Sorry if this is OT

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
dumb question, to wit:

Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results via
phone? Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in the
mail.

Quite frankly, I feel it's just a ploy to get another office fee out
of me. It's also a real PITA to have to take off work for a
five-minute visit, AND to have to wait another two weeks for results
I've already waited for, for two weeks. If I didn't have a family
history of cervical cancer, I'd say to hell with it. I may just say
that anyway.

Mara
(aggravated as all hell, and now wondering on top of that)

And they need to take five minutes out of their day (for free) to report the
results to you when they could be spending the same five minutes with a
paying patient. Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your* job
during working hours, just to make life for your client more convenient? I
doubt you would. Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for all
the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor can
easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.
BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

[censored]! Most MDs are money grabbing pigs and squeeze every nickle out of
you so they can afford their Corvettes, Porches and BMW's (did I hit some of
yours?) and still vacation in the Caribean tree times a year to take a break
from their Wednesday and Friday afternoon golf games. (at least they get up
before 9 am on those days)

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84...

Quoted message said:

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
dumb question, to wit:

Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results via
phone? Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in the
mail.

Quite frankly, I feel it's just a ploy to get another office fee out
of me. It's also a real PITA to have to take off work for a
five-minute visit, AND to have to wait another two weeks for results
I've already waited for, for two weeks. If I didn't have a family
history of cervical cancer, I'd say to hell with it. I may just say
that anyway.

Mara
(aggravated as all hell, and now wondering on top of that)

And they need to take five minutes out of their day (for free) to report

the

Quoted message said:

results to you when they could be spending the same five minutes with a
paying patient. Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your*

job

Quoted message said:

during working hours, just to make life for your client more convenient? I
doubt you would. Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for

all

Quoted message said:

the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor can
easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.
BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

[email hidden] (Mara) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
dumb question, to wit:

Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results via
phone? Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in the
mail.

If you're in the US, blame HIPAA.

Mark, MD

"Gymmie Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[censored]! Most MDs are money grabbing pigs and squeeze every nickle out of
you so they can afford their Corvettes, Porches and BMW's (did I hit some

of

Quoted message said:

yours?) and still vacation in the Caribean tree times a year to take a

break

Quoted message said:

from their Wednesday and Friday afternoon golf games. (at least they get

up

Quoted message said:

before 9 am on those days)

Maybe you figure your family doctor should be on the poverty plan after x
years of medical school, and x dollars spent to set up a clinic, and x
dollars every month for their overhead?
I think maybe *you* have a poverty complex there Gymmie Bob. A good doctor
can save your life, and deserves a good living. If *you* don't think that
they do, that's your problem, not theirs.

Quoted message said:

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84...

Quoted message said:

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
dumb question, to wit:

Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results via
phone? Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in the
mail.

Quite frankly, I feel it's just a ploy to get another office fee out
of me. It's also a real PITA to have to take off work for a
five-minute visit, AND to have to wait another two weeks for results
I've already waited for, for two weeks. If I didn't have a family
history of cervical cancer, I'd say to hell with it. I may just say
that anyway.

Mara
(aggravated as all hell, and now wondering on top of that)

And they need to take five minutes out of their day (for free) to report

the

Quoted message said:

results to you when they could be spending the same five minutes with a
paying patient. Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your*

job

Quoted message said:

during working hours, just to make life for your client more convenient?

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doubt you would. Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for

all

Quoted message said:

the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.
BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84>...

Quoted message said:

Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your* job
during working hours, just to make life for your client more convenient? I
doubt you would.

And you would be mistaken. I go out of my way to make sure my clients
are happy, and that includes contacting them on my OWN time, from my
home. I don't know, I guess I just have crazy concepts about customer
service and such.

Quoted message said:

Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for all
the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor can
easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.

I just paid $200 for a five-minute office visit and Pap smear, and
another $350 for a ten-minute colposcopy (with no consult). That's
$550 for 15 minutes total face time, which comes out to $2200 an hour.
I don't think taking 30-60 seconds on the phone to say, "everything
looks good" or, "yeah, you need to come in" is going to break them.

