My letter to my doctor
 

Dear Dr. Brown,

I have enjoyed being your patient for the last several years.

Last Thursday I realized that I was almost out of medication, and that I needed a refill via your office. I called and made an appointment for July 13, as it had been more than six months since I’d seen you. I verified that this appointment was a thorough physical and not a mere checkup, and would require a blood workup, and that I would fast overnight. The office then put me through to the prescription voicemail. I left my details, along with the note that I had an appointment.

Friday I went to the pharmacy to find the prescription wasn’t there. I remembered that the prescription voicemail line had cautioned that it may take 48 hours. I turned on my legendary patience.

Sunday I took my last pill.

Monday I went to the pharmacy to find the prescription wasn’t there. I called your prescription line again and left information again. I asked, in my message, if I could specifically be called if the prescription could not be filled for any reason, since like any XXX user, my body is dependent on the medication. I have legendary patience, so despite the appearance that the system was starting to fail me, I stayed on track.

Tuesday I went to the pharmacy and the prescription wasn’t there. So I called your office again and, instead of going to the prescription refill voicemail, I got a live human. I explained that I really needed that prescription. I have legendary patience, and have worked in telephone customer support, so I remained friendly and confident in my call. The person on the other end of the line said, and I quote, "Oh your chart is right here!" Great!

Wednesday morning I went to the pharmacy and the prescription wasn’t there.

I cancelled the rest of my morning and drove to your office. With my legendary patience, I sat and said nothing while I waited the requisite twenty minutes to see a nurse. When the nurse finally conferenced with me, she explained that since I had not seen anyone for six months and there were no samples available, my only recourse to avoid the side-effects of XXX withdrawl would be to go to the ER.

Somewhat in shock, I walked to the front desk where the woman there told me that this might be expected, after all, I had cancelled my appointment.

Dr. Brown, I assure you, I had done no such thing.

Now, I have not thrown a tantrum in... ever! in my adult lifetime. I am as even-keeled as they come. I pride myself in being an emotionally-controlled person who handles adverse matters by... well, writing long thoughtful letters of complaint. But I was through. My legendary patience reached its limit in your reception area, where at the very top of my lungs, I shrieked that your office was incompetent and was harming my health and sending me to the ER.

I apologize for screaming, but I did not have a bullhorn handy. And, it was all true.

The three and a half hours waiting around at the ER gave me enough time to reflect, and regain some of that legendary patience, so I decided not go right back and demand my patient records from your office on the spot. I realized that it would probably only make more trouble. I was by then ashamed because I was taking up an ER spot, surrounded by people much worse off than myself. I had to remind myself that it was your staff who told me to go there.

At this point, I only write this so that you know the facts, so you know why someone exploded in the reception area, and why I’m no longer a patient. You tell your patients that their health is important to you. I believe you, but this message is completely undermined by your staff.

40% of Americans will try "alternative medicine" this year. People are using major medications they get over the Internet from Mexico and Canada. The doctor-patient relationship is in tatters. People’s faith in doctors and the entire system is at an all-time low. The humanity in the entire business is reduced to tort, borderline insurance fraud, and scummy socialistic deals. And now, I know why.

It would have been five minutes for someone in your office to see me, hear the whole simple explanation, and write that script. It would have been zero minutes if the staff had gotten it right in the first place. Now I walk away from this whole situation knowing that A) I’m smarter than the system, and B) The system doesn’t give a shit about me – it assigns a hundred gatekeepers to prevent me from doing the right thing. They even prevent me from talking frankly to my doctor... thus this letter. (The Xxxx site doesn't list your email address... gatekeepers.)

So when the system tells me I shouldn’t self-medicate with herbs or self-insure or get drugs from Mexico, uh… isn’t that the same system that I know doesn’t give a shit about me?

There’s the facts, in case you want to be a part of the solution.

Great letter -- sorry about your troubles. Did you finally get your meds?

I've had 2 prescription debacles in as many months. Not as severe as yours, but enough to convince me that the whole industry is a racket.

You forgot to mention the grenade.....probably just as well.:fuse:
Such is the "business" of medicine.

