Drs office charging for phone calls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

How often do legitimate questions come up that can't wait for regular hours? Not very often. If they don't want to pend the $20 on the after hours call, they should either find a doctor that doesn't charge or go to an urgent care clinic. I don't buy they're instituting these charges because of health insurance reimbursements. I'm sure it's the high number of calls from people who couldn't be bothered to call during office hours or who get worked up over a hang nail that led to all of us having to pay.

[Anonymous]

I think that perhaps they are charging to decrease the number of calls they get especially in the middle of the night. My gyno charges if you call after 8 pm and it's not an emergency. There is no reason to call in the middle of the night for a yeast infection or birth control refill. You should check to make sure what the policy is. I can't imagine a doctor charging for an emrgency especially regarding a child.

[Anonymous]

As the wife of a pediatrician whose practice doesn't have a nurse line (thus all calls go to the doctor on call) I *wish* his office charged for calls. The answering machine says "if you have an urgent situation"--and if I had a dime for all the absolutely non-emergent calls he has received at completely innapropriate hours, maybe we could pay back 1/300th of his med school loan.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure it's the high number of calls from people who couldn't be bothered to call during office hours or who get worked up over a hang nail that led to all of us having to pay

This is the case, I'm sure.

[Anonymous]

My lawyer charges for phone calls in 15 minute increments...it usually works out to be something like $125 for 15 min even if its only a 5 minute call. I guess you are paying for a service, right? Or do you think they should deliver health care for free?