Quoted message said:

BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

Oh. Then perhaps I should sue them for putting my Pap results in the
mail. Hmm.

Mara

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your* job
during working hours, just to make life for your client more convenient?

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doubt you would.

And you would be mistaken. I go out of my way to make sure my clients
are happy, and that includes contacting them on my OWN time, from my
home. I don't know, I guess I just have crazy concepts about customer
service and such.

And there's not a thing wrong with that, but we work to make a living, not
to create work to fill our free time do we?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for all
the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.

I just paid $200 for a five-minute office visit and Pap smear, and
another $350 for a ten-minute colposcopy (with no consult). That's
$550 for 15 minutes total face time, which comes out to $2200 an hour.
I don't think taking 30-60 seconds on the phone to say, "everything
looks good" or, "yeah, you need to come in" is going to break them.

Are you paying for their time, or their expertise? Would you rather have a
two hour colonoscopy? I sure wouldn't. Your thinking does not expand into
realities. I highly doubt your doctor earns $2200 per hour in his pocket.
You omitted the realities of office overhead, staff costs, equipment costs,
Murphy's law, and the simple fact that no matter how hard we try, it is
impossible to run such a tight assembly line practice that absolutely
everything goes off on time, absolutely no patients fail to keep their
appointments, everyone shows up on time and are ready on time. Even general
Motors can't do that. Not withstanding, his practice day may not be full at
all.
Your logic is flawed.
If indeed he is seeing four patients per hour X an eight hour day = 32
patients. If you can make a call in 30 seconds to each and every one of
them, contact them and explain results (I can't, realistically it is
minimally 2-3 minutes) and multiply that by 32, you have an hour of your
time. Een at 60 seconds per call its a half
hour, assuming you are a telephone dialing and talking machine, without
ears. Of course, when you call a patientg on the phone, they NEVER want to
talk, ask questions and discuss things right?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

Oh. Then perhaps I should sue them for putting my Pap results in the
mail. Hmm.

And if this gets lost, and their is an abnormal result? Who pays for that?
The post office?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mara

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Sorry if this is OT
From: [email hidden] (Mara)
Date: 9/26/2003 5:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I just paid $200 for a five-minute office visit and Pap smear, and
another $350 for a ten-minute colposcopy (with no consult). That's
$550 for 15 minutes total face time, which comes out to $2200 an hour.

did you actually PAY that amount...or was that the fee charged to your
insurance company??
My pap fee was billed at $288 dollars...and paid at about $73 dollars...

hardly $2200 an hour!!

why do folks continue to confuse "billed" rates and "paid rates"...

my spouse had open heart surgery last feb...the hospital bill came to
$59,000....the hospital was paid $14,000.....way way big difference...

it is called the "contracted rate" ....each procedure and code has the rate at
which the insurance co will reimburse the provider....do the providers HAVE to
accept the contracted rate?? well...yes they do...or the patients would not go
to see that provider....being listed in "the book" of accepting providers is
what generates the health care system...

Quoted message said:

Oh. Then perhaps I should sue them for putting my Pap results in the
mail. Hmm.

actually since the HIPAA regs went into effect,,you may notice that you are
asked to sign a release....that includes sending normal results in the
mail...on a sealed card that YOU addressed (usually)....so no you cannot
sue...cuz you signed a release...next time you might want to read the pieces of
paper you sign your name to...

as far as giving abnormals on the phone...this will vary with providers..also
depends on the delicacy of the info....if it is "only" your cholesterol
results,,and the provider wants to change your med,,,and lecture you about
lifestyle changes,,,then I can see the efficacy of phone results...our doc
ALWAYS calls with abnormals..

now what about a new diagnosis of HIV?? or Hep C?? I have personally stayed at
the clinic til 7pm on a friday after tracking down a patient...these kind of
results deserve to be given face to face...as they are lifechanging
results...and BTW we did NOT have the patient check in,,,pay a fee or
anything...
my mentor doc stayed with me...he felt it was imperative to give the guy these
results BEFORE the weekend,,,as once we knew the gravity of the results,,was it
ethical to spend the weekend having unprotected sex and exposing innocent
others?? hardly..

