Questions about dr's offices

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I think we have a few nurses on the forums. Help me out.

Why does my doc......

--schedule 10 people for every 15 minute increment
--answer personal calls on his cell while he's in the exam room w/me (do I really care about his plans for someone else's birthday party?)
--make me have a blood test every 3 mos. for a prescription another doc had me test once a year for (no, I've never had any problems w/it & I've been taking the same pill for 20 years now)
--not have an ADA ramp for disable customers--this MUST be illegal! Half his patients are over 70! (yeah, I had to watch this poor old dude w/a walker try to traverse 2 flights of concrete steps)
--give me a one-armed hug before I leave even though it was the 2nd time I've ever met him

Inquiring minds want to know!
 
Well...I can answer the first one. Because of insurance. Doctors now make less for every appointment than they used to. So they overbook to make up for the loss of income.
 
All very interesting questions, Laura. I'm especially curious about #2. If my dr. ever answered a personal call while they were in the room with me I think I'd flip my you-know-what. Luckily that's never happened (the phone call part--not the flipping my you-know-what part....that happens too often to admit....)

Allison
 
And he didn't even say "excuse me!" I swear, if they didn't hold that prescription hostage, well, I think I'd have flipped my you-know-what too! x(
 
My doctor is a woman. Do you think it's sexist of me to think she's got a better bedside manner just because she's female? I tend to pick a woman any time I have a choice about it, partly for the bedside manner and partly to support women in general.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=teal]***Lainie***

My fitness blog: http://web.mac.com/lainiefig/iWeb/Site/Exercise/Exercise.html
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>My doctor is a woman. Do you think it's sexist of me to
>think she's got a better bedside manner just because she's
>female? I tend to pick a woman any time I have a choice about
>it, partly for the bedside manner and partly to support women
>in general.


Funny you say that as I much prefer men when it comes to healthcare. My son goes to a pediatrician's group that was comprised of 3 females up until recently. I only truly liked one of the 3 and ofcourse, she left the group after having a child. :( I was just there the other day and they've replaced her with a man. I didn't even know it until we happened to get him. I will be requesting him for all appointments that I can now. I had a female doc once in my life...HATED her. I don't know what it is...I just really prefer men. My mom does too so maybe it's just what I grew up with and am familiar with so I feel more comfortable? My pediatrician as a child was a man and I liked him...for as much as a kid will like her doctor! LOL My gyn/ob has always been a man as well.
 
>I tend to pick a woman any time I have a choice about
>it, partly for the bedside manner and partly to support women
>in general.

Same here.
I will go to a male doctor in an emergency, but prefer women doctors (especially gynecologists). Of course, if I don't like the doctor, I won't go to her just because of her gender (and I've met some female doctors and nurse practitioners that I refused to return to...as well as a fabulous male nurse practitioner who unfortunately followed the doctor he works with to another town).
 
I just remembered--part of my preference for female physicians might stem from a couple bad experiences with males. One was actually an optometrist and I thought he talked down to my mom (I was 16 at the time) and I thought he bullied her into getting more expensive contacts for me. Another was my last doctor who I thought was sexist and talked down to me, though he was great with the kids (we were in England with socialized medicine so we didn't get a lot of choice in doctor--we all went to the guy who happened to be nearby). The worst was a chiropracter who checked my spine for scoliosis when I was a teenager. He didn't do anything overt but he creeped me out--talking about how pretty I was and I felt the touching was not clinical enough, if that makes sense. I got the impression he was a dirty old man.

So maybe that's why I like women doctors.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=teal]***Lainie***

My fitness blog: http://web.mac.com/lainiefig/iWeb/Site/Exercise/Exercise.html
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Those are some interesting observations. It seems really rude to be on a personal phone call while he is supposed to be giving his undivided attention to you. My doctor once had to excuse herself from to room to take a cell phone call from another MD about a patient they had in common. She apologized and explained that it was an emergency, so I didn't have a problem with it. I understand the overbooking. It seems like it takes forever to get an appoinment, and they often overbook to accomodate more patients who need to be seen. I thought all public places had to be wheelchair accessable these days, but it seems particularly important for a doctor's office. You should ask about the blood work every three months instead of a year. Maybe he is more thorough (always a good thing, even if it is a pain in the butt).

