Major gripe for the day. I need a nuclear stress test for the NJ DMV so I am scheduled for 07:40 AM today. I arrive at the Dr.'s office on time. At 8:30 the shave my chest for the leads and then inform me to expect to be here for at least 5 hours. The nurse to start the pick and do the IV did not arrive until 09:00 It is now 09:53 and I still have not had my scan let alone done my treadmill. Of course the real question is why did I have to be here so early. Why do we as a society give doctors so much sway over our lives? When all is said and done, they are the mechanics to whom we take our bodies. They highly are trained technicians not gods. They deserve our respect, but they should respect us and not abuse us. Can you think of another service provider that can be so mismanaged and still survive in the business environment?
The week before Xmas, I received a call from my internist, the doctor himself, not an assistant or a clerk. He informs me that I owe him $91 and if I don't pay him before the end of the year, I should find another doctor. He further explains that because of Obamacare he will no longer accept Medicare. If I didn't like that I should find another doctor. Finally I had my chance to speak. I informed him that according to my records he owed me $78. He did not care to hear that and repeated that he wanted his $91.
Needless to say, I was pissed. However, I had been his Px for over 10 years so I thought I would send him a note suggesting we meet to discuss this and I would show him the accounting and five him an explanation of where his billing service had messed up. I go no response. 10 days after sending this handwritten note, I sent him a detailed accounting with annotations showing where his practice owed me money. This got me a demand notice and threat of collection from the billing service.