I personally have NEVER been required to make and pay for an appt simply to
discuss results....

hawki

Many (most) doctors kill people every year so they should all be in jail and
have no income.

stupid logic after years of supposedly being trained to think!

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:yxPcb.2432$uG.443@edtnps84...

Quoted message said:

"Gymmie Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[censored]! Most MDs are money grabbing pigs and squeeze every nickle out

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you so they can afford their Corvettes, Porches and BMW's (did I hit

some

Quoted message said:

of

Quoted message said:

yours?) and still vacation in the Caribean tree times a year to take a

break

Quoted message said:

from their Wednesday and Friday afternoon golf games. (at least they get

up

Quoted message said:

before 9 am on those days)

Maybe you figure your family doctor should be on the poverty plan after x
years of medical school, and x dollars spent to set up a clinic, and x
dollars every month for their overhead?
I think maybe *you* have a poverty complex there Gymmie Bob. A good doctor
can save your life, and deserves a good living. If *you* don't think that
they do, that's your problem, not theirs.

Quoted message said:

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84...

Quoted message said:

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
> come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
> dumb question, to wit:
>
> Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results

via

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> phone? Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> mail.
>
> Quite frankly, I feel it's just a ploy to get another office fee out
> of me. It's also a real PITA to have to take off work for a
> five-minute visit, AND to have to wait another two weeks for results
> I've already waited for, for two weeks. If I didn't have a family
> history of cervical cancer, I'd say to hell with it. I may just say
> that anyway.
>
> Mara
> (aggravated as all hell, and now wondering on top of that)

And they need to take five minutes out of their day (for free) to

report

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the

Quoted message said:

results to you when they could be spending the same five minutes with

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

paying patient. Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from

*your*

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

job

Quoted message said:

during working hours, just to make life for your client more

convenient?

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doubt you would. Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

all

Quoted message said:

the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.
BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

My doc goes to the hospital between 8 and 9 AM every weekday and sees aprox
15 hospital bound patients, Sticks his head in each door and says "How's it
going?" for $50 each. Now that's about $750 before he proceeds to his office
in his porche or other favorite (of his 6 or 8) cars. He gets to his office
each morning after breakfast at 10 AM and is closed for lunch between 12 and
2:30 except Wednesdays and Fridays when he plays golf or whatever.

If he has to make a phone call he "extra bills" because his government
paycheck doesn't cover phone calls. He has been capped somewhere in the
neighbourhood of $450K per year and he has to pay his receptionist at least
$25K per year and his light bill and rent. Poor guy!

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:JMZcb.33$JX.1@edtnps84...

Quoted message said:

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<44Jcb.1872$LC.297@edtnps84>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would you take "five minutes" off (for free) from *your* job
during working hours, just to make life for your client more

convenient?

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doubt you would.

And you would be mistaken. I go out of my way to make sure my clients
are happy, and that includes contacting them on my OWN time, from my
home. I don't know, I guess I just have crazy concepts about customer
service and such.

And there's not a thing wrong with that, but we work to make a living, not
to create work to fill our free time do we?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not only that, multiply that five minutes by 20-30 for all
the other schmucks who don't care about the doctor's time. Any doctor

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

easily spend 2 hours a day working for free, if they did what you are
asking.

I just paid $200 for a five-minute office visit and Pap smear, and
another $350 for a ten-minute colposcopy (with no consult). That's
$550 for 15 minutes total face time, which comes out to $2200 an hour.
I don't think taking 30-60 seconds on the phone to say, "everything
looks good" or, "yeah, you need to come in" is going to break them.

