Squeaky wheel gets the grease
(WARNING: This column has more angles than a Spirograph.)
I watched the movie “Sicko” a couple of years ago and was, like pretty much everyone who watched it, appalled at the level of shenanigans, bullcrap, negligence and overall incompetence that was highlighted by Michael Moore (or as my father likes to call him, “that fat liberal Communist from Detroit”) in his documentary about health care in America.
The thing that I tried to explain to my dad is that Moore laid waste to insurance companies, HMOs, hospitals, the entire tangled web of red tape and bureaucrats and not just Congress, but BOTH Democrats and Republicans who are in the pocket of fat cat insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. Nobody was spared.
The movie’s subjects (and I bet the majority of people reading this right now could as well) shared story after story of either themselves or loved ones being denied life-saving treatment of diseases like aggressive cancers. Stories of people GETTING treatment for things, only to have their insurance company deny payment (can you say “pre-existing condition”?) for them, driving them bankrupt.
Well, while there are millions of Americans who would lead the charge for anybody to overhaul the current awful health care system, there are also millions of Americans who are frankly satisfied with their health care. They understand that its expensive, know that it’s imperfect, understand that there is going to be some out-of-pocket cost, but overall don’t believe anything radical should happen with the current system in America.
I must admit, that while I knew the SYSTEM that ran our health care was pretty FUBAR, I wasn’t about to go on any campaign or crusade to make revolutionary changes to the way things were.
That was, until last week when I got a bill for $474 from a local ER for…nothing.
About a month or so ago, I injured my rib. I’ll spare you the ridiculous details of how it happened, but suffice it to say, it hurt like hell. I injured it on a Wednesday, and each day that followed the pain actually escalated. Finally, after a week of being unable to sleep or cough or sneeze or breathe very well and my constant whining about it, my wife made me go to the hospital because she knew that I could have cracked it, and cracked ribs and lungs are a bad combo.
So, we go to the ER and give them my name and they say they’ll have someone out to get me “as soon as they can.” (This, by the way, is the same hospital that claims that you will be seen within 15 minutes of your arrival in their ER. Just sayin’.)
I ended up sitting (and napping) in that waiting room for almost three hours. Finally, upon my realizing that the people who were in that waiting room BEFORE me hadn’t been seen yet either, and I still had to pick up my son Jack from school and get him to Taekwondo practice in less than an hour, I simply put down my two-year-old Highlights magazine, stopped watching the Telemundo on the flat screen television, and walked out. Hey, I tried, right?
No medical professional saw me. No x-rays were taken. No doctor observed me. No meds were given to me. No blood drawn, no MRIs, never got beyond the waiting room, never made me feel better, never gave me a diagnosis. I left there no better or more informed regarding my condition than before I arrived. To quote a popular axiom, those are three hours of my life I can never get back. I went and essentially wasted an afternoon.
So, when I opened my mail last week to discover a bill for $474 from said hospital, I didn’t even know what it was for. I literally was baffled. I thought it was a clerical error. It was only after I called the “customer service” person at the hospital did I discover that they billed me on purpose, they weren’t kidding, and that my bill was for what they called a “triage fee.” That person passed me along to their supervisor, who robotically said the same thing, didn’t answer my question as to whether it was right to get billed for LITERALLY having NO SERVICES rendered (“it is hospital policy, sir” is all they could muster) and then said they would “email” their supervisor to call me.
Needless to say, they’ll hear from me first. And from my insurance company as well, who the hospital had the audacity to also bill to the tune of $285 dollars for my reading their stale magazines and sleeping on 20-year-old benches for hours.
So, I posted all this on my Facebook page. I ranted about it on my show. I said I’d give the hospital 24 hours to “fix this mess” or I’d actually say their name on my show. So, guess what happened five hours after my show ended? C’MON GUESS! That’s right. The hospital brass called. And by brass, I mean “CEO of the Health System.” Apparently, I “should have never been charged” for my time in the waiting room, he was “terribly sorry” for the “mix-up” and that if he “could ever do anything at all” for me to “not hesitate to call.” And by call, he means his cell phone, which he just volunteered to give me. And I kept it. It’s in my cell phone under the name “9-1-1.”
