Today, despite being in severe pain, I drove an hour to a doctor that I had a prescheduled appointment with. This was the 4th time seeing him. The last 3 visits he simply went over the medical history that I provided him with and went through hell to obtain.
Today, after being an hour late to see me, he sends some guy into my room who doesn't speak english to try to do a pre-evaluation of some sort. The guy had no idea what he was doing. He took my blood pressure and thumbed through the reports that the doctor had written the last few times I was there that just summed up the history that I had provided for him via paperwork.
Finally, the doctor calls me into his office. The last time I saw him, he had told me that he wanted me to go with treatment A. I told him that I really was hoping to go with treatment B as it was safer in my opinion. I decided last time to let him do some research and that maybe the next visit he would have a good reason to recommend one or the other.
Instead, today, he tells me that he would prefer to go with treatment B, but he feels uncomfortable with it, because he is unfamiliar with my medical history. I told him that I had provided my history. He told me that he still wasn't comfortable. I said, ok, well how about in the meantime I go with treatment A like you wanted last time, and you can ask me for whatever documentation you feel is missing that would help you (I didn't know what, but whatever). Then he tells me that he doesn't want to provide treatment A either because of the same reason. I said, "Ok, well, what are you going to do?" He tells me, "To be honest, right now I don't feel comfortable prescribing any treatment." I ask why. He tries to state reasons, but none of them make any sense and all are baloney. Nonetheless I offered to jump through whatever hoops would make him feel more comfortable. He still said that he didn't want to do anything. I asked, "Well, considering that nothing has changed over these 4 visits, why am I here if you don't want to do anything?" His response was, "I can understand your feeling that way." I started getting angry, "I'm about to have spinal surgery in a few weeks. I am in intense pain. I didn't even want to come today, but I pushed through because I felt it would be rude to cancel on you at the last second. Now you're telling me that after you made me go through all the trouble of getting you all of my history, you just don't want to do anything?" His response, "I just don't feel comfortable." My response, "Well, if that's the case, why couldn't you have just called me and told me that instead of having me drive an hour down here?" He didn't have a response. I then said, "Well, if you're basically telling me that after you've strung me along for months, that you've wasted my time and aren't going to do anything, I see absolutely no point in seeing you anymore. I'll have to find a new doctor." His response, "I can certainly understand your frustration." That's when I really lost it. "Yes, I'm betting you do understand my frustration, but you know what else I'm betting? I'm betting that even though you have done NOTHING today except for waste my time and energy, I'm betting you're still going bill my insurance and charge me a copay despite having rendered no service whatsoever. At no time have you given me a diagnosis. At no time have you given me a course of treatment. At no time have you done anything than ask me to provide you with documents and money. Quite frankly, this is fraud." He told me, "Check out is on the left as you walk out." I went and paid the darn copay because I didn't need them calling the cops on me for not paying, but I'm furious. All in all, he's charged me $120 out of pocket and billed my insurance 4 times. He's never diagnosed me, attempted to treat me, or done anything at all that would constitute medical services. The guy is a fraud.
I'm contemplating what to do.
I never get angry like that. I'm about as passive as people come. When I realized though that he had just defrauded me out of money, but more importantly, has wasted the last few months, all while the clock is ticking for me to get my medical issues resolved before school starts again, that just put me over the edge. When the receptionist, who is actually his kid asked me when I'd like to schedule a follow-up, I simply said, "I don't." and walked out. I didn't say it in a mean way to the receptionist. I don't have beef with the receptionist, even though he's the guy's son. I have beef with the doctor.
Today, after being an hour late to see me, he sends some guy into my room who doesn't speak english to try to do a pre-evaluation of some sort. The guy had no idea what he was doing. He took my blood pressure and thumbed through the reports that the doctor had written the last few times I was there that just summed up the history that I had provided for him via paperwork.
Finally, the doctor calls me into his office. The last time I saw him, he had told me that he wanted me to go with treatment A. I told him that I really was hoping to go with treatment B as it was safer in my opinion. I decided last time to let him do some research and that maybe the next visit he would have a good reason to recommend one or the other.
Instead, today, he tells me that he would prefer to go with treatment B, but he feels uncomfortable with it, because he is unfamiliar with my medical history. I told him that I had provided my history. He told me that he still wasn't comfortable. I said, ok, well how about in the meantime I go with treatment A like you wanted last time, and you can ask me for whatever documentation you feel is missing that would help you (I didn't know what, but whatever). Then he tells me that he doesn't want to provide treatment A either because of the same reason. I said, "Ok, well, what are you going to do?" He tells me, "To be honest, right now I don't feel comfortable prescribing any treatment." I ask why. He tries to state reasons, but none of them make any sense and all are baloney. Nonetheless I offered to jump through whatever hoops would make him feel more comfortable. He still said that he didn't want to do anything. I asked, "Well, considering that nothing has changed over these 4 visits, why am I here if you don't want to do anything?" His response was, "I can understand your feeling that way." I started getting angry, "I'm about to have spinal surgery in a few weeks. I am in intense pain. I didn't even want to come today, but I pushed through because I felt it would be rude to cancel on you at the last second. Now you're telling me that after you made me go through all the trouble of getting you all of my history, you just don't want to do anything?" His response, "I just don't feel comfortable." My response, "Well, if that's the case, why couldn't you have just called me and told me that instead of having me drive an hour down here?" He didn't have a response. I then said, "Well, if you're basically telling me that after you've strung me along for months, that you've wasted my time and aren't going to do anything, I see absolutely no point in seeing you anymore. I'll have to find a new doctor." His response, "I can certainly understand your frustration." That's when I really lost it. "Yes, I'm betting you do understand my frustration, but you know what else I'm betting? I'm betting that even though you have done NOTHING today except for waste my time and energy, I'm betting you're still going bill my insurance and charge me a copay despite having rendered no service whatsoever. At no time have you given me a diagnosis. At no time have you given me a course of treatment. At no time have you done anything than ask me to provide you with documents and money. Quite frankly, this is fraud." He told me, "Check out is on the left as you walk out." I went and paid the darn copay because I didn't need them calling the cops on me for not paying, but I'm furious. All in all, he's charged me $120 out of pocket and billed my insurance 4 times. He's never diagnosed me, attempted to treat me, or done anything at all that would constitute medical services. The guy is a fraud.
I'm contemplating what to do.
I never get angry like that. I'm about as passive as people come. When I realized though that he had just defrauded me out of money, but more importantly, has wasted the last few months, all while the clock is ticking for me to get my medical issues resolved before school starts again, that just put me over the edge. When the receptionist, who is actually his kid asked me when I'd like to schedule a follow-up, I simply said, "I don't." and walked out. I didn't say it in a mean way to the receptionist. I don't have beef with the receptionist, even though he's the guy's son. I have beef with the doctor.