Wellness

[Tinkrbl44]

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@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:

@Tinkrbl44   I only go because I'm coerced into it.  No BP med refill if I'm not seen in person once a year.

I( get to see him next week to fill out a form for my cataract surgery,  I have to be cleared for a 10 minute light twilight sleep.  It's CYA.

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@CrazyKittyLvr2 

It's a LAW that docs can't prescribe meds without seeing patients at least once a year. 

As for the cataract surgery, it's more than CYA.  If you were to die on the table, people you love might get upset.  

Let's face it, we're all getting older and none of us is in "perfect" health.  Some people don't even know that they're ticking time bombs. Everyone has issues that need to be watched.  

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

I don't take advantage of that Medicare Wellness visit, I don't under stand the point of it....I only see a doctor if I have a reason.  I don't need to be told about rugs on the floor as a hazard or if I have firearms in the house, etc..huge waste of taxpayer money in my opinion.

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@Mom2Dogs 

Well. that's obvious. 

Our bodies and minds change a LOT more from age 60 to 75 than we did from, for example, ages 20 to 35.    

People might have "reasons" to see their docs but don't even know it .... you know, the ticking time bomb.   

Too many people that wait until there's a "reason" often have waited too long for anyone to be able to help them.  This is nothing new.

[AngelPuppy1]

I don't think there is anything wrong with medical people asking that question.  Sometimes people are reluctant to bring up the subject of mental health themselves and asking that simple question just might open the door and help them to begin a discussion which could be helpful.  

[Mom2Dogs]

@Tinkrbl44   I do not disagree with what you said but at this point in my life ( I am speaking for my self only) at 69 years old...I know when I need to see a doctor.  

I have no current health issues that cause me to see a doctor but when I notice something or my husband notices a change, that is when I will see the doctor.

[DrakesMomma]

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 Some people are not even aware they are getting a wellness exam.  This is not a physical or follow up to a medical problem...though the doctor can charge for the wellness and a compressive office visit on the same day.

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 @Carmie   -  I've done medical billing for more than 25 years.  AMA says this about billing for a Wellness exam and an office visit on the same day.  

"Physicians are not prohibited from coding and billing for both preventive and problem-focused E/M services when they are performed during the same appointment. The significance of the problem addressed and the amount of time and medical decision-making required help determine how the services are most appropriately billed. It is important to accurately and completely document all medically appropriate and necessary care performed during a patient encounter, and to bill for what is documented.  Many physicians, usually motivated by a desire to avoid audits, tend to under-code for the work they have performed, resulting in significant amounts of uncompensated care."

And, believe me, if both are billed for on the same day Medicare or the Medicare Advantage will be asking questions.  There must be enough documentation to bill for and receive payment for both. 

Also believe me when I say patients with Medicare are in a unique position of authority.  They can all their Medicare office and say I don't remember having this service.  Medicare will start a takeback process and request documentation from the provider at the same time.  It is a long stressful and costly process for the provider and the office staff.  

[tansy]

My experience with the Medicare Wellness exam is that the doctor's office calls several times to set it up.  You can refuse; it's not mandatory.

[AuntG]

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@Citrine1 wrote:

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@AuntG wrote:

It's better than "do you feel like harming yourself?" 

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This is another important question that your doctor has every right to ask.  

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If I were around you, I know what my answer would be. Ha ha ha LOL

[NYCLatinaMe]

Hi @Carmie  in my experience, doctors do take checkups.  Most work in a medical practice etc, so easy to get checked out.  All my doctors are in good shape, and you are right, my gp is older, I would guess 70s, and I would love to find another one because he doesn't look very happy to be practicing, but he is a good doctor, I don't know what I will do when he retires.  There are many bad doctors out there.  I have been to some of them, and they were younger.  I think middle age are the worst.

