Mr. Ornerys recent post about his grandsons trip to the emergency room prompted me to share this story.
I was recently FIRED BY MY DOCTOR. My Doctor of over 15 years! While sick and in a cantakerous mood I wrote on the bottom of a $15.00 bill for a "phone service charge". "Evidently, billable income is more important than patient care".
With 24 hours I received a registered letter stating "I am writing to inform you that I cannot continue your care in my practice." blah blah blah ...there has been a significant detoriation of this relationship between you and my office... withdraw you from my practice... will provide immediate emergency care care that you may require for the next 30 days....blah blah blah.
Now if you want to sit down and read the rest of the story I'll explain, otherwise, after MUCH distress I am now at a new practice.
More of the story...
My whole family sees this doctor, we have always paid our bills and had a very good relationship. He is even one of my accounts at my store. I had NO warning this was going to happen. There has NEVER been a problem between myself and this practice in the past.
In Dec. at my regular visit to the doctor for my thyroid blood test (been on synthroid for over 25 years) I asked him to "feel my thyroid". For years he's only relied on the blood test results. I ended up having an ultrasound which showed a nodule and was taken off my meds for six weeks in order to have more tests. Within a week I got some kind of upper respiratory illness. I hadn't had anything like this in three years, including a bad cold or sinus infection. (I think I got sick because my immune system and hormones were compromised.) I went to see him mid January, was put on two weeks of antibiotics. Went on vacation the next week, was still really sick, called his office and asked for a continuation of the antibiotic to be called in. This was graciously done. (I realize now antibiotics were not going to make me better and it had to be viral). Got back from Florida 3 days later and had the statement for $15.00 phone charge. The next tuesday I received the bill. I was still sick and had never been charged this before. Wrote the check, wrote the "discourteous opinion." My tests were being done the next week, etc.
Fortunately, my friends in the medical field rallied around me and I am now at a new practice and have an endocrinoligist. They were as shocked as I and called it absurd. By the way I had the tests and got the results and things are Ok. But believe me there's a lot more to this whole story.
So in America, beware, you cannot even have an opinion about Healthcare without the possibility of fallout.
bohemian