So, clearly, billing people for waiting in the waiting room only is wrong, yes? Well, not if you read this! Apparently, not only does this whole “Waiting Room Charge” happen all over the place, in THIS story, it’s actually defended! Hmmm. What the heck. I know what it is. It was…IN TEXAS!
I know far more egregious and mind-boggling instances of health care nightmares exist in this country, believe me. I guess the sad part is that apparently they happen ONLY in this country. I naturally went off on my morning show about this fraud before this column appeared in the Flyer, and I got this response from my longtime friend Jim, who said:
“That’s just it. NO hospital is a ‘for the people’ company. They may sell you that bill of goods but it’s all about how they can make a buck. The moment you walk in to an ER and speak to a receptionist, the moment your pen hits paper, you’re on the clock. Ethics and morals have nothing to do with it. It’s what they can get away with ’cause they know you have no other option if you want to be seen at that moment. It’s a jacked up system but unfortunately that’s how it is with healthcare. Regardless of if you’re seen or not, they’re gonna find a way to bill you.”
Unless, you know, their staff listens to your morning show.
Jon Williams is a contributor for the Fayetteville Flyer. He also hosts “The Jon Williams Show” mornings on Clear Channel’s 93.3 The Eagle and has lived in Northwest Arkansas for 20 years. Jon’s world revolves around his son Jack and wife Judy, and invites you to join the Loyal and Royal Army of his listeners on Facebook. For more of Jon’s contributions, visit his author page.
Comments
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Me
July 16, 2010
I would have to say the vast majority of my horror stories involving health care are against the hospital or clinic NOT my insurance. I am not in love with my insurance provider, but I have developed a disdain for the providers themselves. There is no concept of customer service, everyone seems to be a complete jerk, and I get charged exorbitant amounts for minutes of service. For example, just yesterday I had to pay $60 to talk to a doctor over the phone. They set up a conference call requiring me to take off work early and missed the appointment by an hour. The call took about 5 minutes and that was because I stretched it out by asking questions. This call was to get the results of a $378 dollar test I had taken there… apparently that charge did not include results.
FekketCantenel
July 16, 2010
About a year back, some friends got together and raised the money for me to go to the dentist (I desperately needed it after ten years of not seeing one). (Of course, I have no insurance.) The place was great, but the diagnosis was terrible: Among an entire laundry list of tasks, they said I need my wisdom teeth out (all four of them) plus two bad molars. They recommended a dental surgeon here in town (I don’t mind telling you that it was Josh Cross), so I called the place and scheduled a ‘consultation’.
The dentist’s office already had the X-rays, and forwarded them to the surgeon for free. I took off work to go to the consultation, having been told it would take about half an hour.
I sat in the waiting room, surrounded by agonized patients, for a full hour after my appointment should have begun. Finally, a nurse led me into a room and started talking about anaesthetic, which struck me as jumping the gun, but alright. Then she left me in there. Another twenty minutes passed. By now, I was seeing visions of getting fired for being gone all morning from work (luckily, they barely noticed I was gone).
The hot-shot surgeon himself suddenly appears in the room. He pulls my x-rays from a folder, looks them over, and re-explains what the nurse had said about anaesthetic. Then he left.
The nurse comes back in and is surprised that I’m still there. “You’re supposed to be in the waiting room.” So I go back to the waiting room and another twenty minutes pass.
The receptionist called me over and showed me the results of the consultation: $1500 for all the teeth, $1200 if I pay in cash. Doing some math in my head, I realized that this was impossible to ever pay and that this entire exercise had been pointless.
But here’s the best part: She goes ‘Now, will you be paying the consultation fee with check or cash?’
I was surprised they had the nerve to charge me at all after making me wait an hour and a half to glance at an x-ray, but alright. “Check. How much?”
“$80.”
This was almost as much as the original dentist’s appointment, during which I 1) was seen promptly, 2) was treated kindly by friendly staff, 3) had a great cleaning, and 4) had my x-rays explained in detail.
I stared at her for a good solid minute. I was tempted to pull a Jason Statham and walk slowly out of the building while it blew up behind me in a massive fireball. Probably the only thing that held me back was that I didn’t have any sunglasses handy.
Instead, I paid the goddamn $80 (two days’ pay at the time) and walked out madder than I’d been in a long time. That evening, when I told my mate about it, I burst into tears at the thought of all the food we could have bought with that money, or how it’s two months’ worth of gasoline, or (at the time) two of his asthma inhalers. All so I could sit in various cold rooms for two hours and then be given a prospective bill that I could never afford.
