Dr. Grumpy: "This is Dr. Grumpy, returning a page."
Ms. Phone: "Hi, this is Cindy Dingdong."
Dr. Grumpy: "Are you one of my patients?"
Ms. Phone: "No, I found your name on Google. I just moved here and have a sore throat. Can you call in some antibiotics?"
You have your pager number googlable? Big mistake...
ReplyDeleteMany doctors have an answering service. If you call the office number after hours, one of the options is to connect to the answering service or be forwarded to the doctor on-call. The pager number is not actually available directly but really anyone could call the office and ultimately get you if they lied to the answering service rep.
ReplyDeleteI think the good doctor said some time ago (some time ago) an office number forwards to his pager? Or something. Maybe that's what happened.
ReplyDeleteWhat concerns me more is that likely means she didn't even look up the doctor's speciality. That's kinda important.
Setting aside the insurance/no insurance question/debate (please don't debate all that), her insurance would likely not cover the cost of antibiotics if any doctor was silly enough to call a script this way.
My first thought was the existence of viral strep.
Sure why not ? What pharmacy do you use ? Click.
ReplyDeleteI'd be tempted to give her a script... For rectal suppositories.
ReplyDeleteMs Phone: Oh, and by the way, could you also prescribe some OxyContin for the pain,
ReplyDeletePerfect name!!
ReplyDeleteUnable to comment coherently. Laughing too hard as usual. Thanks as usual, Doc.
ReplyDeleteViral strep would be a new thing since strep is short for streptococcus, which is a bacteria.
ReplyDeleteViral sore throat on the other hand...
LOL! Doc to doc- I love it!!! This is great! Thanks for helping me maintain my sanity.
ReplyDeleteI had the same type of thing- both in the same week,
a) Telephone call from Stranger Danger: "I need doc to call in a script because my primary won't do it". Nurse: "but madame, you're not even one of our patients". Her response: "I know, that's why I expect you all to call it in". I thought, this MUST be a practical joke- until I saw the same patient down rate us on online.
b) In the same week received another call from a registered patient, "hi, I went to TopHospital Immediate Care for cough cold. They told me I had bronchitis and gave me albuterol and flovent. Inhaled steriods for bronchitis??? Doc, you need to call me in an antibiotic IMMEDIATELY or I'll find another doctor" My thought: .... wow, and I haven't even seen you for this??? I was happy to let the self-prescriber go on to another doc- or don't: because, YESSSS- inhaled steroid for bronchitis was right, but you should know- you went to TopHospital Immediate Care when my office was open for walkin all that day.
Stupid is not treatable....
ReplyDeleteWhat other profession feels obligated to give away free professional services 24/7?
ReplyDelete@clairesmum...perhaps thats why stupid seems to be winning these days. I can't even laugh at stuff like this anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere's a virus and a bacteria that cause similar symptoms -strep throat.
ReplyDeleteThat's the whole point of the throat culture with the oversized Q-tip. If it grows in the lab, it's bacteria strep, if not, it's viral strep.
If only a bacteria caused those symptoms, doctor and lab techs lives would be a little easier.
I can't remember the comedian who said this: "Every family reunion, my grandmother wants me to tell jokes, and keeps it up even when I tell her I don't work off the clock. She once kept pestering until I said, 'Hey, my brother's a gynecologist, why don't you whip it out and ask him to take a look?' Now I'M the bad guy!"
ReplyDelete....their name is legion....
ReplyDeleteAnswer carefully "I *can*"
ReplyDeleteThen hang up.