Comments on: Greedy or Necessary?

By: Teresa

Teresa — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:03:28 +0000

I would not even give her the 1 week as some have suggested. This is a totally ridiculous request.

Oh, by the way, patients don’t need doctors to order labs. We can order some of them for ourselves now.

In any event, there is no question in my mind that greed has nothing to do with this.

Mamaonabudget, you should not normally need 2 visits for something like this. My doctor will see me, do the exam, and order the lab on one visit. Then he gets the results and, if necessary, calls in a prescription for me. I don’t have to go back to discuss the results, and if I have a question, I can get an answer from him through his nurse. Normally all of the discussion takes place in a single visit.

By: DefendUSA

DefendUSA — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:31:25 +0000

In this case? No way. 2 years with no contact at all is a long time. Maybe a consult with the ENT could have sufficed for a temporary week’s worth, but nope. That is different than being seen and monitored by the same physician who would not prescribe meds unrelated to blood tests that were needed.

By: DefendUSA

DefendUSA — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:27:45 +0000

Hey EqVet…I’ve got a question for you…I pay bills for a client. This dog gets 100mg of Tramadol daily…it’s a smallish dog probably 25 pounds…If I didn’t know better, I would say that Diego’s mama is stealing from the pooch…because I had a medium grade sprain and I barely got 25mg for five days!!

By: Emergencyfltdoc

Emergencyfltdoc — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:58:59 +0000

No visit, no refill.

By: Cape Cod Stepmom

Cape Cod Stepmom — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:11:47 +0000

As a patient I’ve had labs callled in or have a standing order. No appointment needed. Now I must go in to discuss he results and sometimes it leads to future labs….

By: eqvet2015

eqvet2015 — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 09:31:22 +0000

YES I still read your blog; in fact, I used to have much more time to read medblogs (darn vet school and studying), and yours is now one of only a couple that I check on regularly. I like reading about things are on the other side of the species divide. Some topics are applicable to non-primates, and others are important to me as a citizen and consumer of healthcare.

Not much to add here, but if a physician (or veterinarian) can’t charge for their medical expertise, cognitive abilities, and time spent considering a patient’s case to come up with the proper diagnosis (as needed) and treatment plan, how ARE they supposed to make a living? And, as mentioned above, it would be both unethical and illegal to write a prescription without a physician-patient relationship for the problem being addressed.

By: MamaOnABudget

MamaOnABudget — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 06:59:21 +0000

I’m one of the thyroid patients who has asked about this in the past. My issue was that I had to go in to see a doctor to get a labs prescription to then go back for a second appointment to discuss the labs/get prescription. I didn’t think the first appointment was necessary – but I’d NEVER question the labs discussion/Rx appointment at all.

Who prescribed the labs earlier this year? That’s who she should be calling. If that doc wants her to come back in, she could ask your wife to call in lab orders, but not a prescription at this point.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:41:44 +0000

I’m not a lawyer, just a paralegal with 20 years experience working for a med-mal attorney – NO SCRIPT, no way, without an office visit. Way, way too much liability. You have absolutely no way of knowing what, if any, treatment/meds this patient has had in the last 2 years.

By: pat

pat — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:08:42 +0000

if this were for a controlled substance you’d not be asking this question i’m guessing? that is a bit different but not really. or substitute some other drug that requires frequent monitoring, warfarin, etc. , add to that need for good faith exam, i think the answer is “no”. no one WANTS to take time off work for appts but….. her history now includes a significant event not previously documented in her records at your wife’s practice.

By: it's just me

it's just me — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:29:43 +0000

Agree…I am more of a lurker, but I read every post. Some things drive me out from my cave every now and again.