I don’t care where the problem is, be it insurance or lawsuits or doctors/dentists being greedy sons of bitches. All I know is that I wanted to take that $80 and shove it down his throat. Then maybe he’d have earned it.
mpetty
July 16, 2010
You should tell us who the hospital is anyway. Why give them a free pass to do this to everyone else? They deserve this to be publicized. The public deserves it to be publicized.
Innarested Observer
July 16, 2010
This is why even flawed health care reform is a step in the right direction. Various entities (among them, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, the gubmint) have conspired to artificially spike prices and inhibit fair market competition. Who pays? We do. Health care should not be ransomed to the wealthy. It’s a national disgrace.
Me
July 16, 2010
@Fekket: Your story sounds a lot like my dental surgery story. I was referenced to a Maxillofacial clinic in Springdale for an 8 am appoinement. I waited in the waiting room for an hour then was shuffled into the back room. A dentist never came… an hour passed… and I went back into the waiting room and told them I was leaving becuase I had to go back to work. They said I needed to pay for the office visit but told them I never had an office visit and left. At my next orthodontist visit, they asked why I had ditched out on the surgeon because they wrote that into my report!
Me
July 16, 2010
@Innarested: The problem with flawed health care reform is that it can exasterbate the situation. My issues are mainly with the providers and the reform bill seems to affect insurance more. I throughly believe I am just going to have to pay more for my insurance and I’ll get worse service. Spreading the crap around to more people doesn’t make it smell any better. I can’t believe the reform bill didn’t address the cost and service side of the equation more. There are a few people that will benefit, but the vast majority will not like the result IMO.
iheartnerds
July 16, 2010
To be honest, I don’t think it matters who the hospital is. I have little doubt that they all operate in much the same way. People talk about how bad ‘socialized’ medicine is. Well, here’s my take. My experience with civilian hospitals and doctors has been mostly abominable. I had my appendix out at age 18 because I had a stomach ache. The doctor took no x-rays, ultrasounds, etc., just scheduled an emergency appendectomy and scared me witless because I had a little nausea. The operating room nurse, a friend of the family, told me my appendix was fine, and that the doctor was notorious for performing unnecessary surgeries to beef up his income. I am apparently allergic to the anti-nausea medication they gave to take home with me after the surgery. I rushed back to the hospital, only to sit unattended in a hospital room with a swollen tongue for almost an hour before I lost consciousness and woke up with an iv in my arm and pumped full of epinephren.
On the other hand, my experience with military hospitals has been more than acceptable. I had a baby in while my husband was active duty, and I was perfectly happy with the care my son and I received. They had this wonderful program for new parents, where you could bring in your child every week until they were 1 year old. It wasn’t a requirement, but it was an option. The doctors would meet with each group and look over your baby, answer any questions you had, and calm your anxieties. I can’t tell you how many trips to the ER that probably saves.
I know people have had bad experiences with military health care, but I doubt the statistics are any worse than those who had bad doctors in civilian health care. And no one in the military has ever declared bankruptcy over medical bills.
Smart Citizen
July 16, 2010
The ER at Washington Regional is awful. We once waited for 8 hours before my son got stitches. Another time we waited for 5 hours to see a doctor.
I wasn’t nice when the doctor finally saw us. We had sat in a little room with the door open watching him for an hour while he nonchalantly made small-talk with the nurses and ate some leftover chinese food. When he finally got around to talking to us, I asked him why it took so long. He said it was busy, like a restaurant after a Hogs game. I guess he didn’t know we’d just watched him dawdle around for over an hour (after waiting for 3 hours in the main waiting room).
I’ve been to a restaurant after a Hogs game. Restaurant staff know how to move. The hospital staff, not so much.
Laurie
July 16, 2010
I think the morning show on 93.3 should do a “Can You Believe This ****??” story every week. I’d have a list of stories to hand over tomorrow. I’ll even guest-rant. :)
George
July 16, 2010
This subject aggravates me to no end. I’m sure the right-wingers will hit this thread with their asinine defense of the profit motivated system. Are the “majority” of Americans really that ignorant? I’m sick (npi) of the same bs rhetoric. “Government can’t run anything efficiently.” Maybe not…but it would sure as hell be better than the broke-ass system we have now.
eLwood
July 16, 2010
My last two experiences at Washington Regional were very similar to Smart Citizen’s. Eight hour waits.