My doctor is cranky and does ask all sorts of rote questions in the manner you all complain about, and rarely gives me a chance to speak.  The reality is the doctors are not getting paid a lot of money for these check-ups, and they take a lot of patients to get reasonable pay, and that is why everything seems so rote and impersonal.  I think the practice gets less than $100/visit, which is insane compared to what we pay for other services like hair, plumbing, electrical repairs, upholstery, legal services, etc., and good medical services require a higher level of skill.  Medical degrees take many years of schooling for a reason.  It is difficult work.  Not everyone can be a doctor.  My doctor has called me several times at 8PM to give me test results, which means he is still working.  He starts seeing patients at 9AM or earlier.  There are things that are part of the exam that happen without our participation or presence, and all this work is covered by that same tiny fee that the insurance company pays, because insurance companies shake down everybody, doctors and patients.

I wish doctors could be better compensated and give us more time, but we can't afford it, because insurance companies take all the money.

These intrusive questions have value for our health, even if they sound rote.  I do answer all the intrusive and mostly irrelevant questions honestly and they have sometimes led to changes in my medical treatment.

I am not really sure why you feel your doctor is treating you like you are falling apart physically and mentally.  I KNOW I AM FALLING APART, physically and mentally (MY BODY TELLS ME), it is part of aging, and that is OK.  My doctor is too, but he keeps working.  I am fairly sure he would rather be doing something else.  We just need to take care of ourselves and keep ourselves together the best we can.

[NYCLatinaMe]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

I don't take advantage of that Medicare Wellness visit, I don't under stand the point of it....I only see a doctor if I have a reason.  I don't need to be told about rugs on the floor as a hazard or if I have firearms in the house, etc..huge waste of taxpayer money in my opinion.

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@Mom2Dogs 

Well. that's obvious. 

Our bodies and minds change a LOT more from age 60 to 75 than we did from, for example, ages 20 to 35.    

People might have "reasons" to see their docs but don't even know it .... you know, the ticking time bomb.   

Too many people that wait until there's a "reason" often have waited too long for anyone to be able to help them.  This is nothing new.

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Yes @Tinkrbl44 @Mom2Dogs A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND THEY DON'T RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS.  I have no symptoms that I recognize with high blood pressure.   My doctor just prescribes medications based on the exam, most often increasing dosage or changing the medication.  Most recently, I forgot to tell the doctor that sometimes I seem to lose my balance, because it doesn't happen often, and I was lucky enough to lose my balance while in the office when the nurse was drawing blood.  The doctor came back to ask me about it and changed my HBP medication and it hasn't happened since.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

I don't take advantage of that Medicare Wellness visit, I don't under stand the point of it....I only see a doctor if I have a reason.  I don't need to be told about rugs on the floor as a hazard or if I have firearms in the house, etc..huge waste of taxpayer money in my opinion.

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@Mom2Dogs 

Well. that's obvious. 

Our bodies and minds change a LOT more from age 60 to 75 than we did from, for example, ages 20 to 35.    

People might have "reasons" to see their docs but don't even know it .... you know, the ticking time bomb.   

Too many people that wait until there's a "reason" often have waited too long for anyone to be able to help them.  This is nothing new.

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Yes @Tinkrbl44 @Mom2Dogs A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND THEY DON'T RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS.  I have no symptoms that I recognize with high blood pressure.   My doctor just prescribes medications based on the exam, most often increasing dosage or changing the medication.  Most recently, I forgot to tell the doctor that sometimes I seem to lose my balance, because it doesn't happen often, and I was lucky enough to lose my balance while in the office when the nurse was drawing blood.  The doctor came back to ask me about it and changed my HBP medication and it hasn't happened since.

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@NYCLatinaMe  @Mom2Dogs

The problem with people who will only see a doctor when they "notice" something is serious things can be going on that aren't noticeable.

My stepmother's best friend died of pancreatic cancer and many were devastated by her passing.   When she "noticed" a problem, it was Stage 4.  At that point she could only get her affairs in order and rely on her doctor to help manage pain.  

IMO, if you care about your family, have your MD do at least an occasional baseline of blood tests etc, so they can notice when changes occur. 

Don't be careless with your health!  

JMO, of course.