I'm sure you all have portals that you use for your doctors.
I can sign in and see my appointments, see my blood upcoming tests that I have to get etc. It also allows me to send an email to my doctor. I always put Non urgent in the subject so she knows she doesn't have to respond in mere minutes and when I was in the midst of some of my health issues I'd put, more urgent or urgent.
She told me she appreciated that. I love my Dr.
However, I have been dealing with a lot of other doctors this year.
One was for my mold CIRS. Remember me telling you he ghosted me?
Well, the office sent me a blast email telling me that if his patients want to communicate via email then you can pay a SMALL yearly fee of $500 for the service until March 1st then it becomes $650 a year to communicate with your doctor. WTF? I love how the rich doctor tells me for a small fee of $500.
Yes, during covid we are all dripping with extra cash.
I am glad I got rid of him. He doesn't take insurance of any kind and now this.
The letter/email stated that the 2 drs get thousands of emails and it is a full-time job responding to them. Since he never responded to mine ever - I guess he wasn't working that hard on the topic of his emails.
If you do not choose this option to email them you will be asked to schedule a formal consult as needed for ongoing care issues and I am certain that will cost an arm and maybe a leg or two.
They also wanted to remind me that this is not a substitute for office visits.
They finished by telling me if I call for refill requests they won't charge me.
Gee how thoughtful, kind, and caring of them.
Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?
Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?
Look, I get that this is added to their work time. Could be why most don't do it.
I know my doctor does it and I also know an office visit went from $250 to $350 probably for this very reason. Her nurses monitor her mailbox and assist her in issues that are not serious. I get the need for their time and it is money, however, I just feel this isn't a doctor who cares, this is an asshole finding more ways to make money hand over foot at the expense of sick people. I am thrilled I left him!!
This really fired me up!
Ever hear of such a thing?
15 comments:
I have never heard something like that. An extra charge for customer service? You should have written back to ask how much of a small fee would be added for the doctor to act like he gave a shit.
It's been a year since I've seen my doctor. He only calls me on the phone. It's a pain in the ass to deal with a doctor BUT when I felt sick I was told that I could come in and the nurse - practionor would see me. She was fantastic. She found that I had sicknes in my bladder and it could have been bad. She took good care of me and even called me at home to see how I'm feeling. Where was my doctor? I'm so disappointed with him. Thank God she was there when I needed and angel. What wrong with these doctors of ours. Only talking with us on a phone?
Cruisin Paul
Wow! That's not a small fee at all! My doctor's office charges $24 per email that doctor answered and they bill the insurance for part of them, like when they send in a superscription because they are answering an email. I used that service twice last year. A far cry from $500. I'm guessing he wants to price people out of sending him messages.
I'm still talking to my psychiatrist over the phone. She communicates via TV, as did the previous one. Unlike with him, though, I have yet to see the new one's face via TV at the office. I don't know when that will change.
Nurse practitioners and physician's assistants are the best.
On the online portal, I've had good luck - getting prescriptions synchronized or being told "make an appointment". It is my physician's nurse who takes care of the portal.
Right now I have a battery of medical providers and they are all delightful. Unlike the past where I had a NP as my PCP and she was less than wonderful only to be replaced by a doctor in the same practice who was also less than wonderful, actually the whole practice was less than wonderful as was their communications system. Now I've got specialists who are lovely people, great at their profession with communication systems that are easy-peasy and for which they don't charge extra. I am more than happy with my current medical care system and yes, I am counting my blessings!
I've never heard of a doc charging you for the "privilege" of sending an email. How insane. My doc, who I liked well enough, went private, so the insurance assigned me a new one...I haven't seen her yet. But I'll be sending a message this weekend, because it looks like another UTI. Damn it.
My portal doesn't offer the email option. I kind of get their point though. It is more work time and unpaid work time at that.
An appointment or phone consultation they can bill insurance for, pretty sure that doesn't apply to an email.
Kind of glad I don't have the option so I can't get upset.
Olga, oooh good one!
Paul, I think it's due to covid.
Jean, $24 I could deal with but in all honesty I still call bullshit. It's part of their job like learning zoom and like taking credit cards and the dept that handles their insurance - all of this makes less money for the doctor so they pass it on to us. I get that. But as you said $500-600 is utter b.s. I'd have to chat with him daily to feel I was getting my monies worth.
Jamie, I like seeing my dr virtually. I've done it a lot. No extra charge just a regular office visit charge.
Cop Car - I agree that NP and PA's are always better than the doctor!
Yvonne, thank you. I think it is insane as well. He's not that busy. If I called this week I'd get in a week or maybe 2. Not like my other docs.
Patti, All my virtual appointments since covid are treated as a regular visit to insurance. Thank heavens/
Between Claudia and me we have portals to 6 or 7 different medical practices and hospitals. $625 a year would be up to $4375 a year and that's just to have access, not using them. That's friken nuts.
It's not just fellow humans who are sick... it's the whole goddamn system.
I personally hate communicating via 'my chart' because it's a pain in the ass anyway.
I hope you send an 'up yours' email.
This is the first I am hearing of it and it is totally bonkers. You definitely made the right choice by moving on.
OMG, $500 for the ability to email your doctor!? Glad you dumped him.
Yes, we have a portal which I've used to communicate on occasion. I've never actually met "my" doctor, as my visits and online communications are with a PA. This all suits me fine. Isn't that why PAs were invented??
Absolutely obscene. I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous and greedy. I get they are busy....but he doesn’t take insurance either? Never heard of that except maybe for a plastic surgeon, since none of that is covered. Wow!
Crazy!
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