Basically we’re being ripped off by Big Pharma, where most of medical dollars and profits are channeled and not by accident. Secondly our 2nd payer system is designed to maximize Wall Street expectations and for paying huge bonuses to insurance executives.
Republicans and Blue Dogs have screwed us all. It’s long past time to correct it.
Me
July 16, 2010
Yes… big pharma and 2nd payer systems are the reason you wait for 8 hours… republicans and blue dogs are also directly responsible for 8 hour waits. What does any of this have to do with ER wait times? We can blame various things for costs,less access to generic drugs, or insurance coverage lapses, but the general “customer” service or wait times present at hospitals is a different subject. Big pharma didn’t miss my scheduled 8 am appointment by 2 hours… my doctor did.
Reason
July 16, 2010
So all this complaining about 8 hour waits is a bit ridiculous. Do any of you even understand the whole point of an emergency room? It’s a place to go if you have AN EMERGENCY. There are nurses who get the horrible job of dealing with every whiny butthole who feels entitled to 15 minute service. These people are called triage nurses, their job is to assess each patient and decide who need medical care first. So, if your child needs 3 stitches, and another child needs 77 stitches and is in danger of bleeding out, but come in after the kid who needs 3 stitches, guess who goes back first? Many of these complaints are valid, Jon William’s post is valid, but whining about not being seen first is baloney.
Big pharma isn’t to blame for your wait, the idiots who go to the emergency room for a cut finger, a fever or a tummy ache are. Urgent care exists for a reason.
CK
July 16, 2010
As long as we have a FOR PROFIT health care system, which is morally incomprehensible (for people to profit off of others misfortunes and sickness), these things are going to happen. WR is SUPPOSE to be a non-profit that gets money from the state to help people who can’t pay their bills…but they send you to a collection agency after the first time you miss a payment. Not helping!!!
I too have a list of horror stories about WR having lived here most my life. But its gotten worse through the years. They almost killed my mom twice because they said they didn’t have the equipment (oxygen tank) to save her and didn’t believe her when she said she couldn’t breath, and the nurse couldn’t put her IV for pain meds in b/c she has carpel tunnel, meanwhile she is screaming in pain! They cut off a friends leg after saying they were just going to “clean the wound”, since he didn’t have insurance they had no one to answer to. IF they’d treated him properly to begin with the first three time he went, then it would never had gotten to that bad. They gave the wrong baby and then wanted to person to pay for the Tetanus shot(and their mistake).
And that is just what has happened to OTHER people. I have a whole list of what they have done to me personally. The latest being, charging me $700 dollars (even after my insurance paid some) for two X-rays of my wrist, which I had gotten next door for $79.00! Oh, and I can’t forget about the time I waited 7 hours with a kidney stone only to be told it will eventually pass and there nothing they can do (hello, a little pain medication would have helped a WHOLE LOT at that point and I’ve since been told they could have given me something to help break it up) and then charges me $550 to tell me they couldn’t do anything. They are robbers and thieves, the lot of them!
Me
July 16, 2010
As much as we complain about our system, I am appreciative of the fact I won’t die from a cold. For the most part, I am ok with many aspects of our system. The biggest failure we have I believe is the small stuff. It just costs too much money for simple problems. I do agree that emergency rooms should not be treated as clinics and I believe if I come in there with my arm chopped off, they will get me in quickly. Props for that!
HMM.
July 16, 2010
Well, I just want to know one thing. Were you triaged within 15 minutes? Because that is what those signs actually mean. As ‘Reason’ said, urgent care exists for a reason, and your possible cracked rib was obviously deemed ‘non-urgent,’ probably in part to the fact that you had been going untreated for over a week and were still, for the most part, healthy. I know that emergency room visits are never fun, but we can use some logical thinking here, and say that they are for people who have no other means of healthcare at the moment, and their only job is to make you stable so you can seek it from another professional later.
Did you try your Primary Care Physician first? You most likely could have made an appointment, and been referred to a x-ray tech within the hour. If you haven’t already, I would heartily suggest it. Cheers!
