

30% or was it more?

Remember the days when people self-selected into professions and apprenticeship

programs?

Now they're pre-selected via a L-SAT -- !!

IMO, weeds out anyone who is really suitable to be a lawyer!!

Lincoln wouldn't have made it -- too much heart and soul!!


:)

[napi21]

42. You should [rpbably rephrase that. Thre is a shortage of GP'S!

Everybody wants to go into a specialty because that's where the bucks are.

[Ginto]

8. He's got to feed his family!

:sarcasm:

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. I have billed doctors for my time spent in their waiting rooms.

And sacked them. I'm going to guess over the course of my adult life I have sent three bills and "terminated for cause" four doctors.

I certainly understand emergencies and have cut doctors slack when delays have been explained and seemed reasonable. Unexplained delays or those caused by overloaded schedules I cannot abide.

Has a doctor ever paid my bill for lost time? Of course not.

Have they responded to the letter when I terminated our relationship? Every one. They are apparently shocked by the notion and have to have it explained to them. I am fortunate I get to choose my doctor. I pay you, therefore if I am unsatisfied with your service I may terminate our relationship and hire someone else. Baffles the daylights out of them.

[wtmusic]

11. +1

You've inspired me, I'm going to send this guy a letter. This is the last straw - I could go on and on about how his patients have gradually been forced to bear all of the burdens of his practice, not just time.

[HuckleB]

21. Brilliant.

:sarcasm:

I'm sure that you make sure that your appointment time ends exactly when it's supposed to end, regardless of what is going on at that time. You wouldn't want to burden the other patients, after all.

:eyes:

[Pacifist Patriot]

24. When I mean unreasonable, I mean 1-2 hour delays. Not 15, 30 or 45 minutes.

As I said, I understand emergencies and appreciate when I am notified of delays. If a nurse or office manager comes out and says, "we're running behind today, we anticipate about an hour delay, you are welcome to wait or make another appointment," I'm fine with that. And yes, I do have doctors' offices that do exactly that. It's lack of communication indicating disregard for my time that I do not appreciate.

Please do not assume I do this any time I encounter a delay. It's happened less than a handful of times in several decades.

The doctors I sacked all had several reasons for losing my trust and respect far beyond simple wait times.

It is possible to operate a practice with courtesy and respect for the patient as a human being who has a life outside the waiting and exam room. I'm fortunate to have doctors like that at the moment.

So spare me your sarcasm, it's utterly misplaced.

[HuckleB]

31. Thank for making me wonder even more about your claims.

:eyes:

[Pacifist Patriot]

33. I don't get it. I've said nothing either untrue or inconsistent.

What's with the :eyes:?

[Gabi Hayes]

36. don't let it bother you....not surprising. check your PMs

[Pacifist Patriot]

37. Oh it's not bothering me, just puzzled.

Whatever problems he has with what I have had to say are his to own. If he chooses not to believe me that is his business. I'll try to care less...nope, couldn't do it.

[wtmusic]

25. The MD doesn't know when it's going to end, so they shouldn't run

their offices on a 7-minute-per-patient schedule. Or double-book, as seems to be common practice now.

Whether it be in time, convenience, or actual $$, doctors are charging a lot more and getting away with it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. Here is what I don't understand.

We have an Urgent Care facility nearby that I have used from time to time. Obviously there is absolutely no way they can anticipate what their waiting room is going to be like or their typical appointment length. Yet I have only had one wait over the last six years that exceeded half an hour. I'd been there just about half an hour when a member of the office staff made an announcement they were getting backed up. If a practice as unpredictable as a walk-in Urgent Care clinic can manage a waiting room, a regular doctor's office ought to be able to do the same.

On Edit: And only once have I ever felt rushed by the health care practitioners once I was in the exam room at the Urgent Care clinic. Oddly, it was not on the day they were backed up, but what looked to be a very light traffic day.

[HuckleB]

32. Actually, they're trying to see the patients who need to see them.

[Pacifist Patriot]

34. You know, I do believe the vast majority of doctors out there...

are perfectly decent human beings and are indeed trying to help people. That is why I have a great deal of respect for doctors who know their limits and "are not taking new patients at this time." I particularly appreciate the ones who do not double-schedule or calculate 5 minute appointment times. They understand that it takes time to see the patients who need to see them.