Are you paying for their time, or their expertise? Would you rather have a
two hour colonoscopy? I sure wouldn't. Your thinking does not expand into
realities. I highly doubt your doctor earns $2200 per hour in his pocket.
You omitted the realities of office overhead, staff costs, equipment

costs,

Quoted message said:

Murphy's law, and the simple fact that no matter how hard we try, it is
impossible to run such a tight assembly line practice that absolutely
everything goes off on time, absolutely no patients fail to keep their
appointments, everyone shows up on time and are ready on time. Even

general

Quoted message said:

Motors can't do that. Not withstanding, his practice day may not be full

at

Quoted message said:

all.
Your logic is flawed.
If indeed he is seeing four patients per hour X an eight hour day = 32
patients. If you can make a call in 30 seconds to each and every one of
them, contact them and explain results (I can't, realistically it is
minimally 2-3 minutes) and multiply that by 32, you have an hour of your
time. Een at 60 seconds per call its a half
hour, assuming you are a telephone dialing and talking machine, without
ears. Of course, when you call a patientg on the phone, they NEVER want to
talk, ask questions and discuss things right?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

BTW, putting results in the mail is begging to get sued.

Oh. Then perhaps I should sue them for putting my Pap results in the
mail. Hmm.

And if this gets lost, and their is an abnormal result? Who pays for that?
The post office?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mara

"Mara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've googled for newsgroups on women's health and such, but didn't
come up with anything. So you guys are the lucky recipients of my
dumb question, to wit:

Is it ALWAYS bad news when they refuse to give you biopsy results via
phone?

Some biopsy results (with cervical dysplasia) are not simply malignant vs.
benign -- there are stages of cervical dysplasia. Most decent docs want to
make sure their patient understands exactly what stage the colpo shows they
have. They also may want to sit across from a patient to discuss a plan of
action if that's needed. A gyn. doesn't do a colpo unless the regular PAP
showed something out of the ordinary. If the colpo shows the presence of
abnormal cells, there are several options depending on the stage of the
dysplasia -- ranging from just more frequent follow up PAP's (Stage 1
dysplasia often resolves itself) to a LEEP procedure to more extensive
treatment. This isn't a discussion covered in a 2 minute chat on the phone.
Any doc who wouldn't want to actually see the patient after potentially
serious abnormal test results would make me question their expertise as well
as their ethics.

Quoted message said:

Actually, they won't even SEND the damned results to me in the
mail.

Nor should they. Good or bad, the fact that a biopsy was even performed
indicates *something* was out of the ordinary. Worthy of a face to
face......

Quoted message said:

Quite frankly, I feel it's just a ploy to get another office fee out
of me.

Good docs make plenty of $$ just doing their job. Ploys aren't necessary.

Quoted message said:

It's also a real PITA to have to take off work for a
five-minute visit, AND to have to wait another two weeks for results
I've already waited for, for two weeks.

It's a PITA to exercise -- a PITA to brush your teeth -- a PITA to do quite
a few things that keep one healthy. It's the price we pay to try & stay as
healthy as possible for as long as possible. Life takes effort in
relationships, work, & our health. Nature of the beast.

Quoted message said:

If I didn't have a family
history of cervical cancer, I'd say to hell with it. I may just say
that anyway.

So a minor effort (especially in light of not only a family history of
cervical cancer but indicators that resulted in your having a colpo &
biopsy) is cause enough for you to actually believe the above is a
reasonable position?

Quoted message said:

Mara
(aggravated as all hell, and now wondering on top of that)

Colpo's & biopsies aren't everyday occurences. Minimal aggravation.

Michele
I ENJOY being a cranky [censored].

Quoted message said:

Many (most) doctors kill people every year so they should all be in jail and
have no income.

Sounds somebody has been reading TG's posts.....to adjust his "moral" compass.

Quoted message said:

stupid logic after years of supposedly being trained to think!

Truly, a monumentally self-referential statement!

Quoted message said:

"stuart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:yxPcb.2432$uG.443@edtnps84..