That's the American 'health care' system in action. I'm sorry that happened to you, and, you are correct: they DO assign people to keep you from the doctor, they DON'T care about you (or anyone else, for that matter) and the whole system just sucks.

Great letter. I hope you get a response from the Doc.

Of course, they have the upper hand. Switching to "alternative medicine" would be like going on a hunger strike to protest Bush. He doesn't give a crap, and you starve.

Oh yeah, that's a good point.. I personally won't go that route but I'm making a point about why people do. I'll change the word "I" to "we" in that section. (...when the system tells us that we shouldn't self medicate...)

Oh yes, and, I got the meds. After truly a 3.5 hour wait, the ER doc heard my tale, gave me a 30 second evaluation in which I literally answered how many fingers he held up and what weekday it was ("Tues - uh, Wednesday! It's Wednesday! Trash night!"), and a script for a month of pills while I find a new doc.

(Anyone local have any GPs they like?)

Yeah, I understood what you meant, but as a fan of James Randi and Penn Jilette I had to mention it. Beaurocracy and profiteering in the medical system may create desperate people, but the snake oil people exploit them worse than the most corrupt of pharmaceutical companies.

Yes.

Our family GP isn't on our list of options for our new list of insurance options :rar:

He rocks. He solicitous, compassionate, busy, and well (mostly) supported by the staff in his office. If we can't get a way to keep with him, it's start all over time with the new guy. Not looking forward to that.

So, so sorry about the snafu cluster flop you had at your dr's office, UT. I will say in my experience, it is important to get a dr you can trust and communicate with for medical advice. But (gatekeepers) all the other people in the office have to power to grant or deny my access to that valuable resource to me, and I nurture that relationship too. I know at least two of the nurses/front desk people by first name. That counts. Sometimes, it can substitute for actual facetime with the dr. But it always helps when I visit and epecially when I have a problem/urgent/question.

My long time GP retired a couple years ago because of the ravages of Parkinson's disease. Just before he gave up he brought a couple new Doctors into the office but I hadn't had any contact with them. After he retired they closed his office and moved everything to another practice where the noobs had apparently been working also.

So, recently I had to see a Doctor, after a 4 years of avoidance. When I made an appointment, the time of day I could get there would determined which Doctor I'd see and I was assigned to Doctor Ms Motel. Since I wasn't going for a prostrate problem, I figured I give her a shot...er, try.

Kind of looks like Dr Joyce Brothers and very cool. Listened, and thought about, what I was saying. Smart, practical and attentive....I lucked out.:cool:

@ UT

Sounds like one of those letters you read and say, 'oh those things happen to other people' What an incredible story. lol re: saved by trash night


I am glad you got your RX finally. Sorry you had to go through all that. . .edit [I forgot].I went through that for my grandmother once. Not fun.

Sorry you had to go through all that, UT. I went from having a great doctor at University Hospital in Denver - I drove 60 miles to see him, I liked him so much. I could talk to him personally because he gave me the number to call when he'd be available for phone consults with his patients. He listened to his voice mail over the weekend and would even call in a prescription for you on a Sunday. Then my insurance changed and I had to use a clinic in Colorado Springs. They had a big ol' staff and the male nurse who worked there was assigned the task of never allowing the patient to see or speak with the doctor. Everything was voice mail. Everytime I had to get a prescription refilled, I usually went through something like you did. It all went back to a male nurse who was too lazy to call scripts in or check faxes. Once he told me that my doctor had said I should just go without one of my meds until my next visit. "Have you been taking you meds?" the doc asked when I saw him next. "All except the one Mr. X told me you said to do without," I replied. The doctor's face turned an angry hue. "Excuse me. I need to go have a word with Mr. X." A few minutes later I could hear old X getting raked over the coals out in the hallway.

Now I have to find a new doctor in my new town. I don't expect to find one like the first, but I sure hope I can find an outfit that is a little less incompetant and a bit more caring than that clinic.

Let us know if your doctor ever replies. Bet he won't.

Same story here but we can "nominate" him blah blah blah. Wouldn't cash be nice?

http://www.idealhealthnetwork.com/about.html

This guy is my BIL. He is working at healthcare reform, he travels around the country meeting with hospitals, governers, etc. I wish a doc around here had a practice like his.

