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I have a question about Doctors office visits.

G

Greg1959

Well-known Member
Over the past couple of years I have needed to see my Doctor. Examples: Blistering rash or Abdominal pain or blinding head aches.

I'll call the Doctor to make an appointment. I'm then told..."Our next opening is 4 weeks from now". I then state that I don't think I can hold out until then and ask them for a suggestion. Every time they instruct me to go to the Emergency Room.

I have read article after article about how people use the ER as their General Practitioner. So, What is the solution.....My GP suggests I use the ER because they can't see me until a month later therefore I have to use the ER. It's not my fault that I have to use the ER.
 
I don't have that kind of problem getting to see my doctor if I have something I need repaired, like the things you mentioned. But, the other day Iwent to the doctor for a yearly checkup (well actually hadn't been there for a couple years) I was told by the nurse that If it was a "wellness check" medicare would pay for it but if I had any problems I needed to ask the doctor about it would be different. I know the doctors under medicare and I suppose other insurances, have to see so many patients per hour or day. I have spent some time in the past at the ER as it seems I always get hurt in off hours, but I believe it costs more to go there.
 
It was happening before that. My wife's doctor wouldn't see her because she hadn't been in for more than three years. She'd have to make an appointment as a new patient and they weren't taking new patients. This was before the ACA.
 
that is common through out the country now---walk in clinics have come about because of this---we have 3 in my small town
 
Ask the ""receptionist"" what would happen if you were taken to the front door by a stranger and dropped off bleeding from a bone sticking out of your arm. Would they send you to the emergency room? Probably. Doctoring has side stepped the fundamental oath and slipped into not my problem. the slipping was enhanced by oily 100 dollar bills. The word emergency only applies to the attitude of the people delivering the person in need, and the desperation of the person that may become a patient if someone chooses to admit them. Criminal it is. Are all doctors in this state of denial of service, no only about 70% of them. Jim
 
dpendzic- I called two in my area and explained my symptoms. Both of them told me to come on in but they more than likely would send me to the ER after their exam. Sounded more like a money grab than trying to solve the problem.
 

My dentist will make room for me if I break a tooth, my eye doctor will see me if I lose/break my glasses. Years back the doctor I used would give me the run around if I had a cold etc. and wanted to see him without an appointment two weeks in advance. I don't know about other people but I don't schedule my sickness. Now the doctor I have will pretty much work me in - a while back I sliced my index finger.... he made room for me the same afternoon.

Need to find a doctor that schedules a block of time for sick people without an appointment.
 
We are lucky I guess in a way in your situation my place will get you in to see PA then DR will see you in the 2 weeks or whatever if need be. We also have another place it will do walk ins but not real impressed with it. It works on traveling DR'S and I call it Dr of the month club. Next weekends or nights there is no choice but ER. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE er DOES NOT HAVE A CLINIC AND SORT OUT THE PAITENTS LIKE HEAR ATTACK= ER, MINOR AILMENT GETS CLINIC????
 
well the problem nowadays is that the general practitioner defers to the specialist in that field of care and usually will make a referral. the ER is a very common part of the system of care, although generally more expensive than the family doctor. We transport a high volume of people with minor ailments, headaches,cut finger, stomach aches,etc to the ER by ambulance
 
How is that different than calling a mechanic only to find out he's swamped with other customers cars? The doctor is a one man show. How would you feel if you had an appointment and were sitting in the waiting room and someone walked in the door and went right in because he "couldn't wait" to get an appointment.

My wife is a nurse whose doctor boss is a top-notch expert in his field, only sees patients on Tuesday/Friday because he is also a researcher, med school professor, hospital department head. People thought he only worked 2 days a week while in reality he worked 7 days/ week and usually 12-14 hrs/day.

In order to make ANY money today with cutbacks in what medicare, medicaid, insurance pay for visits, a doctor cannot have openings in his office day. If a patient doesn't show, he's out the money. So they book solid. If you're lucky, maybe someone will cancel and they'll fit you in, but there's no guarantee. So don't get mad at the receptionist.

As for the ER, the best option are the Urgent care facilities. I've used them a lot instead of the ER. If it's a life/death situation, you think you're having a heart attack, someone has a broken leg, profuse bleeding then go to the ER.

When I had an infected leg from a tractor accident, I went to Urgent Care, got a scrip for anti-biotics and was on my way. When I had my first gout attack years ago (swollen painful leg) I didn't know what it was. A visit to Urgent Care and I got a diagnosis and meds.