I personally prefer female physicians because the ones I have had seem to really listen to me and empathize/sympathize more than their male counterparts, but I would not be opposed to seeing a male physician if he was good and really listened. Although, for an OB/GYN I think I will always feel more comfortable with a woman.
 
>Well...I can answer the first one. Because of insurance.
>Doctors now make less for every appointment than they used to.
>So they overbook to make up for the loss of income.

Actually, there's a huge shortage of doctors and overbooking is done to accomodate patients, who would otherwise have to wait for weeks or months to get in.
 
>
>Actually, there's a huge shortage of doctors and overbooking
>is done to accomodate patients, who would otherwise have to
>wait for weeks or months to get in.


Yes...but insurance payments have a lot to do with it too. I'm not sure if my remark seemed derogatory towards doctors. I most certainly am not(coming from a large family of doctors)just pointing out that due to insurance 'preferred rates' doctors have to double the amount of patients in order to maintain their income level.

Being a doctor is similar in many ways to other career choices, they don't take on more 'customers' just for the benefit of the 'customer.' They have a financial incentive. I think a lot of patients that have ever been a 'victim' of overbooking would agree...doctors aren't doing it just out of the goodness of their hearts to take on more patients. And, of course, plenty of doctors refuse to take on more patients.
 
>>
>>Actually, there's a huge shortage of doctors and overbooking
>>is done to accomodate patients, who would otherwise have to
>>wait for weeks or months to get in.
>
>
>Yes...but insurance payments have a lot to do with it too. I'm
>not sure if my remark seemed derogatory towards doctors. I
>most certainly am not(coming from a large family of
>doctors)just pointing out that due to insurance 'preferred
>rates' doctors have to double the amount of patients in order
>to maintain their income level.
>
>Being a doctor is similar in many ways to other career
>choices, they don't take on more 'customers' just for the
>benefit of the 'customer.' They have a financial incentive. I
>think a lot of patients that have ever been a 'victim' of
>overbooking would agree...doctors aren't doing it just out of
>the goodness of their hearts to take on more patients. And, of
>course, plenty of doctors refuse to take on more patients.
>

I didn't view your comment as derogatory at all, I just wanted it on the record that insurance and income aren't THE reason for overbooking. I, too, come from a large family of physicians, most of whom are specialists and academics, so the financial incentives aren't quite the same as for docs in private practice. And I know many who squeeze patients in out of the goodness of their hearts, and even make house calls for free ;) .
 
I definitely agree with Michele. I think most doctors go into medicine to help people, and from what I have read recently, if you are going to get the best return on your time and money from training, being a business person (MBA) or lawyer is alot more lucrative. I know my doctor will squeeze me into her schedule if I need to be seen, and she is already so booked it takes months to get the next available (routine) appoinment. I am sure she is probably not struggling financially, but I don't think she overbooks for the money.
 
Another one who prefers women drs. Not b/c of any bad experiences, just b/c I want to support women in the workplace. Except for the gyno thing--I'm totally w/Kathryn on that--I'm just more comfortable w/women.

Personally I'd rather wait several months for an appt. than wait several hours in a waiting room. I can plan my schedule accordingly & since pretty much all my appts. are follow ups or checkups I don't really need immediate service.

I was told yesterday that one of their offices had sent over 20 patients without any notice. I scheduled my appt. a month ago. Something doesn't seem quite right about that. Also the last time I was there I sat in the waiting room for 2 hours & in the exam room for another half hour.