CK
July 16, 2010
Oh yeah, and lets not forget my friend with cancer who they wouldn’t help AT ALL because he wasn’t insured. They did not even refer him to a patient advocate, social worker or hospice. I will never understand why. SO I guess you have to have money or be wealthy in this country or you DIE! We are fighting for our lives here people! And it’s not just people without insurance, I have REALLY GOOD insurance and still 1/3 of my salary goes to co-pays, deductibles, medications, and premiums and I’m getting sub-par care from a system who cares nothing about me. I finally after 8 years found a good Dr. and believe me, they are NOT in the MANA “buddy” system. Sorry to rant, this really is a sore point for me, I’ve been through the ringer and watched one too many people suffer because of GREED!
Me
July 16, 2010
@CK: If doctors didn’t make a profit, who the hell would become a doctor? I hate the argument that we have not just a right to healthcare, but that it must be free or negligible cost for it. Where do you draw the line there? Even if it is all provided by the government, they will have to limit what they can provide. You have a right to healthcare just like you have a right to food… the government can’t stop you from eating, but they can’t just provide the resources, chef, and table service for nothing because of morals. There is help out there for low income families… it is called medicaid and it is going broke.
CK
July 16, 2010
And to those defending WR, I just really pray that you or no one in your family ever has to go there or be admitted. If they are admitted, PLEASE I beg you, don’t leave them, even for ONE MINUTE! They need a patient advocate with them at all times or they will be treated badly. I’ve learned this the hard way, please beware!
HMM.
July 16, 2010
We all have bad stories about hospitals. I appreciate your plight, I really do. And while there is no excuse for negligence, I think we need to take a moment of time and think about how typically ‘bad’ this job really is. These triage nurses get verbally abused by over half of their patients every day because “they aren’t being treated fast enough.”
Insurance companies and Big Pharm can perhaps be blamed for some mistakes, and overall our healthcare system needs a bit of a facelift. But, I stand by my statement before, and just believe that some people can overreact a little. For those of you who have been personally attacked by insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid, or just not having any way of paying, I really am sorry. Perhaps ER care is for you, just don’t get too upset when you or your relative have to sit in the waiting room for a few hours with your case of strep throat.
CK
July 16, 2010
Me, don’t even start with me. You don’t have a valid argument IMO and have not been in my shoes. I work very hard every day to be able to afford health insurance for my family and I don’t take advantage of the system as some do.I don’t expect it to be free, I expect it to be reasonable and FAIR (same rates for everyone with no special preference for certain insurance, etc). The people getting screwed are the hard working ones who aren’t getting help from the government (something proponents of the healthcare bill just can’t seem to grasp). Doctors should NOT become doctors to become rich, they should do it because they CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AND HELPING THEM!!! Sorry if I am expecting people to have more compassion then they do greed, I know its a warped way of thinking in this day and age.
Me
July 16, 2010
@ CK: It sounds like I am pretty close to being in your shoes and I agree with 95% of what you just said. I don’t agree about doctors just doing it because they care… I care about people but have nowhere near the skill, talent, or patience (to go through medical school) to become a doctor. I work hard at my job and take on plenty of liability, but nothing close to a doctor. Just like any job, some doctors are great, and others shouldn’t be there.
HMM.
July 16, 2010
Have you ever met a doctor? Or even watched an episode of any medical drama on TV? I mean, if we are to believe that these people do their jobs for “only the people” I think we are vastly overreaching. Yes, they want to help people, and yes, the service they provide is essential. But they are going to do for them and theirs, just as the rest of us would. Feasibly, they mostly all have mortgages, car payments and children to save and pay for, not to mention those pesky VERY HIGH student loans that put them through school to begin with.
The main reason we have problems with insurance and hospitals turning people away, is actually the people who have gotten the treatment we are seeking ourselves. People who get all their expenses paid at hospitals and then see the payment as “just a bill, so I don’t have to pay that” are the real ones to blame. This has gone on so long, why would doctors trust anyone about a payment being ‘in the mail?’
@CK–I’ve never been to Washington Regional, and cannot personally account for any treatment or service you’ve been given. I’m not even calling you totally wrong; there definitely are good doctors and bad doctors. I just want to put things into perspective.
