Unfair doctor charge | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Unfair doctor charge

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by treedee3d, Feb 7, 2013.

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  1. treedee3d

    treedee3d F1 Rookie

    Apr 1, 2011
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    Fab
    That's definetly a big big relief indeed!
     
  2. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    NONE! It is what I have been trying to get across in my posts.



    On what planet do you receive medical care? :) You will not receive an answer to those questions in a hospital situation. They are not Mr. Goodwrench. More like spinning the arrow on a pie chart.
     
  3. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    Scratching head ............... Here are 2 numbers for you, over 1/3 of all costs in Healthcare are G&A, in other words waste that does nothing for patients, and over 1/2 of the total healthcare bill is paid by the Government.

    A wasteful, inefficient system that is not very far from a lousy version govt. run single payer.
     
  4. ScuderiaWithStickPlease

    ScuderiaWithStickPlease F1 World Champ

    Dec 17, 2007
    10,263
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    And the only solution has been demonized. I hope we see things clearer -- soon!
     
  5. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    We have no choice, even with Uncle Ben's funny money it is still bankrupting us. Obummer's biggest failure was not insisiting on the Govt. option in his plan ( which I have read ).
     
  6. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    Nov 1, 2003
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    vinny,
    explain 1/3 is g and a?
    1/2 paid by govt?
    ed
     
  7. drgek

    drgek Formula 3

    Jun 21, 2004
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    Gary
    #32 drgek, Feb 11, 2013
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2013
    So I should just order tests that I am responsible for because a physician somewhere else asked me to? Doc far down the list in a bad baby case? With all due respect, you really don't understand either the practice of medicine or the tort climate in the US. If you don't think the lawsuit "boogeyman" contributes to excessive healthcare costs in the US then you are plainly wrong. Even without the legal argument, it's just plain irresponsible to order tests on a patient you've never seen.
     
  8. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    G&A from an in depth study done by the U of Maine at Orono into medical costs and outcomes vs. other countries.

    Govt. picking up the tab = from a report on the corporate site of Kaiser Permanente



    I believe you wanted cites and not explanations of G&A or the total bill. right?
     
  9. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    Nov 1, 2003
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    picking and choosing studies is too easy. look at the big picture. example. the us postal service monopolized mail service for how long? it govt is so good at service delivery, why are ups and fedex thriving and postal service is shrinking? also, when you were unhappy with the outcome of your postal service, who helped you. it was private industry that made things more efficient and accountable. not the govt.
    ed
     
  10. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    I would be quite confident in saying that I have read many more legal cases than most in this thread, but do not claim to be an expert. But it has given me a certain insight into the legal system beyond a newspaper reader.

    In this particular case, where is the legal risk when ordering a simple that test that seems to be the standard of care? A nurse botching a simple blood pull causing death, a switch of names with results, or a fawlty read/diagnosis by a calibrated machine? All of these are beyond minute in actually occurring and in a 1 in a million case even though a lawyer will name everyone possible, hardly any judge would let it go forward against the doc and no jury would assess liability in this instance. The nurse, the lab director, the machine manufacturer, and the Hospital owner all have a greater chance of any liability.
     
  11. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    Facts are facts.

    However bias and political views are not. I have an idea for a great, efficient, cheap system. It could make things really good for everyone. You have a negative outlook for one reason or another. I like to be positive.
     
  12. ScuderiaWithStickPlease

    ScuderiaWithStickPlease F1 World Champ

    Dec 17, 2007
    10,263
    NY Metro
    I don't agree with any of this but this isn't the thread for such a debate.
     
  13. Smiles

    Smiles F1 World Champ
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    Nov 20, 2003
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    Matt F
    Fab,

    I hope that in 18 years you'll look back, with laughter and with tears, thinking about how $700 was nothing compared to how much this child has cost you total!

    I hope you and your wife have a healthy pregnancy and baby!

    Matt
     
  14. treedee3d

    treedee3d F1 Rookie

    Apr 1, 2011
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    Certainly, children are expensive and indeed there will be lots of times when 700$ will fly out the door with 2 daughters and a wife who seem to have expensive taste, LOL!

    However, I'm not going to accept someone blatantly lying to me telling me they will charge 500$ and then sending me a 700$ bill, sorry.
     
  15. PT 328

    PT 328 F1 Rookie
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    May 1, 2005
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    On what planet do you receive medical care? :) You will not receive an answer to those questions in a hospital situation. They are not Mr. Goodwrench. More like spinning the arrow on a pie chart.[/QUOTE]

    Planet Earth where if a physician is standing in front of me I ask him/her if there is a charge for his/her services above and beyond the testing costs.
     
  16. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    sounds like the good doc is gonna get a letter.......
    now, explain to me again why health care is expensive.......
     
  17. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    and this is over $200 and everything went well medically. just imagine if the patients/parents had anything less than a perfect out come.....
     
  18. Vinny Bourne

    Vinny Bourne Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2011
    910
    Really? We are talking here about a hospital setting, not a private office. The private office will still be a crapshoot some good, some not, because this industry is not used to REAL WORLD prices. They assume it will be all back office screw the insurance company for the most they can type of game. Ask most physicians for a real price on something before hand and they will look at you like you insulted a family member.

