OP, they aren't liable if you don't get a colonoscopy. Pre-COVID where I live not only would they not start the procedure without an adult in the waiting room, they would stop the procedure if they realized that person had left the waiting room during it. During COVID I just had to say who the person was a give a phone number...they asked that they stay within a 15 minute travel distance.

I like the ideas others have given of asking acquaintances to trade favors. Offer to do it for someone else, or to drive them to the airport early, or something similar. A friend of mine in California paid her cleaning lady to do it.

Also, you could see if they would do the procedure without sedation. DH hardly responded to the sedation at all because he was already taking Xanax, so he basically had a colonoscopy and endoscopy sober. He said he wouldn't do it again by choice, but it wasn't terrible. Frankly, if you've given birth I'm sure that was 20x worse.

Anonymous wrote:Would the patient be allowed to leave on foot?

No.

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t doctors just let the unaccompanied get an early appt and then nap it off in the waiting room and then uber home on their own? This whole policy seems ridiculous - and I have taken two people for theirs. In a few hours both were back to normal.

Who is responsible for you when you're in the waiting room? What if something happens? You can't expect the receptionist to be responsible for the person still recovering from anesthesia. Yeah, most people are completely fine. But they have to take these steps for the few people that have an adverse reaction.

Would the patient be allowed to leave on foot?

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t doctors just let the unaccompanied get an early appt and then nap it off in the waiting room and then uber home on their own? This whole policy seems ridiculous - and I have taken two people for theirs. In a few hours both were back to normal.

They don't time or space for it, insurance companies would not let it happen.

Anonymous wrote:I had a friend drive me and home

This is your contribution to this thread??? Congrats. Want a cookie?

Isn't there a friend or neighbor you can ask? I'd do this for my neighbors, and I've been medical transport for three friends (one colo and two cancer treatments).

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t doctors just let the unaccompanied get an early appt and then nap it off in the waiting room and then uber home on their own? This whole policy seems ridiculous - and I have taken two people for theirs. In a few hours both were back to normal.

Lawsuits. It's CYA

Medical transport vans will do this.

Why can’t doctors just let the unaccompanied get an early appt and then nap it off in the waiting room and then uber home on their own? This whole policy seems ridiculous - and I have taken two people for theirs. In a few hours both were back to normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can also do Cologuard if you are low risk! Much simpler, and the overall outcomes (prevention of death from colon cancer) is the same.

i don’t think I’m low risk. Family history of polyps . Grandfather died of colon cancer

I am not sure what risk category that would put you in - you still may be a candidate, but speak to your doctor. The reason a colonoscopy is recommended over the stool test is that clearly you can’t cut out polyps with a stool test, and you can do that with a colonoscopy. But both the stool test and the colonoscopy are very good at detecting the presence of cancer.

You talked about not getting your cancer screening at all due to transportation. Getting Cologuard would be a heck of a lot better than doing nothing.

OP I second calling them and asking for the options. No way they would turn down a patient/client due to not having a friend/family member to pick one up.

I would ask them what the options are - there has to be something. Maybe you just need to stay there longer. I think the concern is putting a drugged person into a random uber. You could also ask an acquaintance / offer to trade for something else. It is not a huge ask. The hospital calls the person when they are ready and you just drive up.

Pay someone. I just did it for my husband and I had to be there at check in for them to proceed and verify I was the driver. He was very out of it and no way he could have driven.

Asked former coworker who now works in endoscopy. Options they allow other than someone driving you:

Medical transport
Friend accompanies you in an uber
Hire someone to accompany you in an uber.