Urgent Care is a good alternative and right between a doctor's office and ER in terms of their mission in life. If you've got one nearby, use it. We've got them all over the place in shopping centers, strip malls, medical complexes. They're great.
 
Indiana Ken- Funny that you mentioned the dentist. This summer, my son had a major tooth
infection plus broken tooth (Jaw swollen out). Called his dentist and explained the situation.
Dentist said 'We have an opening in three weeks'. He says 'I can't wait that long. What do you
suggest?". Their reply..."Go to the ER". What the heck can the ER do for infected/broken tooth?
(Gave him a script for antibiotics) nothing to deal with the broken tooth.


Anyway, that was my point. Why do these articles keep blaming people for using the ER when it is
the GP's suggesting they go to they ER?!
 
" My wife is a nurse whose doctor boss is a top-notch expert in his field, only sees patients on Tuesday/Friday because he is also a researcher, med school professor, hospital department head. People thought he only worked 2 days a week while in reality he worked 7 days/ week and usually 12-14 hrs/day."

Since editing is disabled, forgot to mention that my point in the above was that it takes 6-9 months to get in to see the guy and people fly from around the country for his specialty.
 
dpendzic-- I agree. I don't understand why articles keep getting published about how people use the ER as their 'regular Doctor' when it is the GP's sending their patients to the ER to begin with???
 
The doctor my family goes to makes appointments weeks out.
Kind of hard to get help with a cold as you are better on your own before the appointment gets here.
My wife got so mad she started using the walk in clinic.
Cost me the same so what ever trips your boat.
I stuck it out and do to the doctors office losing patients they brought in several nurse practitioners to help the doctor out.
Now I can get a appointment with the nurse practitioner same day; if I have a real problem the doctor is right there in office to help out.
Works out real good. The nurse practitioner takes on the easy stuff freeing up the doctor to do the hard stuff.
 
JML755- "my point in the above was that it takes 6-9 months to get in to see the guy and people
fly from around the country for his specialty.".

So, he is a "Specialist" and not a 'General Practitioner"? Which would be comparing apples to
oranges.
 
These are some real concerns and some good suggestions. We have 3 urgent care facilities in my small town that most people use. Our health care system has really gone down hill and costs have sky rocketed in the last few years. A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer but his treatment was scheduled for 3 months out. That turned out to be fatal. The result may have been the same had he got treatment sooner but we'll never know.
I personally don't trust most so called medical professionals and haven't been to a doctor in over 12 years. I'm sure at some time I will have to go to the doctor but I've been healthier by staying out of the germ infested waiting rooms.
 
I can usually get into my doctor the same day or next day if call to late in the day. If I really need a doctor I can see one of the other doctors in the clinic.
 
I guess I am lucky. I have been going to the same Doctor's office for the last 30 years or so. There have been different Doctors and Practical Nurses but I can usually get in when I need to.

The local dentist can usually work you in pretty quick too. My wife had a tooth with a root canal flair real bad she was in tears with pain. I called the local dentist an he came in on Sunday afternoon. He looked her over and told her the tooth was beyond saving. So he pulled it right then and there. When we got the bill he charged the same as regular hours. I DID add to it. He also has our business as long as he is there now too.

I think the common denominator here is both of these offices are independent ones. The ones that are part of groups load the schedule to where there are few opening and the Doc has 4-5 appointment an hour too. So there are not any open spots to work anyone in unless someone does not show.
 
I have heard a lot of comments on doctors. To me most people under 50 don't get sick to often but as you get older things do crop up. Its very important to have a personal doctor so you can have regular check ups. Its harder to find just a doctor now adays. They have become more of specialty doctors. If you have a regular doctor your more apt to get in quicker. Good doctors usually has a full schedule and if your not one of there clients then your going to have to wait or they will direct you to the emerg room. I am 69 and go twice a year to my doctor for check ups. Havent really had a cold or fever in several years. Have had cataract surgery on both eyes. Keep close tabs on my prostrate for cancer. Same way with my dentst. Go twice a year. I don't have a problem getting into either one if I need to. The medical profession and industry has changed over the years. If you don't change with it you will get left out. Some doctors now are charging you if you don't show up for an appt. People for some reason wont call and tell them they cant be there. It is a big problem and its costing them money. If it costs you money you would complain to. Its all ones preference but I would think that at least if your up in age you should think about starting your check ups with the same doctor. Just might let you live longer to see your grand children and keep you out of some pain. Just my 3 cents worth.
 
pinball- "If you have a regular doctor your more apt to get in quicker. Good doctors usually has a full schedule and if your not one of there clients then your going to have to wait or they will direct you to the emerg room."