I'm finding another doc! x(
 
>I definitely agree with Michele. I think most doctors go
>into medicine to help people, and from what I have read
>recently, if you are going to get the best return on your time
>and money from training, being a business person (MBA) or
>lawyer is alot more lucrative. I know my doctor will squeeze
>me into her schedule if I need to be seen, and she is already
>so booked it takes months to get the next available (routine)
>appoinment. I am sure she is probably not struggling
>financially, but I don't think she overbooks for the money.

I have no doubt that doctors go into the business to help people. However, you just proved my point. It HAS become more lucrative to go into other professions because of insurance. To make the same amount of money now doctors have to see more patients. This isn't speculation, just common sense.

I am quite sure that there are doctors that don't overbook to make more money but really, why do you think already overworked doctors continue to take on more and more patients, because they feel they have to help each individual out? Of course not! If that were the case why not have longer hours or work weekends? Most don't do those things. Also, if all of these doctors are so concerned about a doctor shortage why are so many refusing to take on new patients?

Again, I am not trying to portray doctors as some money hungry group of people. I firmly believe that doctors become doctors because they want to help other people. But that wasn't the question. It's just doesn't seem logical that they overbook MAINLY to help their patients out. If that were their MAIN reason there are much better ways than having two people scheduled for the same time and thereby rushing through two appointments. I am also sure that most doctors wish they didn't have to overbook but, financially, it doesn't make sense to make less money intentionally.

Disclaimer: I am 100% positive that my belief does not apply to all doctors. I'm sure there are people that never have experienced overbooking, etc.
 
Here is a link to one of many articles about my point:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15487676/


Overbooked doctors' offices
Such waits often are due to overbooking. That happens partly because under many health insurance reimbursement systems, doctors are paid by volume.

Doctors “are responsive to the same economic pressures that everybody else is,” said Dr. Michael Barr of the American College of Physicians.

The group, which represents about 120,000 internists and other doctors, issued a policy statement earlier this year advocating changes that Barr said could help address the waiting problem.
 
I feel very fortunate to have a doctor who does not double or triple book. When you make an appointment with her, you get 30 - 60 minutes of her undivided attention (depending on why you're there). I *heart* my doctor!!! :D

And I definitely prefer female doctors, especially if they're going to be anywhere near my girlie parts. I just don't believe male doctors can have any idea what things feel like down there since they don't have the parts. I went to a male OB once, and it was a huge mistake. Never again! Now, my dentist, optometrist and orthodontist are all males and they are awesome. I just prefer a female OB/GYN. :)
 
Well, I guess I have to wonder at the cynacism aimed toward doctors. I know I really like mine, even though I have to wait to see her. When she is overbooked, it is because she has worked people in for an acute illness. Since she has done this for me before, I definitely appreciate it. Also, I know she has young kids, goes to the hospital first, and then drives 45 minutes from the hospital to the small town to see patients. Since she works for a health clinic, I know she does it for the patients and not the $$$. My OB kept me waiting hours for an appointment the other day because she had an emergency. I guess I have been lucky to find great doctors with good hearts, and it kind of makes me sad that there is so much doubt about the motivation of doctors today.

ETA Emily - Is that a picture of you in your avatar (I assume)? I think I have those exact glasses!
 
I think you misunderstand me. I have NO DOUBT that doctors care about their patients and I don't think that 'dcotors are doing it for the money.' In fact, I have NEVER said 'doctors only care about money.' The question was about why do they overbook. This isn't cynicism. I think doctors have every right to make as much money as possible. They go to school for a long time and work very hard at the business of helping people. It's UNFORTUNATE that they have to overbook now to make the same salary that they made 15 years ago.

I mean, if you used to make $100,000 a year and now due to insurance make $50,000, wouldn't you try to make up your income? Of course, it isn't 'doing it for the money,' it's only logical.

I don't like to be overbooked but I realize that it's insurance that has created this situation, not the doctors. I think the link to the article I provided made it clear how doctors feel about all of this and that in a lot of cases they feel sort of forced to overbook in order to maintain their income level.
 
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