Re: Appointment with Doctor

jackthebear · ‎03-11-2010

@Carmie wrote:
HIPAA laws have made it very difficult for doctors to see patients and keep their office abreast of the laws. Because of this we have seen doctors now practicing medicine in large groups. Small practices have hired out for some of their services.

it seems like your doctor is paying a service to set up his appointments and the person who is supposed to beg doing this doesn't give a hoot or is overwhelmed.
You need to let your doctor know that he is not getting what he is paying for. I'll bet he has no idea. Once patients start complaining, he will do something about it.

nothing to do with "Hippa" law, practice of medicine is changing but not b/c of this.

I do agree with your 2nd paragraph though.

gailcoco · ‎04-19-2012

Are you calling the right phone number?

~~66 and owned by cats and dogs.~~

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

Yes, I am calling the right number. I know the number in my head since I had to go so often for shots.

I cannot get into the nurse since this is a university with a central call center. If it wasn't so far I would just drive there. Like I said it all changed since I had my surgery. I did do some searching online and found that I can go to a clinic closer run by the same u. I'm just having xrays so I will see the physician assistant. It's at that clinic that I will get the information to my doctor. I will voice my problem and have a letter to give to my doctor. If he happens to be at the hospital that day, just a mile away, I will drop it off and talk to him personally. I have the name of the PA to see at the clinic closer to me. The U has taken over several hospitals here.

I know that the doctor has to be told what this woman is doing and not doing and his reputation should not suffer because of her. I had thought of leaving a message on her voicemail that I'm coming over to talk to her and let her think about it. It's amazing how fast people move when they think their job is at stake. Thing is I know my doctor and he is one of the most precise doctors. I would almost say he is a perfectionist but he is so nice too. I'm sure he doesn't know what's going on. I had PT closer to me after surgery and every one there knew of this doctor's reputation and things done right.

I do know that medicine has changed. I decided to find a doctor closer to me for a different issue and I called two that were recommended to me. Neither will take medicare. Use to be the first question asked was my name and phone now they ask what insurance do I have. I've been lucky the doctors I have seen for years are all excellent doctors. Another one wanted a credit card to be charged just in case I cancel the appointment the day before or the same day. I refused to do that and found someone else.

I'm just glad I live in an area where there is good medical care, that is, if I can get past the person that takes appointments. Live and Learn as my mom use to say.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@jackthebear wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
HIPAA laws have made it very difficult for doctors to see patients and keep their office abreast of the laws. Because of this we have seen doctors now practicing medicine in large groups. Small practices have hired out for some of their services.

it seems like your doctor is paying a service to set up his appointments and the person who is supposed to beg doing this doesn't give a hoot or is overwhelmed.
You need to let your doctor know that he is not getting what he is paying for. I'll bet he has no idea. Once patients start complaining, he will do something about it.
nothing to do with "Hippa" law, practice of medicine is changing but not b/c of this.
I do agree with your 2nd paragraph though.

It is HIPAA, not Hippa. I am VERY familiar with this law. It requires medical practices and insurance companies to operate according to the government standards set up. At is very expensive to be in compliance. This law regulates how records are to be kept and how claims must be submitted, etc. It also complicates how and when patients are seen. There are many aspects to this law in addition to the confidential/ privacy parts we are all familiar with. This law has caused many physicians to retire early and to seek employment in other areas of medicine.

The small one doctor offices we might have grown up with will be a thing of the past. There are so few left now. Many small offices are part of a larger group where they share the behinds the scene office staff. You might have to call a billing office for info, or make an appointment with a staff member who services several medical providers.

The HIPAA law can be found on the web. Many areas of this law have been phased in over many years though it has been around since 1996.

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

@kismet

If it were me, I'd make an appointment with the Practice Manager and, if possible, go in person to make the appointment.

With regard to your desire to have your surgeon more involved, in this day and age, I doubt that will happen. However, you could write him/her a letter and mark the envelop "Personal & Confidential."

There is a downside to all of this and that is one risks being "fired" as patient.

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

I do understand that I can be "fired" as a patient but if I don't let the doctor know what's going on who will? He's too good a physican to let the woman in his office ruin his reputation should someone post on a review site. Once it's on a site it doesn't come off.

I tried to get in to talk to the office manager and was told by the contact center that they have no number for the office manager. Didn't know the name either. I then left a message with the contact center to ask the clinic to call me and that was over a week ago. If my doctor wants to fire me that's fine. There is another practice I can go to. There are a lot of doctors here. Already checked with a different practice and they take my insurance.

I thought about what one person mentioned about no single doctor practice anymore. They're right. Years ago I went to one. Now my GP is in a large clinic and the single doctors I use to go to now are in a large practice. Good thing about that is if my doctor isn't in I can see another doctor in an emergency. I talk to my GP through the computer and I like that. No waiting for a phone call.

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

I heard from the woman today about making an appointment. She referred to herself as "notorious". Gave me a "secret number" to call in the back of the clinic to get through. Honestly I have decided to go to the clinic closer to me. She said she was off on a medical but I've worked in offices and if someone is out someone else covers for them and it's been almost 3 weeks. Do I believe her, no. Just an excuse. The office doesn't close down because she was out. At this point I'm not calling her back.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@kismet

I think you are making a good decision. If this isn't a runaround? I don't know what else to call it.

My best to you,

hckynut(john)

CatsyCline · ‎07-24-2013

@kismet are you in need of surgery? are you in pain? has the surgery been unsuccessful? wadr , surgeons perform surgery. a surgical candidate takes precedence over a 5 year follow up exam. a good PA can do a through follow-up and evaluate you if there is a need for further surgery

and i ran into a similar situation last year. i needed to have an evaluation done for severe sciatic pain and had to wait 5 months for an appointment with the surgeon who did my back surgery 7 years ago. he was now with the U medical complex Neurosurgery Dept. they are so stretched. they have 0 staff and they don't return calls. i had to have my primary call many times. they do the really big stuff - brain surgeries there. they don't care about a pt. with a little back problem

i never did get to see my surgeon. he canceled 3x and then they "lost" my MRI cd. there was no one to complain to. they took my co-pay and he never showed. there was a PA fresh out of school. she had no clue about what could be done. i only got the MRI cd back when i indicated to them that i would contact the State.

practices HAVE changed. my sleepy internal medicine doctor's practice has become a Patient Centered Medical Home. there are no co-pays. they now have evening hours and longer waits for appointments. they do weight/tobacco/alcohol/depression screenings at every visit. when i call the phones go to voicemail and they have a phone room. the doctors who are seasoned veterans are so stretched. they could retire i suppose. they are really great doctors so i hope they stay on as long as possible.

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

No, I don't have any pain, just have to go to have xrays to make sure everything is okay. I can see a different doctor that works for the U and was told I can have the PA take the xrays. I suppose if anything was wrong they would call me. I know these surgeons are very busy and I understand that. I usually had to wait 3 months to see him. I had his PA give me shots so I could get in sooner before my knee implants. This clinic is closer to me anyway. Everything has changed since my surgery and not for the better. Seems the larger the practice the harder it is to get to speak to someone.I don't want to have to call this woman every time I want an appointment.

I would rather just have the checkup and hope everything is okay.

All of my other doctors are in small practices and I can get to them via computer. One called me back in an hour when I was having a problem. The doctor was booked for 2 months so called me that evening asking me the symptoms and told me what to do and the next day he got an cancellation and called seeing how I felt. My temp was down so I was fine. His nurse is very good too at answering via computer. I hate the phone tag with voicemails.