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In the 80's I broke my foot.
Did the typical ER run and got a cast and then an appt 6 weeks out to get the cast off.
Fast forward to current times.
My son broke his hand. Did the ER run and got a cast.
The doctor though wants to see him in his office each week for the next 6 weeks.
I asked why and he said just to check the cast.
What ?
Told them no thanks. We'll call on 11/1 to schedule and appt to get the cast off.
He did have a scan and there is nothing abnormal about his break. Cast for 6 weeks and then it's off.
Why the weekly visits just to "check the cast" ? I know these visits aren't free but the doctor/nurse would not tell me how much each of those visits would cost.
Now I know why costs have skyrocketed.
I refuse to play the game.
I had my regular dentist do a "heavy cleaning" on my teeth. They wanted to see me in 3 months. I said OK. Three months later - I am in the waiting room and they tell me that insurance only pays every 6 months, and I will need to come out of pocket. Internally - I am line "What??" But I want to ensure my teeth are fine - so I did it.
When leaving - they want one more 3 month visit and kept saying that since it will have been 6 months since insurance had last paid - they will pay for the next visit. I told them no - back to 6 months - maybe. I didn't care that insurance was paying for it. I didn't like the way they handled it and I did not want them to benefit from the extra visit.
Several possibilities. But I am an internist not orthopedist.
Fractures in children can affect the growth plate in bones. This probably requires a closer watch.
Another possibility is where was the fracture? For instance fracture of the scaphoid bone in the wrist can lead to permanent disability.
But this is not why our national healthcare costs are going through the roof. The occasional care of the generally young and healthy, with some cheap follow-up visits such as this are not related to our major healthcare costs acceleration. I just cannot imagine an orthopedist requiring follow-up like this simply to stay busy.
I had my regular dentist do a "heavy cleaning" on my teeth. They wanted to see me in 3 months. I said OK. Three months later - I am in the waiting room and they tell me that insurance only pays every 6 months, and I will need to come out of pocket. Internally - I am line "What??" But I want to ensure my teeth are fine - so I did it.
When leaving - they want one more 3 month visit and kept saying that since it will have been 6 months since insurance had last paid - they will pay for the next visit. I told them no - back to 6 months - maybe. I didn't care that insurance was paying for it. I didn't like the way they handled it and I did not want them to benefit from the extra visit.
In the 80's I broke my foot.
Did the typical ER run and got a cast and then an appt 6 weeks out to get the cast off.
Fast forward to current times.
My son broke his hand. Did the ER run and got a cast.
The doctor though wants to see him in his office each week for the next 6 weeks.
I asked why and he said just to check the cast.
What ?
Told them no thanks. We'll call on 11/1 to schedule and appt to get the cast off.
He did have a scan and there is nothing abnormal about his break. Cast for 6 weeks and then it's off.
Why the weekly visits just to "check the cast" ? I know these visits aren't free but the doctor/nurse would not tell me how much each of those visits would cost.
Now I know why costs have skyrocketed.
I refuse to play the game.
You played the game when you allowed him to have a "scan". There is nothing that wouldn't show up on x-rays.
I have a friend who is a "runner" and she sprained her ankle badly. She went to the ER and they scheduled her for a CAT scan, and MRI and set up an appointment with an Orthopedic surgeon. She went to the appointment and they wanted to schedule her for an arthrogram to see how much "damage" there was and to see if she needed surgery. FOR A SPRAINED ANKLE.
She said she was "lucky" because it could cost $20,000 and she was fortunate that her husband's health insurance would cover it.
I am so very tired of people expecting me to play the game. It's getting to the point where doctors, dentists and chiropractors are no better than time share salesmen.
Recently, I went to a chiropractor about a pain in my neck and lower back. Mind you, I have WORKED FOR CHIROPRACTORS before and I know the "games" that they play.
The chiropractor told me that he could not do an adjustment without a set of 4 x-rays. I asked him if there are different ways to do adjustments and he told me, basically, NO there is only one way. So, let me get this straight. The way that you adjust my back is not determined by what you see on the x-rays, you just want to have them to be sure......
Sure of what? Exactly?
I used to work for chiropractors who did the same exact thing. But back then, they had to pay for film, processing and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of x-ray equipment. Now days, the overhead for xrasy is very low, indeed, so they are HUGE, PROFIT MAKERS.
Once I asked the chiropractor I worked for why he took the x-rays and what they showed him. He told me. "OH heck, unless the person is in VERY BAD SHAPE, we don't even look at them. We just stick them in the file and hand them the bill".
The same thing is true with dentists. When was the last time you went to a new dentist and they did not try to get you to pay for unnecessary x-rays? Not only that, they always push other services (that are probably unnecessary) as well as products, etc. to boost their bottom line. I even went to a dentist once who told me it is easier to pull teeth than fill them (I am not kidding), but a huge part of his practice was dentures and appliances (bridges, partials, etc.) which, undoubtedly, he made more money on than fillings.
It really makes me throw up in my mouth a little to see what is happening to professions where WE depend on the honor and integrity of the health provider.
Several possibilities. But I am an internist not orthopedist.
Fractures in children can affect the growth plate in bones. This probably requires a closer watch.
Another possibility is where was the fracture? For instance fracture of the scaphoid bone in the wrist can lead to permanent disability.
But this is not why our national healthcare costs are going through the roof. The occasional care of the generally young and healthy, with some cheap follow-up visits such as this are not related to our major healthcare costs acceleration. I just cannot imagine an orthopedist requiring follow-up like this simply to stay busy.
He's 23. He had both an X-ray and CT scan.
Nothing abnormal or questionable.
I drilled the doctor on this before I made my decision.
It was strictly to "check the cast" with no more X-ray/scans involved.
I have a high deductible plan. They would not tell me the costs of these checkup visits.
When it's my money I care. And I don't need to pay for 6 visits to get a cast checked.
You played the game when you allowed him to have a "scan". There is nothing that wouldn't show up on x-rays.
I have a friend who is a "runner" and she sprained her ankle badly. She went to the ER and they scheduled her for a CAT scan, and MRI and set up an appointment with an Orthopedic surgeon. She went to the appointment and they wanted to schedule her for an arthrogram to see how much "damage" there was and to see if she needed surgery. FOR A SPRAINED ANKLE.
She said she was "lucky" because it could cost $20,000 and she was fortunate that her husband's health insurance would cover it.
Shake My Head.
20yrsinBranson
I realized that when he went back for the cast.
I'm not savvy enough and it was after he got the cast that I spoke to my sister the nurse.
She said they should have only ordered the scan if the X-ray showed something abnormal in the break.
The X-ray did not. That pissed me off to no end.
He's only 23 and the doctor went on about surgery and pins inserted if the break was abnormal.
And this was after the X-ray. After that "talk" he scheduled the scan next door at the hospital.
I never have problems with dentist or eye doctors because I don't use insurance and they give me a discount for cash.
But this visit for the broken hand was an eye opener about how much has changed over the years.
And IMHO it's not for the better. Uninformed people who do not question doctors will be taken to the cleaners.
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