Dr asking to schedule an appt to discuss results

[Anonymous]

There is a resounding chorus that medicine is just a business, and doctors aren't special, and what they do isn't special. Fair enough, but then it will be just a business, and just like lawyers and mechanics, they will charge for increments of time and all the extra requests.

It's just the way it is now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a resounding chorus that medicine is just a business, and doctors aren't special, and what they do isn't special. Fair enough, but then it will be just a business, and just like lawyers and mechanics, they will charge for increments of time and all the extra requests.

It's just the way it is now.

Insurance needs a way to bill for a 10 minute conversation that’s different from a half hour appointment, and patients need to be able to pay differently.

[Anonymous]

I don’t ever expect my doctor to call me. A ten minute conversation is significant. I do expect a portal message that says, “Your MRI showed only minor damage to your shoulder. You can come in for a steroid injection if you want to, or you can wait and see.”

[Anonymous]

They probably want to discuss a couple options ( like PT or surgery with pros and cons of both given the specifics of your case) and (appropriately) want to be paid for their time and expertise.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on whether the doctor thinks you might ask a lot of questions following the results — that is, if you might need PT, or what next steps are. Example: I have Lynch Syndrome, so I’m at higher risk of colon and esophageal cancers. While my test results were normal, the doctor recommended I come in to discuss because he figured I might have additional questions based on my history. My husband, on the other hand, did not need to come in for his results because he has no concerning history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t ever expect my doctor to call me. A ten minute conversation is significant. I do expect a portal message that says, “Your MRI showed only minor damage to your shoulder. You can come in for a steroid injection if you want to, or you can wait and see.”

That portal message requires more than the time just to type a few words. A professional has to pull it up, read through it, interpret in in light of the clinical history and exam (some "normal" results are not normal, and a lot of "abnormal" results really aren't, in context), and frame it for you accurately in a way that puts their license and liability on the line if they miss something. That's not 30 seconds, and it also isn't inconsequential.

If we want the auto-read of the EKG, the lab values with the generic norms, or the imaging read by a radiologist who doesn't have clinical correlation, we can get that now through portal or other medical records. If we want the clinical judgment as well, it's worth at least a telehealth appointment and booked time.