Your experiences, UT are partly why my dad hadn't been to a doctor since 1970.

Steiner Medical center is right near you, i think. west of valley forge park on 23. They aren't the most polite staff, but competent. Dr Flood is pretty cool, but she doesn;t work much. Ira Cantor is OK too.

doctors offices are of the opinion that you have to come to them. just an extension of the superiority complex that they and teachers too often exhibit. remember that you are a customer, and remind them of it. You might mention that in your letter if it hasn't been sent.

UT, if "XXX" is what I think, you should have called me ... probably could have hooked you up for samples and all.

Sorry you had to go through this crap.

As a final insult did you have to pay upon picking up your prescription because insurance said it wasn't time yet? I kinda needed mine to live and pills didn't show in the mail. $180 to cover a stingy multibillion $ company >_<

My doctor was a woman.

And she did examine my prostate. I didn't mind. I'm a patient, it's a medical procedure to make sure I don't have cancer or other problems. My dad died of cancer at 38 so if someone wants to check me for it, please do whatever it takes.

Well, I hope our health system doesn't end up going that way. It has plenty of faults, but I've yet to be registered with a practice where I couldn't see a doctor within a few hours of phoning the reception (no recorded message disaster systems in place yet either).

I've had a total of five practices in my lifetime - reasonable enough as a cross-section but nothing remarkable. Some have been better than others, but nothing ever near the experience you have just detailed. These days we don't seem to have a dedicated doctor, so you get to see whichever one is available. Although it's nice to see the same person (if you get on with them), this arrangement hasn't presented any major problems.

The only real problem we do seem to have is with getting home visits. This was the blight of my father's last few years. He was virtually house-bound, and whereas the doctor would happily see him at the surgery, emergency calls requiring a home visit took an age to fulfill. But I think that is not unusual for our old folk.

Sorry that you have to suffer the way you do - trust that checking blood pressure is the first thing they do when you finally get seen - seems as though it should be an absolute must!

did you ask for a rusty trombone?

You don't even need to enter the actual medical system to find incredible stupidity. Just go to the damn pharmacy, where they control meds so tightly that you can't get them.

This latest debacle involving pseudoephedrine is just ridiculous. An individual can only legally buy approximately 75 12-hour doses per month. If, like me, you have a family of four who uses such things at least once per day per person, it doesn't take long to use that up, and then you have to make another trip to the pharmacy, or send another member of the family who is over 18.

I debated this with pharmacist last night. She insisted that if one needed such medication that regularly, you should have a scrip from your doctor. Yeah, great. That's what I need. Another damn thing to be regulated by not only my pharmacy, but my doctor. Especially something that has been perfectly legal for years and years.

Anyone seen any less meth problems yet, since this is supposed to have solved them in one fell swoop?

I think they are just smuggling the Meth in from Mexico now. It's being cooked there.

I saw a Frontline story on this a month or two ago. There are only like 5 or 6 manufacturers of pseudoephedrine in the entire world. It's not like most other illegal drugs that have thousands of suppliers. There are just a handful. If we just approached them and got them to limit their production for each country to what that country's legitimate use would be, the crystal meth problem would go away for good. That involves international cooperation though, and goodwill and all that stuff. The USA doesn't have much of those things anymore.

There is no cooperation when there is an unlimited amount of money to be made.

If the production was limited, I'm guessing that whoever was willing to pay the most money would end up with the supply. That probably won't be a legit manufacturer of cold meds.

True. But right now Mexico is importing something like ten times more pseudoephedrine than it "needs." If the supply is cut to one tenth its current amount, then so will the illegal supply of meth to the US.

In well regulated countries like the US, it won't hurt legitimate consumers as much, because you can bet Wyeth will make sure it gets its shipment of pseudophedrine from the chemical plant in India. They will be tracking that container well.

But all this is wishful thinking. This administration won't do anything cooperative with anyone.