I have been with this Family Medicine Group since 1982. I think I should qualify as a long time patient.
 
Get to be friends with the receptionist. Get her something at Christmas or some other holiday. Nothing big, just enough to where she will remember you.

Most doctors have some slack in their daily appointments that they can work you in. That is the receptionist job to see who gets in.

As in all things in life, the folks who treat you nice revive the benefits.
 
JD Seller- I too have been with one practice for over 30 years. Funny thing happened once...I met with my GP(she has been my GP for over 25 years) for a follow-up after having my colon removed two years ago (Colon Cancer).

I was experiencing a lot of pain in my lower regions and asked her if their was anything for relief. She looked at me and began to scold me for "Doctor Shopping for pain medications". I quietly informed her that I had been with this practice for 30+ years and I was NOT Doctor shopping. She checked my charts and prescribed some meds. What the heck?
 
Try a new physician? The hospital ER isn't the fault of one's physician, so why should they have to mop his floors? What would be the difference then in going to see a surgeon for an earache, a pediatrician as a geriatric, a podiatrist for balding, or an oncologist for an ingrown toenail? Emergency rooms are now for...convenient general practice and someone that actually has an emergency sits in the waiting room behind someone that checked in first with a case of gas or depression? Maybe the best place to take the Dodge pickup for warranty work is now the Deere dealership, after all a mechanic is a mechanic and the Dodge dealership is closed but the Deere guy happens to be open?

Mark
 
Not sure what the policy is at your Dr's office is, but when my mom was sick, I was having to make her appointments. She was going to a clinic near her house, simply because they were close and she was comfortable driving there.

I quickly found out the ability to get an appointment was all in the wording.

If I called and asked to "make a Dr. appointment", I would get the "it will be 6 to 8 weeks" answer.

If I asked for an office appointment, it was always "when can you get here?"

A Dr. appointment meant you actually want to see a specific "Dr.". An office appointment meant you would see any available "nurse practitioner".

But for whatever reason, the morons that answer the phone refused to share that little bit of information! I think something must have been going on there, possibly some type of fraud. Everyone was extremely tight lipped, could not get the simplest question answered. Mom said she hadn't actually seen the Dr. in years, suspected he wasn't even there, only a name on the wall!

After she moved in with us, we changed Drs.
 
Mark - IN.- "The hospital ER isn't the fault of one's physician".

I'm sorry if that is how you took my post. I did not mean to imply that at all.

My question is- Why do major publications post articles about how people 'abuse' the ER as using the emergency room instead of their General Physician.

I read these articles about how more and more people are using the ER to take care of ailments that their regular GP should be able to handle. Instead, I'm faced with the suggestion from the GP's to go to the ER because they can't see me for 3 to 4 weeks.

Why do these articles want to put the onus on the patients instead of the Doctors?
 
Gee, Old Bob, that smacks of ........ bribery. Playing up to office people for special favors is corruption.
Just my own opinion: if that office is corruptible, others are practicing the same bribery as you would. Find another doctor or practice that plays FAIRLY!!!
 
My plan put a stop to ER abuse or however you look at it . Doctor 20 dollar co-pay. ER - 250 dollar co-pay. I have to have a laceration squirting for an ER visit in my book.
 
dr sportster- LOL! So, you have a blistering rash but, the Doctor can't see you for 3 to 4 weeks.

What do you do?
 
A dermatologist once gave me a prescription for some kind of compound cream that came in a large jar and seems to get rid of any skin thing. I had to go to several pharmacies before they could mix it for me . I have no idea what it is but it works. But as far as an emergency but not ER there is a sort of Urgent care but connected with a hospital that will take you [maybe an hour wait] and takes the 25 dollar co-pay luckily.
 
Without a doubt, the system is broken. AND, it was broken long before ACA came about. Just my opinion, but I think ACA only made things worse. Insurance companies raised rates to absurd levels, raised deductibles to intolerable levels, and then the government told folks that they were saving money. What they supposedly "fixed" simply did not deal with the REAL problems. Maybe the next administration will at least work out some of the problems. We can only hope.
 
Clinic down the road from me takes walk in cases all the time. Also there are urgent care clinics to handle your situation, around here anyway.
 
I made wood gifts for the girls in the doctor's offices. Worked great for me - even got some free medical advice that was more practical than what the dr. told me.

We have Doctors, Urgent care on almost every corner, ER's nearby plus the hospitals.

The doctors prescribe, but for other treatment they send you to a specialist.
 
