Drs office charging for phone calls?

[Anonymous]

We are with a Pediatrician in VA and I was wondering if other offices are doing the same thing in charging for phone calls to the advice nurse. Our practice is charging $20 per call plus a charge if you call the on-call doctor (which I understand more) - is this the usual practice everywhere?

[Anonymous]

Ours does not. We're in Silver Spring, MD. They have call in times where you can speak with a doctor or you can call anytime and speak with the nurse. I forget the nurse's title.

[Anonymous]

NW DC and ours does not charge for phone calls, to the dr, the nurse, or the on-call dr.

[Anonymous]

Are you annoying? Do you call often? I can understand the charge if you call more than 4-5 times a year. Do you get a certain amount of calls for free?

[Anonymous]

My pediatrician does not charge.

[Anonymous]

Wow, they must have found out about other professionals who do that and wanted to get in on the action.

[Anonymous]

Ours charges for calls after hours to the on-call doctor. We are not charged for during the day calls to the advice nurse.

[Anonymous]

Our NoVa paediatrician doesn't charge regardless of when call is made and to whom.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of this. Our pediatrician does not charge for any phone calls (dr, nurse, etc.) In fact, they encourage you to call when you have questions or are concerned.

[Anonymous]

My ped practice started this in April of 2009 I think - can't remember the exact date - but only for after hour calls to the on-call nurse. Of course if you are sent to the hospital, it is waived. Also, after calling the on-call maybe 5 times in 3 yrs, we have been charged only once. It seems like they aren't always consistent.

[Anonymous]

My ped, solo practioner who expects payment in full and you file your own insurance claims, charges $40 for a phone consult. After hours might be more. I try not to call and either just go in ($100 for an appointment) or go to minute clinic ($59 for an appointment) if I think it is strep or an ear infection etc.

I find it highly annoying. However, my kids don't have many issues now that they are in elementary school, and they have a strong relationship with the doctor.

[Anonymous]

I think it makes sense to charge for a phone call. 20 bucks seems about right. After all, you are taking up their time just as you would with a regular appointment, albeit less of it. So if they don't charge for phone calls they would just make it up by charging more for appointments etc.
that said, our pediatrician's doesn't charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours charges for calls after hours to the on-call doctor. We are not charged for during the day calls to the advice nurse.

Same here. I don't think it's unreasonable to charge for calls to the on-call doctor.

[Anonymous]

It's ridiculous. Many people can't afford $20 every time they have a legitimate question, and some will probably neither call nor visit doctors, thus jeopardizing their health.
Sorry for mentioning it, but if insurance companies siphoned less money off doctors' revenues, doctors would not be reduced to practices that in my opinion are not good for patients' health in the long run.

[Anonymous]

I am in favor of doctors trying to ear reimbursements from health insurance companies because I think they get totally screwed most of the time. That being said, I think it is a terrible practice to charge for after hour calls. Before I call the pediatrician I worry about bothering them, I worry that my child is sick enough to warrant a call - I don't also want to have money become a factor in my decision. Does that make sense?