    2 recent personal hospital experiences (which is out of the ordinary for me). Swine Flu visit for dehydration, needed an IV bag of water, refused many other suggested tests, constantly asked for cost info to keep costs down, told $700 which was ridiculous for an empty emerg room @3 AM, 1 1/2 hour visit, 1 nurse, yet Bill = $3,000 ; Scenario 2 again refused additional items, not even introduced to a Doc, treatment a BANDAGE, refused stitches - Bill $2300

    I could go on with going back in time and other peoples stories, Bottom line this industry is out of control, not even in the real world for costs. The cost/benefit is so out of whack with other nations. I don't know where all the money goes, maybe towards the country club settings/ illegals/ corp profits. But it certainly is a far cry from previous generations that received much more service for much much less cost.
     
  19. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    Stickbones Swagglesmith
    Why didn't you get the test done in Canada?...Oh...wait...that's right....nevermind.

    So let's see:
    1. Your local Doc did not have access to a particular technology that provided a result with less risk to Mom and baby.
    2. You had to drive TWO hours, because of the fault of UVM?
    3. You get a "test" done, which you were told was $500; but you never asked anyone if there may be other charges associated with the test, such as "interpretation," etc.? You just ASSUMED all charges were contained within, why?
    4. You come on here to whine, and then a bunch of people join in to tell you how much American medicine sucks.

    And on top of all that the test provided enormous relief to you and your wife without any damage to Mom or baby.

    Next time..stay home.
     
  20. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    vinny,
    docs are trying to screw insurance companies? thats hilarious.
    last time i looked at the top of skyscrappers in big cities, the names on those buildings were insurance companies, banks, and tadah.... CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. these are world wide corporations.
    not many docs have their names at the top of skyscrappers as joe blow,md.
    ed
     
  21. ylshih

    ylshih Shogun Assassin
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    I don't think there was a deliberate intent to mislead here. The US health system is inherently screwed up as there is absolutely no price transparency. Each provider bills the insurance as they provide services and generally doctors may not even know what the contract rate is on each patient as the amount could be different for each patient's insurer and some or all may even be disallowed.
     
  22. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 Veteran
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    insurance companies and govt(medicare) sets the fees.
    doctors only set fees when going outside a third party.
    ed
     
  23. treedee3d

    treedee3d F1 Rookie

    Apr 1, 2011
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    Fab
    1. Correct
    2. Yes I drove 2 hours
    3. Didn't assume anything. We asked our doctor + our doctor's secretary + the testing doctor's secretary + the testing doctor himself on the day of. No ASSUMPTIONS!
    4. Not whining, until you chimed in with an idiotic post, this was an intelligent discussion in the proper "health" section of fchat among intelligent people who can learn from the experience as I am learning from them about medicine in the US.

    Yes, the test result was great news but does that mean I need to pay more for it than the estabslished price? Should I have gotten a nice discount in case the test revealed bad news?

    ridiculous.....

    Also, the chances of anything being wrong with the baby were still a very very big longshot. Instead of 1 chance in 500, her initial blood test revealed that she had a 1 in 172 chance and this drove my wife insane. It was less than 1% chance but I figured that, altough 500$ is a lot of money, I would go ahead and spend it. Had I known the test was 700$, we may have not gotten it done. Besides, had an ultrasound last week that revealed everything as normal so the 500$ gave me the good news 1 month earlier but, in the end, the baby's condition would have been known without going to get this test done.

    For example, when you shop for a car, you take a look at the price, take a look at the car and then there is a mental calculation that occurs that tells you whether losing that money is worth it based on what you get in return which is the car and then you decide to buy it or not. If, after buying the car, you get a bill for an extra 40% of the car's price how in the world can you ever make an intelligent decision?

    In order for us to decide if it was worth spending the money on this test which was totally "optional" to us, we have to be told what the cost will be otherwise how can we decide?
     
  24. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    LOL!
    My post is "idiotic" because I didn't say what you wanted to hear.
    DrGek gave you a reasonable explanation for the additional cost, in his post on page 1; however, in your zeal for "intelligent" conversation you apparently either overlooked it, or chose not to engage him...I've included it below for your viewing pleasure.

    The fact of the matter is you had to come to the US (I mentioned the 2 hour drive because you obviously felt it was an important enough datum to include it in your original post, even though it is irrelevant) for a test not available in your vaulted medical system, and as a Canadian with no US insurance had to pay cash for the test.
    You failed to ask if there were other charges aside from the "test itself" and ended up with a fee for an American MD's involvement in ordering the test. In the US an MD is responsible for the results of a test he/she orders, but I suppose he/she should accept that risk for no charge?
    The Hopsital offers you a fair discount, but your ire only remains.

    You came on here to whine about it, got the usual cheering that accompanies threads like this, and it was "idiotic" long before I showed up.

    Percentage risks for positive and false tests have no merit in this situation.
    I am glad your baby appears to be doing well, and I am glad your wife's stress was reduced.

    Next time, when you bring your Ferrari to the shop, make sure to ask what the labor charge and taxes will be, not just the cost of the part.

    Oh, and I suspect given your description of your wife, you would indeed have ordered the test if you knew it would end up costing you $640.







     
  25. ylshih

    ylshih Shogun Assassin
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    No name calling.
     

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