Now, I do not think the majority of doctors are trying to see as many patients in a day as they can to line their pockets. However, there are some who do and when I have had the misfortune to stumble across the very few I mentioned, I sought medical care elsewhere.

In no way am I indicting an entire profession, but I do advocate going elsewhere if you feel your doctor's medical skills or business practices are not in your best interest.

I'm sure your eyeballs were spinning in your head after my first three words and that's fine. I still stand by what I have said in this thread despite your reactions.

[Renew Deal]

13. My parents were offered something similar.

One of their doctors said that she was going to become a "club" or something like that where people had to pay $1,600 for membership. She wouldn't take patients that aren't members.

[wtmusic]

16. I guess at least they're being up front about it now. nt

[Renew Deal]

17. I imagine it's legal

But I wonder if it would hold up if she was scrutinized by the press.

[EFerrari]

26. This waiting forever for doctors started in the late 70s.

I was a young mom and remember the first few times I had to sit there for 45 minutes waiting to be seen. Remember telling the receptionist that I was going to start billing the doctor for my time. LOL

[monmouth]

14. My doctor moved his office and didn't tell me. I got the message, screw him....n/t

[CTyankee]

18. Jeez louise, what a passive/aggressive thing to do!

I'm just hoping my doc will still see Medicare patients...he's got a lot of them and I've been with him for nearly 20 years as my pcp.

[monmouth]

20. The last time I was there (3-4 yrs. ago) I paid out of pocket, wrote

the $300 check before I left the office. I was now retired and sans the cadillac insurance package I had while working. They saw the writing on the wall. I guess cash is not the way to go...LOL.

[LibertyLover]

19. Several years ago my husband's now former primary care physician

sent a letter to all her patients informing them that she was going to change her practice to something she called, IIRC, exclusive care. I no longer remember the yearly fee she was going charge for the privilege of being one of her 'exclusive care' patients but it wasn't cheap. Same thing - you would get to see her within 15 minutes of your appointment time, be able to e-mail or call her office with questions and receive prompt attention for emergencies should they crop up - basically stuff that 30 years ago was taken for granted at a doctor's office. After we had a good laugh, my husband threw the frig magnet with her office number on it out and changed doctors. Sadly he didn't bother to let her know why. The amusing thing about this is that a few weeks ago, we got another announcement from this doctor - how she had decided to terminate her exclusive care practice and return to seeing patients as she had before. We translated that to mean that the pool of people willing to pay for exclusive care had dried up and if she wanted to eat, she had to go back to seeing regular folks

[defendandprotect]

22. Decades ago, we were hearing that students were choosing medicine because of $$$....

high paying work, indeed!

One of the major problems right there -- mercenaries in medicine!

Ugh!

[madinmaryland]

35. We had that happen with our GP a couple of years ago. $2k would

pay for all of your appointments, but he would not take insurance. He got really pissed when I told him that I would rather pay $20 copay for my visits that $2k times two for my wife and I to see him. He had the nerve to say that I put cost over service. I told him to go fuck himself and we changed doctors.

Good for you for changing doctors!

[Orsino]

38. They built the multi-tier justice system.

They built a multi-tier health care system, too.

Brought to you by the makers of the multi-tier electoral system.

[sarcasmo]

39. I don't blame you and make sure you write him a letter why you are switching.

If they tell you and other patients this why would someone show up on time? The whole system is based on GREED not patient care. Hospitals here have valet parking, and every time I see that sign at the hospital I just want to throw it in the trash bin.

[Pacifist Patriot]

40. My town's main hospital has valet parking, but...

It is free and operated by volunteers who do not accept gratuities. They also run courtesy golf cart type trams from the parking lots. The hospital is so sprawling and with such dreadful parking it's almost a necessity. As someone who just had a hospital visitation yesterday, it is a service for which I am eternally grateful!

[trackfan]

41. What a fucking crook. n/t