LYK ZOMG U SED SMETHING ABUT MEXKO U RACIST!!111!!1!!!!one!!11!!!!eleven

Being disabled and trying to file for disability from SS and my insurance company while also being in the pain management system (a joke), you don't have to tell me much to get sympathy or understanding.
I'm very sorry you are going through this.
*Sends loving and healing energy*

My doc is a part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. On their website they say:

I have the "right" to have my voice my concerns. Gatekeepers.

Well guess what, gatekeepers: I also have the right to start a thread about it. Let a thousand web searches show that my doctor is Dr. Janet Brown at Phoenixville Area Family Medicine. (And since I've said that, for the record: I don't believe Dr. Brown is the problem. She's almost as much a pawn in this system as I am and it's likely the only thing she can do to change the system is to leave it.)

Yesterday I used the contact us form to point them to this thread, telling them who the doc was and what the practice was. Today I got an email.

"We have read your message and responded to it within one business day. A low-paid intern Patient & Guest Relations representative copied and pasted the name of your doctor's practice into our standard apology email."

You know I'm right.

I urge all those in Public Relations to reconsider the insult of the "auto-apology" -- it is almost as insulting as a website where you tell people "the contact us form is available 24 hours a day".

I will continue to update the thread.

And by the way -- I submitted my contact us form at 9:30 am yesterday and the response came back at 10:08 am today.

Well, they did say one business day, not 24 hours. But notice, it takes an intern Patient & Guest Relations representative over 24 hours to cut and paste an auto-apology and to enter the message into the system.

I've worked in customer support. Consider: in any other industry, that quality of support is unacceptable.

self medicate? is that like... smoking the waccy toabaccy?

cuz ive been thinking lately, perhaps this needs more credit than its given. for muscle relaxing etc. anxiety.

Not to mention making you have really amazing and brilliant insights.

And the colors, I almost forgot about those.

What were we talking about?
;)

A lot of people over-drinking and over-drugging are self-medicating, and many don't realize it, and all need to be seen by proper docs.

There are much better drugs for anxiety. All you need to do is submit to the system. But now that you've admitted a pre-existing condition,...

The doc's office manager called and left a message, apologized, wants to set up an appointment to meet in-person with her, my doc, and the head doc to discuss everything.

Should I go? It's hard to see a benefit in it. I'm mortified by my behavior in their office but more mortified by the entire situation that they contributed to. Mortified, even, by the very idea that a stable guy like myself could wind up exploding like that.

On the other hand, they would probably give me a longer script for my meds and do the blood work I should be getting, for free. As an underinsured individual the value of this is actually nontrivial.

Hmm, I say go and see what you can get out of it, and if they don't make up for it enough just ditch 'em.

Definitely go, UT. you've nothing to lose and you could be helping someone else out by making the staff AWARE of their behavior/consequences thereof.

If you feel mortified, just say what you said above: that you were mortified at your behavior in the office but you are really not like that and you were pushed beyond endurance. I'll bet you get much better treatment for the duration of your association with them :)

Well said, Brianna.

I think you should go, UT. You called the Dr. out to be part of the solution. You should give him a chance to fix things. And you may end up having amazing service from now on. Just apologize and move on. They have much more to apologize for.

Under the circumstances I think you should go.

Thanks for the advice, you've all convinced me... I'll go. (and report back, because isn't the drama lovely?)

No you're lovely.

Hi [office manager] Brooke, I'm returning your call.

Yes Mr UT, We would like to apologize to you.. I'm so sorry you got caught up in how we train our staff in protocols, and there was a lack of communication and blah blah our computer system and so we are so sorry, we apologize.

Oh - well, thank you...

And Dr. Westin wanted to meet with you to make sure you're okay, you know, make sure you have enough medication until your appointment in July.

She wants a medical appointment? Well no, I'm fine, and the ER gave me enough of a prescription to get me by.

So you're OK until your July appointment?

Well, no, I think I should be looking for a new G.P.

(quickly) I totally understand. Do you want me to send you the paperwork to transfer your records?

Yes, yes that would be fine.

Do you want me to cancel that July appointment?

Yes.