Lisa
July 16, 2010
I agree with the comment about not leaving a loved one alone at WR. I almost bled to death after a c-section because they weren’t monitoring me, and I was too weak to push the call button. My loving hubs had stayed with me, and was able to call for help.
CK
July 16, 2010
I have a wonderful Doctor now, so yes, there are good ones. They are just hard to find. I’m not even complaining (whining) for myself or what I have been through because I know its NOTHING compared to what some go through. I hear stories daily that break my heart. People say its all part of the business but should it be a business? That is the question here, I guess. Doctors do deserve their hard earned money too, I’m not begrudging them that, but in return they should be dedicated to what they are doing. Every job has its ups and downs, and Doctors are highly compensated for theirs, so their attitude should be adjusted accordingly. IMHO. And in hospitals, I know the nurses are treated badly by administration and work very hard and they have the bad attitudes to prove it!
Christina
July 16, 2010
@Fekket: I’m sorry you had such a horrible experience with Dr. Cross’s office. I had my wisdom teeth taken out there and thought that everyone was wonderful. It was pretty much as pleasant of a visit that having one’s teeth cut out could be. All of the staff members I came in contact with were lovely and very compassionate (I think they could tell how terrified I was!). I know it doesn’t do anything to improve your experience at all, but I just wanted readers to know that there are people out there who have had good encounters with them as well. :)
CK
July 16, 2010
Not saying anything bad about nurses < I know many who are wonderful at what they do. Just like with everything else, there are good ones and bad ones (maybe not even bad, just burnt out!).
Wendy Dunn
July 16, 2010
I still say that if they’re going to charge you for waiting, they should give you a pager and send you to the DoubleTree and let you order room service and rest until they page you for your turn.
David Franks
July 16, 2010
A lot of the complaints here are based on the fact that doctors’ officea made appointments that they couldn’t or wouldn’t keep, that patients were told that things would happen that then didn’t happen, ahd that a reasonable level of recognition even as mere customers was not received. Only a business that knows it has a captive clientele can get away with such things, and depending on that fact is just plain bad business, life-and-death or not.
My doctor cancelled an appointment for a regular check-up that I had made over a year in advance (because that’s how booked up he is) with less than a week’s notice– because he suddenly decided to go to a niece’s graduation. I was offered an appointment for five months later, though I’ll have left town by then. Certainly he is overworked, as he has over two thousand patients (!– damned insurance company), but should he feel free to screw up some one hundred hard-to-get appointments on a whim?
I never complain about nurses, as they do most of the actual work and bear the brunt of abuse in emergency rooms, clinics and hospitals. The fact that administrators and doctors put them in that position is another abominable business practice.
Hint: for better service in an ER, go to the nearest carpeted area and bleed profusely. It usually works.
Megan
July 16, 2010
I had quite an experience with mis-billing at OU Medicine in Oklahoma City. A solution was eventually found, after a CEO and head of customer affairs was involved. I have to say, getting vocal online about something like this can help, but it shouldn’t happen in the first place.
Read about it in these two posts, if you like:
http://meganraley.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-beef-with-ou-medicine-and-absense-of.html
http://meganraley.blogspot.com/2010/05/following-up-with-ou-medicine-and-i-am.html
HMM.
July 16, 2010
@Wendy–Give you a pager; put you up in a hotel to wait? I sincerely hope that this is a post of satire. If not, thanks for the laughs, anyway. I’m going to refrain from commenting further against you.
@David–How dare your doctor go to a family member’s graduation? I understand the frustration coming with a canceled appointment, but if the wait was a year long to get there, you probably could’ve found another doctor to see who was well within reach of helping you with your medical disorder, or at least getting you referred to someone who was.
But honestly, I think we all fail to see healthcare providers as actual people like you and me. They are not in debt to us, and are providing a service that we need. Yes, they should have decent attitudes about their professions and (hopefully) have a good bedside manner. But just as I would not willingly work with knowing that I would not be compensated, I think it’s a more than fair estimate that people in medical profession feel the same.
G. A. Levanter
July 16, 2010
The superior doctor prevents sickness; the mediocre doctor tends to impending illness; the inferior doctor treats actual sickness. — Chinese Proverb.
