He called my office today to make an appointment, so my secretary was getting his info. As it turned out I'm not contracted with his current insurance.
So does he cancel the appointment to go elsewhere? Does he ask what my cash pay rates are?
NO! He begins SCREAMING at my secretary over the phone! And I mean SCREAMING! I was up front faxing stuff, and I could hear him yelling from 15 feet away, over the clatter of the fax machine!
He was, I swear, claiming that the doctor-patient relationship is a lifelong binding contract, and that I am legally obligated to see and treat him free of charge for the rest of his life (or mine, I guess).
I got on the phone to calm him down. Didn't work. Instead, he told me he is going to sue me for not taking his insurance.
I thanked him for calling and hung up. You can't reason with the unreasonable.
7 comments:
I guess what I get most is "circular" conversations.
PT: I want to get this rx filled
PC: sure, (obtains all pertinent information) Do you have your insurance card?
PT: uh, no I dont have it with me.
PC: ok, I will fill your prescription for cash.
PT: But I have insurance!
PC: Do you have your card with you so I can bill it?
PT: No, I dont...
PC: Ok, then I will fill it for cash..its $xx.xx
PT: I have insurance....
and so it goes.
This reminds me of the scare tactics used by people who are against universal health care --- "The bureaucrats will run it-- you won't be able to see whatever doctor you want!!" ......
Yeah, how do they think the system works right NOW??
I'm in Europe and we get a lot of those!
In public care, they think you have to treat them no matter what since it's their birth right. Some broad was so pissed at having her dental appointment rescheduled once (dentist was sick) that she yelled at a nurse and said that she demanded to be treated for free from then on. Good thing we had a great supervisor, who always told us to direct that sort of patient to him so he could disabuse them of their entitled notions.
In private they yell at you because their are paying customers, therefore they should always have their way. Although I have to say, compared to the things I read about in the American med blogs, our patients are very tame. Just give them time though...
Daily occurence at my hospitalist office!
Sir, we don't see any outpatients...
But I saw Dr. X in the hospital and I need to make an appointment!
Sir we only see patients in the hospital, we have no clinic.
But I saw Dr. X in the hospital and need to make an appointment!
Daily. It's amazing that these people can function in society.
Not only amazing, but scary.
I will grace you with an original epigram:
"Population density is a phrase that has two meanings."
Goes right past about 95 percent of those who hear it, which proves that it's true.
Yay! I'm part of the exceptional 5%! ;-)
Post a Comment