(call ends)

Wow. That was quick. So Brooke is the office hatchet man, sent out to prune unruly customers? I would fire her. She should be in the business of *retaining* customers/patients. Sounds like you're better off without them. Especially if you contact with them has to go through this person.

Do you need customers in modern medicine?

Many businesses are more than happy to lose the occasional "trouble" customer. Anyone who wants more than their alloted 5 minutes and isn't satisfied with the automated website/phonetree customer service is usually more effort than they are worth...
As long as most of the sheeple don't complain, that business model works fine. :rolleyes:

Get rid of the potential lawsuit is more like it, though that will not do it if that was his choice.

Just to document things completely and bump the thread, there has been no further followup from Pennhealth / University of Pennsylvania Health System.

I'm serious ... you ever have a problem identical to that again, call me at work. The number's in the phone book, first page, right after 911.

Yes, UT. It's unfortunate but sometimes personal connections like Wolf, to end-run the system, are the best bet. Even if it's just first aid while you fight the system. :thumbsup:

I appreciate it, may need assistance if I can't get another doc in time for the next prescription.

SOMETIMES???
Baby, it is the only way unless you have all your cosmic mojo aligned and everything.

Was it Caskie Stinnet who said "It's not what you know, but who you know"?

But end runs should be saved for emergency situations. Rage, rage, don't let the bastards win. :rar:

I know this may not be mature, or in some states legal, but I really think you should go to the doctors office and just urinate on the carpet.

Neither ostentatious nor sneaky. Just matter of fact, "I'm urinating on your carpet now."

I don't know why, it just came to me. It just seemed right.

http://cellar.org/2006/hospitalbill.jpg

Dear Phoenixville Hospital,

You were a pawn in this game. However, I will note that my expectations were rock-bottom. You met them. Well done.

I trust you don't mind that I've answered the question you did not ask.

I trust you don't mind I've answered it to the world and not to you.

Now that is some fine patient/practice relations. They should give themselves a pat on the back.

dayyam!

My full-on psych evals cost $100, less for a "med check" or "med eval".

I still say peeing on the carpet would be final victory for you, man.

My now-ex doctor's automated system has just called to remind me that I have an appointment coming up on July 13.

This is the appointment that I originally made in post #1, and which the doc's front office claimed was cancelled, which was their "quickie excuse" for why they never filled the prescription. (No appointment, no prescription.)

In post #39, in a call to their office, I specifically cancel this appointment with them on the phone. They specifically ask me about this appointment and I specifically cancel it.

I love bumping this thread.

People are stupid.

I live my life by this particle of 'wisdom', and I have yet to be disappointed. Pleasantly surprised when someone did something SMART, yes, but never disappointed.

I missed the bill post. Nice, 10 days to come up with $600. Lordy. Make sure they don't charge you for missing your 'scheduled' appointment. Some places around here have started doing that.

My old dentist in Iowa City, Therese Ryan DDS, was going to charge me $50 because I called on tues to reschedule my wed appointment. "It was less than 24 hours notice." I told them forget it, I am not paying a fee (that I was never informed of in the couple years I was a patient). They agreed to wave the fee, but couldn't see me for 2 more months. Bah. My daughter needed her first dentist appointment so I decided to go to my husbands in Cedar Rapids. They could get us both in in 2 weeks. As a new patient, they needed my old info or they would have to take new X-rays. Since I just had the whole lot done at my last appointment at Dr. Ryan's, I called to pick up the stuff (to save time and $$ of having them redone) and fill out a release form.

After filling out the release, the sec told me I could pay the $25 fee (that I was not told about when I asked to have the stuff ready for me) by check or cash. WHAT??!! I again told her to stuff it and walked out. Turns out my insurance has no limitations on the number of times I can get X-rays so I had the new place do them again. The new place was totally digital, and I got to see the images instantly. It rocked.

The best part? A co-worker who goes to Dr. Ryan is moving and picked up his stuff with no fees esterday. Bitch was just charging me.

Therese Ryan DDS sucks ass.

Oh yeah, the new doc found that one of the fillings she had done for me less than 2 years prior had cracked and already had more decay under it.

Not ten days, but one day. The invoice arrived at my mailbox one day before due.

:headshake Jeez, even better.