High premiums,high deductables and high co pays aren't new either. Before the ACA,I was paying $535 a month to some no name company for a policy with a $5000 deductible for each of us,then it was 50/50 up to $10,000 out of pocket each before they picked up 100%. So if something had happened to both of us,it would have been $20,000 out of pocket per year,plus I'd still have to come up with that premium every month when I was sick or injured or I'd loose it.
At least now I have Blue Cross for just under $400 a month.
 
Like some have stated, check to see whether your Doc has walk-in hours. If he does not personally have such arrangements, perhaps he has a Nurse-practitioner or a Doctor's assistant on staff. Don't sell these professionals short-- if they encounter something they cannot diagnose or treat, they have immediate access to your Doctor. And with electronic record keeping, they will have your chart in hand. We found this out during past couple weeks when my wife had an issue. Easier to get access to her Doctor by a walk in visit to the PA.
 
Is you only other choice the ER? Most hospitals have outpatient clinics that are not Emergency.

There are also many walk-in clinics around (sometimes called Doc In a Box). Look around for those options.
 
There is no wonder there is a shortage of doctors. It costs them a fortune to get an education for a career where they are followed around by lawyers looking for any excuse to file a suite. Maybe it's time for some more reasonable accountability.
 
(quoted from post at 19:01:32 01/16/16) How is that different than calling a mechanic only to find out he's swamped with other customers cars? .....
Click to expand...

Being without your car does not generally, impact your health.
 
My daughter is an RN in a very busy ER and complains a lot about people who use them as the regular doctor. However, the head of the ER she works in will phone and rip any doctor who improperly advises a patient to go to the ER instead of making room for them at the office. If the patient tells the staff what happened, the ER will try to make sure that does not happen again, at least from that same doctor.
 
I've found all things from the smoker get me great treatment. Salmon, Halibut, pheasant, baby backs, cheeses.
Stuff money can't hardly buy. Home made fruit jams and jellies are next best.
 
If I call my family doc for an appointment it's two to four weeks. If I need to see him now I tell the nurse why and she say's come on down and we'll get you worked in somehow. Specialists won't do that.

I think the emergency room recommendation is lawyer-speak they all have to use now a day's since it's on all their answering machines. It isn't actually a recommendation, it's a get us off the hook if you die thing. The ER is still there for life threatening emergencies only. Just cause the pain is bad enough to make you wish you were dead doesn't count.
 
My wife is a nurse in a clinic that has four doctors, one PA and several Residents. If a patient needs to be seen they try to get you in the day you call or the next day. There is also after hours urgent care in the same facility.

However our family doctor belongs to a different medical group than the one my wife works for. We can usually get in the same day, but if we can't he will always call back after hours and evaluate the symptoms and if needed will call in a prescription to a 24 hour pharmacy.

I think you need to have a serious talk with your doctor. I would not put up with the long wait time.
 
I found out that our local hospital, forty miles from the big city hospital it is associated with, has a great ER that is underutilized. No waiting and they are glad to have someone to see. And on Medicare, there is no charge to go there. I can't figure that one out.

After I had to take my wife to the ER a couple of times for injuries from falls, I was surprised by both the charge (none) and the service. I asked them about what constituted an "emergency", and they said if you need us just come on in.

Trying not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, but I go instead of calling the doctor if it is urgent (none in that city) and they appreciate the business.

It just can't last.
 
Greg, don't take it personal because it wasn't a shot at you personally. I was drawing absurd parallels to make comparisons. People use the ER as general practitioners every day. People use the ER because they know that they can't be turned away for anything including paper cuts. And now doctors are telling people that because of their scheduling that they should just hit the ER because they can and will meet their schedules? Not because its an emergency, but for convenience? I'm thinking that if one's physician suggests such, two things are in order. One, report the physician to one's health care provider. Two, time for a new physician.

I'm from a different era, a dying breed as I look around at how we as a nation, society are failing...ourselves and are not only not bothered by it, but embrace and prefer failure. A shame, and shameful.

Mark
 
Andy Martin- The ER charges are many more dollars$$ than seeing your GP. I bet they appreciate
your business.
 
I would rather see the PA at our Doctor's clinic- a former Army PA, he is ALWAYS on time, and very practical. PLUS, he has nice, small fingers, if you know what I mean, and most of you do...

My insurance provider now offers phone/online doctor/nurse practitioner consultations. I understand they will even prescribe stuff for you through this service, but have not tried it yet.

By the time the kids became teens, my wife could diagnose the routine ear infection, strep, etc. to the point that Doctor said he only saw the kids as a formality for the scrips
 
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