Do Physicians judge patients based on what they wear? Designer Bags? Casual Clothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being a fat woman at the doctor is the worst thing you can possibly be. Especially if you try to talk about something other than your weight.

I’m fat and avoid the doctor because of this. They assume I’m lazy, dumb, and poor because of my weight.

+1000 This has been my experience too. It's awful.

Please don't avoid the doctor for this. My mom (who was just borderline overweight at age 63) avoided the doctor for years, and I am fairly confident that weight was the reason and she didn't want to step on the scale. Her breast cancer was discovered by her dermatologist. Fortunately mammograms don't require a doctor's order anymore, but that wasn't the case 20 years ago.

"Fortunately mammograms don't require a doctor's order anymore"
since when?

DP. Several years now. You can make an appointment with Washington radiology for a mammogram without a doctor order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being a fat woman at the doctor is the worst thing you can possibly be. Especially if you try to talk about something other than your weight.

I’m fat and avoid the doctor because of this. They assume I’m lazy, dumb, and poor because of my weight.

+1000 This has been my experience too. It's awful.

Please don't avoid the doctor for this. My mom (who was just borderline overweight at age 63) avoided the doctor for years, and I am fairly confident that weight was the reason and she didn't want to step on the scale. Her breast cancer was discovered by her dermatologist. Fortunately mammograms don't require a doctor's order anymore, but that wasn't the case 20 years ago.

"Fortunately mammograms don't require a doctor's order anymore"
since when?

You can get them but need to pay out of pocket (no insurance) which isn’t affordable for everyone.

That’s not true. My last two exams were without orders and my insurance company (AETNA) paid. You do require a doctor’s order for a breast ultrasound, but wouldn’t you need an ultrasound if there was something suspicious on the mammogram anyway, or dense breasts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on your address and occupantion, they do treat you differently by charging you more

Yeah, why do they need to know my occupation?

Just like home contractors charge more based on what they perceive you can pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on your address and occupantion, they do treat you differently by charging you more

Yeah, why do they need to know my occupation?

Just like home contractors charge more based on what they perceive you can pay.

Or ...

-- welders and lead exposure in children at home
-- construction and asbestos exposure
-- physician and exposure to infectious disease
-- working in prisons, which are endemic for tuberculosis
-- housecleaning and development of occupational adult-onset asthma
-- agricultural workers and skin diseases from contact dermatitis
-- administrative staff, paralegals, and graduate students and carpal tunnel syndrome
-- farmers and exposure of self and families to organopesticides
-- truck stop worker or long-haul semi driver and the connection between diesel fumes and some cancers
-- chicken packing plant and "bird fancier's disease"

and on and on and on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on your address and occupantion, they do treat you differently by charging you more

Yeah, why do they need to know my occupation?

Just like home contractors charge more based on what they perceive you can pay.

Do you think clinics and hospitals are charging patients different prices for the same billing code?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think you receive different medical care based on what you are wearing?

Do you always dress a certain way for medical appointments?

When my father had cancer, he was definitely judged by the hospital. He was older (93) and black. They assumed he didn't have medical insurance so they were really horrible. I had to really show out! He had very good health insurance and I am a lawyer.

Having or not having medical insurance is the key issue. If you were a poor white person without insurance, you would know this. I’ve encountered incredibly hostile physicians who clearly resented me, and flat out told me I’d be forced to pay up out of pocket.

I absolutely encourage everyone to have a support person with them at all times when seeing a doctor, or especially when hospitalized. This goes for rich and poor, black and white. This is 1000x more critical for women having a hospitalized childbirth, again black or white, rich or poor. I hope you agree.

Physicians and hospitals often get paid more for services for the uninsured-so this wasnt it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think you receive different medical care based on what you are wearing?

Do you always dress a certain way for medical appointments?

When my father had cancer, he was definitely judged by the hospital. He was older (93) and black. They assumed he didn't have medical insurance so they were really horrible. I had to really show out! He had very good health insurance and I am a lawyer.

Having or not having medical insurance is the key issue. If you were a poor white person without insurance, you would know this. I’ve encountered incredibly hostile physicians who clearly resented me, and flat out told me I’d be forced to pay up out of pocket.

I absolutely encourage everyone to have a support person with them at all times when seeing a doctor, or especially when hospitalized. This goes for rich and poor, black and white. This is 1000x more critical for women having a hospitalized childbirth, again black or white, rich or poor. I hope you agree.

Physicians and hospitals often get paid more for services for the uninsured-so this wasnt it.

Cite for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think you receive different medical care based on what you are wearing?

Do you always dress a certain way for medical appointments?

When my father had cancer, he was definitely judged by the hospital. He was older (93) and black. They assumed he didn't have medical insurance so they were really horrible. I had to really show out! He had very good health insurance and I am a lawyer.

Having or not having medical insurance is the key issue. If you were a poor white person without insurance, you would know this. I’ve encountered incredibly hostile physicians who clearly resented me, and flat out told me I’d be forced to pay up out of pocket.

I absolutely encourage everyone to have a support person with them at all times when seeing a doctor, or especially when hospitalized. This goes for rich and poor, black and white. This is 1000x more critical for women having a hospitalized childbirth, again black or white, rich or poor. I hope you agree.

Physicians and hospitals often get paid more for services for the uninsured-so this wasnt it.

lol no.

They write down a ton of uncompensated care. The cost of operating a single ER with a high volume of uncompensated care can weigh down a whole system.