For centuries chinese doctors were paid as long as their patients were healthy– the doctors wouldn’t charge to treat sick patients because they viewed illness as a failure on the part of the practitioner. Many of their greatest Doctors weren’t necessarily wealthy, but their worst Doctors were always poor. Of course, it would be impossible to ascribe ancient chinese medical practices to contemporary society, but it would be refreshing if we, as a whole, focused more on health than actual disease. If someone were involved in an acute severe trauma, then I would certainly hope that they receive the very best and most advanced care from triage, to diagnosis, to treatment plan all the way through to recovery. At the same token, if my doctor regularly checked in in me and my family and nipped potential health problems in the bud (through dietary and lifestyle recommendations and perhaps mild pharmacological therapies,) then many of these healthcare problems could be avoided. Emergency Room care is wildly expensive and inefficient and should not be mistaken for treatment.
80% of every dollar spent on healthcare in the United States is applies to patients less than two weeks old or with less than two weeks to live. By all means the neonatal care is money well spent, but if remaining available resources were more focused on wellness and less on the inevitable outcomes of chronic illness, I think we’d make for a happier lot.
Seb
July 16, 2010
Money spent on wellness…yes. I concur, G.A. We general don’t invest that much in our well-being in our culture. Convenience and the path of least resistance seem to be the dominant way of thinking.
But off the topic, I am not very familiar with the area doctors and am looking for a good primary care physician. So if anyone cares to recommend one then I will be most grateful. Cheers!
David Franks
July 16, 2010
HMM.–
If my doctor were really that close to the niece, and if the graduation had been so important, it should have been on his schedule more than a week, if not when I made my appointment.
One reason it is so hard to get an appointment is that, while my doctor has a lot of duties with his clinic and hospital rounds, he schedules time off every week, and a vacation as well.
Actual people like you and me cannot simply throw our business to the four winds all of a sudden. Either my doctor is incompetent due to his poor business acumen and will lose his job, or he is not like you and me.
yeah right
July 17, 2010
WR refused to treat me. 3 months later I got a bill for $475. I refuse to pay, they’ve cycled me thru 4 or 5 billing/collection agencies, the latest saying they’ll settle for half. Do I sacrifice my credit record while standing up for myself? Meanwhile WR sends me to various voicemails when I call to discuss. No one ever returns my call. I wish we all had the public shaming avenue Mr. Williams has.
Within the past year+, two prominent donors have asked to have their names removed from the donor wall at WR. If someone who donates tens of thousands of dollars to the hospital can’t get decent treatment there, who can?
G. A. Levanter
July 17, 2010
I’ve only dealt with Mercy–
Pediatricians: Dr. Shaffer and Dr. Youngblood are the best.
Oncologists: Dr. Travis (of Highlands Oncology)
Gerentology: Dr. Larry Wright
General Practice: Dr. Neaville
I don’t know the actual incomes of any of the previous physicians, but the majority of them make less than $140,000 per year. Most of them have more than a thousand patients and are expected to diagnose and treat a patient in less than a quarter of an hour. Rest assured, they aren’t worried about a “T” time or trout fishing– that’s what they dream about doing.
Mr. Franks– Odd as it is, I used to work under you during the mid-90′s. I appreciate the clarity you bring to this site. “God is in the details,”
Mike Clark
July 17, 2010
Until we have a non-profit option open to all Americans, our system will remain broken. Keep in mind that “non-profit” does not mean “free for everyone.” It does not mean that doctors, pharmacists, and nurses will not be paid well for their work.
Before the tepid health-care reform bill passed, I wrote an article for the Flyer that generated a great discussion. People felt passionately about the issue then, and I’m glad to see that passion is still alive.
Jon Williams
July 17, 2010
“yeah right” sorta nailed the whole premise of my column: 99.7% of people are at the mercy of the incredibly pervasive billing system with virtually no recourse. I called those two minions who robotically said “you’re paying” without any hesitation, or confusion. They understood perfectly why I was billed, and explained why $474 dollars was justified under “hospital policy.”
It wasn’t until they were facing waaaaaaay more than $474 dollars worth of acutely piercing negative pub did it get fixed. And thats jacked up.
burgerboy
July 17, 2010
ERs are a whip, no matter where you go. And yeah, our healthcare system is broken.
I think there’d be more support for things like public healthcare from people like me if there were more stringent guidelines for public assistance in general.
I’m tired of seeing people pay at places Richard’s Meat Market with food stamp cards. I can’t afford to shop there often.
