Some doctors are driving costs up as well

[SickOfTheOnePct]

Interesting experience today...oldest daughter is leaving for college, and we have to submit an immunization form to the university health center. It lists mandatory immunizations, then leaves space for the health care provider to write in the date, and then a space at the bottom of the form for a signature or stamp.

I dropped off the form last week, paid my $10 form fee, and they said I could pick it up today. When I go to pick it up, they say no one can sign it, because she hasn't been seen by that office since 2009, except for shots. I tell them that she has been seeing an OB-GYN since then, and in any case, they hold her shot records, and having a "well child" exam has no bearing on what shots she's had. They refused, and said "It won't cost you anything, the insurance will pay".

I said no thanks, and told them my daughter would be there in an hour to pick up a copy of her shot records. We took the records to the OB-GYN, who promptly signed off on the form.

So, what was the purpose of the ped wanting an exam that had zero to do with the shot records, other than to be paid for the visit?

I'm not saying all or even most doctors are gouging the system, but I see not point in this other than to be paid for a non-medically necessary visit. Am I missing something?

[elleng]

1. Not sure,

but sounds like you're not missing something. Hope that doctor office will miss you in the future.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

2. Yep

I filled out the form to have my younger daughter's records copied and mailed, and older daughter did the same. I'm also going to file a complaint with the insurance company so that they're aware.

I have no problem with medically necessary visits/procedures, and I include well child in that category. But any exam would have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not the immunizations had been administered.

[Egalitarian Thug]

3. Medical LLC's, medical equipment manufacturers and distributors, Big Pharma, Insurers from both ends

the AMA, are all part of the ever rising costs of health care in Amercia*.

*I've decided that I fell through a worm hole and woke up in Amercia, an altogether unpleasant and twisted place.

[mick063]

4. Bingo

We have a winner.

Long gone are the days of the personal doctor. Franchised medicine where bean counters dictate the bottom line from a corporate office are the new reality.

A couple extra unnecessary X-rays, an extra blood test, an extra "follow up" and the profit margin zooms. A sweet deal with a pharmaceutical supplier and zappo, an extra cut from writing prescriptions.

All of this wasted political energy on insurance formats when the bottom line is that no form of insurance can cover the greed. Of course it will take time for the average progressive to figure it out. In the meantime we can watch the AHCA take a beating because of it. In the end, the AHCA will look very bad but for all of the wrong reasons.

True solutions begin with reigning in the Health Care industry in a comprehensive way.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Lemme tell ya a story...

many years ago I had an infected cyst on my face. Went to a highly respected dermatologist and he popped it out in his office. Wrote him a check for 250 bucks (which included a followup visit) and sent a copy of the canceled check to someone in HR who forwarded it to the insurance company and I eventually got a check back for 250 bucks.

Ten years or so later I'm working for someone else and get another infected cyst. But, now I'm in some kind of managed care thing that's supposed to be super-efficient and give me great care for less.

First, I go to the gatekeeper-- my primary care doctor. I write him a check for $15 and he gets a check for 50 bucks from the plan. This is to get a referral to a dermatologist (who must be in the plan so I can't use the old one if he's still around). The dermatologist gets my $15 check and the plan money to set up an appointment. He calls me a couple of days later to say he doesn't want to do it, so I should go back to the gatekeeper and get an appointment with a plastic surgeon. I got to the gatekeeper but never got to the plastic surgeon because I quit the job and the plan, but was fascinated that between this super efficient managed care plan and myself almost 200 bucks had already been spent and I had no treatment.

I coulda spent a couple hundred of my own money and just had it done!

Anyway, this and so many other similar things I've seen show me where the real money is disappearing in the "country with the world's greatest health care". And even after all this crap, half the doctors out there are still going broke and hospitals are closing.

It's insane. Don't try to put the blame on this or that-- the entire system is just out of a bad movie.

[snot]

6. Also have had personal experience with this kind of waste or worse.

In one instance, I was required to buy a piece of rehab equipment "in network" that turned out to be inferior, was several hundred dollars more expensive than the brand rec'd by my doctor, and was delivered late. I can only presume the insurer was getting some kind of kickback, or had an ownership interest in the inferior equipment supplier. The costs, of course, are passed on in the form of premiums.