What has happened to doctors?

[Bob_Bytchin]

I have 2 daughters on daily meds. One daughter takes some meds to control a brain-seizure disorder...this brain-seizure disorder, if un-medicated causes her to act out on impulses. Sort of like Tourettes Syndrome, but not verbal impulses.

When my wife left for a field exercise, we counted out all the meds, and there was enough to last the entire 2 weeks she would be gone...plus an additional weeks worth for good measure. The doctor that handles the meds does prescriptions over the phone...and according to his nurse, walk-ins get turned away and are told to call on the phone.

So we started calling the doctor last Thursday, and each time, we got an answering service. On Friday, we called three times. On Monday, we called ten times. Today, we called at least five times. He finally called me, and when I explained to him that my daughter had run out of meds, he had the nerve to call me an "irresponsible" parent for not getting the prescription refilled. He's a little Indian guy, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt...thinking that he may have meant to say something else. When I asked him to repeat himself, he told me that I was an irresponsible parent, because a responsible parent would have called last week. I will spare you the details of what I told him.

What has happened to doctors? When I was a nurse's aide, EMT, paramedic, and LPN student, all the doctors I worked with were great. But lately, every doctor I have met seems to be filled with contempt for something.

 

[SilvaTungDevil]

Yahh fucking doctors. Inconsiderate bastards. They were probably out getting romanced by a drug rep! They piss me off.

 

[sufisaint]

He probably just got finished writing the check for his malpractice insurance...

 

[La Principessa]

what about your pharmacist?

if you go to the same one time and time again, usually they get to know you (and they know the doctors pretty well too, and how lax they can be). if you call in to get a refill from them and THEY have to call the doc's office, they usually get a faster response!

OR

(and this is if you HAVE to have the meds) I've had pharmacists tell me to mention that I have run out completely (usually of my Imitrex for migraines) and they will give me ONE (or the recommended dosage) until I or they can get ahold of the doctor's office!

would that be a possiblity?

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

what about your pharmacist?

if you go to the same one time and time again, usually they get to know you (and they know the doctors pretty well too, and how lax they can be). if you call in to get a refill from them and THEY have to call the doc's office, they usually get a faster response!

would that be a possiblity?

This will certainly be the step I will take the next time. I just don't understand why her original doctor put in my daughter's records that she will be taking these meds until she is 18, yet only gave her one fill of meds. No refills allowed. So I thought I had to go through the doctor each and every time since it says "0/0 refills" on the bottle.

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Any number of things could have happened, Bob. The doctor may not have been getting his messages from last week. He may have been having a particularly bad day. Pediatricians frequently do deal with large numbers of irresponsible parents and he may have been transferring his frustrations with other parents onto you and jumped to some incorrect conclusions. Or he may just be an asshole. In fact, it could have been any combination of the above three possibilities.

Or perhaps there's some part of the story you're leaving out and there may be some truth to his allegations.

In any case, as a physician myself, I find it counterproductive to confront a patient or a parent as directly as he did (unless it's something dire, like child abuse, threatened suicide or violence, etc.). It raises the person's defenses and after you confront them, they indiscriminantly shut out anything further that you say to them. No matter what the truth of the situation, he certainly handled the situation poorly.

I've only been a practicing doctor for 3 months, so I can't tell you if doctors are more rude or accusatory than in the "good ol' days", but it's my impression that docs like the one you're dealing with are more the exception than the rule. However, doctors today are dealing with pressures today with managed care that haven't existed before. It's difficult to provide quality care with such intense pressures to cut costs. This is not to excuse doctors' poor behavior, but perhaps you can understand why some of us can become frustrated and discouraged.

Remember, though, that ultimately you have the power. If you don't feel that you or your family are getting good care from your current physician, "vote with your feet" and find yourself a new doc.

There are lots of good ones out there.

 

[Simply Me]

This doctor acted in a very irresponsible manner. He should have returned your call immediately, or at least in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, they don't always do as they should. Even in the hospital, when we page them through the answering service, sometimes we end up paging them several times before getting a reply. I don't mind bugging them continuously until they return the call, that's what they get paid for. I hope your daughter is doing ok.

As for the no refills, that is to ensure that you bring your daughter back for check ups and to re-evaluate her need for the medication, or for adjusting the dosage. That's valid. You were right on thinking you had to go through them each time.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

Or perhaps there's some part of the story you're leaving out and there may be some truth to his allegations.

I appreciate your input very much...no, there's nothing I'm with-holding. I have spent the last 8 months taking my daughter from counselor to counselor and psychiatrist to psychiatrist, trying to figure out if there was something wrong with her, or something wrong with the way my wife and I were raising her. We went through family counseling, family therapy, parenting classes etc... in attempts to figure out what was wrong. We finally placed her in a long-term facility, and they did a battery of random tests. By chance, they struck upon a lead through one of the tests. Some sort of light/color test that caused her to have a mild seizure.

So for the last three months, we have still continued to go to parenting classes and family therapy. So we can find new ways to deal with her special needs. She's highly intelligent, quick-witted, creative, but she has a problem controlling her impulses once in a while. And I am talking very violent impulses.

Her counselor can't believe how involved my wife and I are with this problem. He told us that a majority of the parents just drop off their kids, and really have no desire to be involved.

I wish you luck as a doctor. Hopefully with people like you out there, things will be much better.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

As for the no refills, that is to ensure that you bring your daughter back for check ups and to re-evaluate her need for the medication, or for adjusting the dosage. That's valid. You were right on thinking you had to go through them each time.

Thanks for the information. I had to do her last refills, and went through the doctor because I though that's what I had to do. It would be nice if I could just go through the pharmacist, and have him give the doctor a call instead.

 

[A Desert Rose]

Bob, that AV is terrifying........ ~kinda smiling~

 

[La Principessa]

This will certainly be the step I will take the next time. I just don't understand why her original doctor put in my daughter's records that she will be taking these meds until she is 18, yet only gave her one fill of meds. No refills allowed. So I thought I had to go through the doctor each and every time since it says "0/0 refills" on the bottle.

most pharmacies will call the doc's office for you even if there are no more refills....it's a "courtesy" they offer. and they do get a faster response!!

 

[Problem Child]

As for the doctor, if you are indeed telling the whole truth (I'm not accusing you here) then I'd dump him.

I have a dentist friend whose policy is to be on call 24 hrs. a day so that he can phone in prescriptions to the pharmacy. When he has to be out of town or on vacation he provides the number of a colleague who is authorized to refill scrips.

 

[La Principessa]

As for the doctor, if you are indeed telling the whole truth (I'm not accusing you here) then I'd dump him.

I have a dentist friend whose policy is to be on call 24 hrs. a day so that he can phone in prescriptions to the pharmacy. When he has to be out of town or on vacation he provides the number of a colleague who is authorized to refill scrips.

good point PC. if the doctor was unavailable to his patients, then there should have been a nurse with a number of another doctor that could help you.

 

[Soblue]

Hi Bob, sorry to hear about the medical problems with your daughter. The last thing you need is an insensitive docor! I'd ditch him, there are so many caring and wonderful doctors out there.

My kids pediatrician never fails to return a phone call, even if I call him late at night because of something benign like a bug bite I'm worried about.

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

I am certainly going to replace the doctor. Only thing is, because of my daughter's medical condition, we have to get prior approval from Tri-Care. My daughter is on a continuing care program, so in order to have everything covered 100%, we have to follow Tri-Care's instructions.

But yes, thanks for the advice PC, I will be canning this doctor ASAP.