Ever been kicked out of Doctor's practice?
Has anyone here ever been kicked out of a Doctor's practice for non compliance by refusing a statin drug?
I got a phone call today from the nurse at my doctor's office telling me that my lab appointment for tomorrow has been changed to a fasting appointment. The GP has ordered a diabetic labs including A1C and fasting cholesterol.
I asked why the cholesterol test when I am intolerant of statin drugs because of some side effects? The nurse reminded me of the fact that my LDL level was out of control and my A1C at 6.1 wasn't very good either.
She then insuinuated that when a patient's levels are out of control that it makes the doctor and the practice look bad. I was told that 'they' (whomever they are) are putting the pressure on the doctor for all patients, especially diabetic patients, to be under control, and perhaps if I wasn't under control that I would be kicked out of the practice.
So.......now in addition to worrying about managing my diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol - I have to worry whether I will be kicked out of the doctor's practice too? I thought this was America, where we have freedom to choose what medicine we want to take? :(
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clare on -
On her cell phone. I call her fairly regularly. Last week I called because I had the flu (which she had given me a shot for) and I could not stop coughing and because of the Dexcom I could not take anything with tylenol so most of the treatment options were out. So she called in something for me to stop the cough that wouldn't mess with the sensor or with my hypertension. Since you are male and do not have to deal with the hormonal issues that menopause causes, I will not bore you with the details but those have also necessitated several phone calls. I have something called hypermobile joint syndrome which causes a rapid heart rate, a bunch of other not so wonderful side effects. I don't consider it "deluxe" medical care, and I wish everyone could have a doctor as compassionate and knowledgeable as mine in the long run it has saved my insurance company a lot of money because I don't go to the ER I call my PCP.
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Permalink Reply by beechbeard on -
My endo functions as a boutique for me and I can share where it matters. His practice is 40 miles from my house. A couple of years ago, I fell, broke my arm and eventually needed surgery on the elbow and wrist. I have a wicked "white coat" emotional reaction that can spike my BG 100 ug/dl just by walking into a hospital. He was at my local hospital, the night before and during the surgery. My two diabetic brothers both have pumps. Their horror stories of their experiences with ER's and hospitals for pumpers convinced both of them to switch to boutiques. Pumps were disconnected, stolen or lost. Insulin was switched by the in-house doctors without regard to what they had been on.
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Permalink Reply by Spock on -
Age and years with diabetes make this a bigger issue, AR. At 60 years of age and 50 years as a Type 1, the care is reassuring. He will fight for me over scrips, supplies, etc. It is important to know I have this support.
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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on -
Bigger issue than what? If I had an "issue" of some sort, I might think differently but all my docs have fought for test strips, etc. Once, back when I was "only" seeing the GP, I got Blue Cross on the phone first (to make them wait, because I was pissed at them...), then the pharmacy (ibid) and then, when I called the doc and explained the situation to the receptionist, *boom* the doc came on the line and, somewhat amusingly, got this chain going "I need more test strips" "only the doctor can approve that" "how many can you approve?" "how many do you need?" "I need 14/day" "he needs 14/ day" "ok, he can have 14/ day..." which made me very happy. I dunno if he billed them for a "level 3 phone call" or anything like that but I was "completely satsified" with the level of service from the doc, along with his efforts to provide diabetes info as a GP. I haven't had the same issues with my current GP but he is the first doc I've run into who likes to talk about food and eating healthier so I like him a lot too.
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Permalink Reply by Alisonisayoshi on -
Funny my insurance will not cover a dexcom or CGM. In fact it took a lot of convincing to get them to approve a pump! I'd happily wait a little longer to see a doctor or specialty nurse if it meant that I had free access to those services. I think the people who view it so harshly have never attempted to go without medical insurance for more than a month or so in this country. I have. I've also hit the dreaded lifetime cap which Obamacare removed. I've had my insurance decline coverage for the surgery that removed my pancreas but saved my life 13 years ago because it was experimental and not cost effective. They then declined EVERY expense relating to it. This includes life saving insulin. My denial of care was based on a profit hungry insurance industry that needs regulation. I have seen that with my own eyes, fought that insurance company in arbitration. I would gladly trade my experience for those experiences of the girls in another support forum I participate in.
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Permalink Reply by Clare on
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I am sorry you have had such unfortunate experiences with the system as it is in place in the US. I count myself as extraordinarily lucky that not only did my insurance company cover the Dexcom 100% but also will cover a pump equally, I just have not yet chosen to get a pump. But don't think that the NHS is free. My sister and brother in law live in the UK and fully 30% of their taxes go straight to the NHS, you pay for it one way or the other, there is no such thing as "free access".
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Permalink Reply by christy on -
I've got just one more thing to say. I've gone without medical insurance in the US, and YES longer for a month. I was on COBRA pregnant and PAYING for my own health insurance. Even with health insurance there have been times I've struggled financially with medical supplies, but I still wouldn't have traded the health insurance I have for what we are looking at now. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and like I said, I hope for everyone counting on it, it works great for them. Im still doubtful and think its unlikely here without a lot more serious thought to the issue.
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Permalink Reply by smileandnod on -
You were fortunate that you could afford COBRA. Others have not been so lucky and have had to resort to rationing of insulin and test strips because they also don't qualify for private insurance due to insulin use.
Those same people can't afford boutique or conceirge medical care. Those are the people that Obamacare is trying to protect.
Unfortunately, we live in a country where the affluent have better access to medical care than the less affluent. If you have the money, you can get good quality care. If you don't, you're out of luck. That's what needs to change.
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Permalink Reply by palomino on -
Where is the like button? Or an amen button, I could click that for this post.
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Permalink Reply by Mayumi on -
Thanks for hijacking a thread about statin drugs into a discussion about Obama Care
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Permalink Reply by Clare on
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I thought the original thread was about being kicked out of a doctor's practice for non-compliance, but in any case, threads tend to morph on their own here, and you're right as I suggested, there should be a new thread if we wanted to discuss the relative merits of Obama Care or the NHS.
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