If I Pop A Brain Vessel, It’s My Doc’s Fault
I take a controlled substance to calm my restless legs so I can sleep. This means every four months, I have to make an appointment with my doc to get the ‘scrip refilled.
Read: this means my doc gets to charge me and my insurance company for spending 3 minutes with his P.A.
Today was that day.
The doc’s chart might read…
BP: 188/110; patient seemed agitated; chest sounds normal, refilled Rx, pt to monitor BP.
My chart might read…
Patient needed refill on drugs.
Was told by pharmacy that I needed to see doctor for new prescription.
Called doctor for 8:45 a.m. appointment.
Arrived on time to full parking lot and full waiting room for two medical professionals allowed to write the prescription.
Sat quietly for 10 minutes, until somebody decided the office waiting room should have country music playing.
BP rising.
Twenty minutes later taken to exam room where loaner-learner nurse took BP.
188/110.
Waited ten more minutes until Physician’s Assistant arrived.
She asked how I was, then answered her own question. “You just need a prescription refilled, right? and then you’ll be better.”
She listened to my chest, checked my pulse and wrote the scrip.
One hour (not including travel time) out of my life.
When my brain explodes I hope it’s right there in the exam room, and they don’t have any learner-nurses to clean up the mess.
Unfortunately, with the way physicians are compensated these days, they are incentivized to write anything on a patient’s chart so that they can get the “right” reimbursement. There are forums on http://www.AfterFiftyLiving.com which distantly cover this issue as well, so it might be worth it to check out so you can understand this issue in more depth.
David: I added you to my blogroll. Thanks for checking in.
You too huh? You, me and Grandad obviously belong to the same club. Now I don’t take a controlled substance to keep my legs still, I take the equivalent of a nuclear explosion in a tiny blue pill (Requip) to keep my legs still. I take a controlled substance to help me tolerate the horrid side effects of the tiny blue pill that I take to keep my legs still. It also helps quite a bit on the chronic pain end of things. I wonder if it’s the same controlled substance?
No you guys are way worse off than me. Something I am grateful for (for which I am grateful… for the grammar snobs.)
Yes!!!! My one dr has to see me every time I want a refill….he’s my pain dr and there are different rules for prescribing pain meds-and I can only get 30 day refills now…so I have to see him every month!!!!
Yup, it’s a good racket the docs and insurance companies have going on… insurance pays less, so docs require more visits.