If you legitemately can’t work, etc. Fine. But otherwise, being on the public teat should come with a lot of discomfort. Afterall, you are taking money from others via the threat of force. I don’t think it does, and so I am opposed to any more publicly funded entitlements.
My insurance sucks, but I’d just as soon pay that as pay more taxes for the lazy and stupid. (none of you dear readers fall into those categories, of course)
Melanie Vee
July 19, 2010
I am a 31 yr old small business owner and company president who cannot get insurance because of a “pre-existing condition”. April 13 2010 I went to Mercy in Rogers with severe stomach pain. I could not sit or stand. I had to wait what seemed like forever. I was told after several tests that my gallbladder needed to be removed and I had to see the surgeon in her office first thing in the morning, which after 5 hours in the ER was only 2 hours away. Tired and in pain she said the gallbladder needed to come out. I had it removed in an outpatient procedure – I never stayed one night in the hospital. My bill came 7 days later for over $18,500!!!!! The hospital was nice enough, the staff was friendly and the Dr. was great but why was I charged over $18,000 for a maximum of 3 hours? I would rather pay that for my care at Mercy than send my dog to Northwest health however. They misdiagnosed my 10 yr old niece. She went in with severe abdominal pain they told her it was gas or her “cycle’ and to go home. 2 weeks later they went to another Dr. who ran tests and discovered that she has severe lymphoma in stage 4. The cancer was so bad that they weren’t sure if she was going to make it. This was gross misconduct on the part of the staff not to further evaluate her condition. A simple exam by feeling her stomach from the outside would have revealed the masses. He didn’t lay a finger on her. I am disgusted at our system, I am sick of being taken advantage of. I am tired of being worried about future denials if I see a doctor now. People should be able to be open with their care providers, but because of insurance companies and employers who drop you for getting sick, people wait far too long for medical help, it ends up costing more in the long run and sometimes they pay with their life. Hey Washington: Get your heads out of your asses and see that you are killing us.
Melanie Vee
July 19, 2010
I forgot to mention that I gave birth to my son in June 2007 at Willow Creek hospital in Johnson. A beautiful facility supposed to be state of the art in care and security. My epidural only blocked my left side which was horrible but I survived (I had given natural birth twice before). My son was a room in baby who was only removed from the room for tests and circumcision. When they brought him back from being circumcised the nurse shoved him at me “feed him now because he will sleep for a long time after the circumcision.” I began to nurse the baby when I started realizing that his ears were different than before, I opened the blanket and his new socks were missing, the nurse said he probably got them messy. Then I read the ID bands on his ankle – IT WAS NOT MY BABY! I WAS BREAST FEEDING SOME STRANGER’S BABY! The nurse who had not left yet thought I was crazy until she checked the bands for herself (per policy she should have checked twice by now)I asked her where my baby was and to get him NOW! She left but after only a minute or so I took my IV out at walked my postpartum ass to to nursery. The nurses quickly ushered me in so the other mother’s wouldn’t hear. They had been trying to give MY baby a bottle in the nursery as was the request of the “other mother”. They said they mixed the boys up because they circumcised both babies at the same time and they must have been placed back into each other’s beds. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? I THOUGHT THEY HAD A FOOL PROOF ID BAND SYSTEM. DID THEY THINK THAT THEY WERE SO GOOD THAT THEY WERE BEYOND BAND CHECKING? They tried to later deny that it happened. I demanded a letter of apology and I got something saying they were regretful of “the incident” but in no clear term admitted wrongdoing. I asked how theses incidents were reported, they said they were reported to their “internal risk assessment team” which means that without sites like this the general public would never hear about it. Thank you Fayetteville Flyer for giving me a platform to tell others about these places.
disgusting
July 19, 2010
Melanie, were YOU not able to identify your own baby?
and EWW to mutilating your child’s genitals. No wonder the nurse wanted to you nurse him in hopes that he would sleep soundly.
Monroe Jesuser, Jr.
July 20, 2010
Melanie makes the point that it is the *insurance* industry that has totally jacked up our health care system in this country. We have the greatest health care in terms of practitioners and technology anywhere. It’s the payment system that’s the problem.
But hey, after the first couple of hundred million in profit, what’s a few dollars more? As long as we don’t have to pay out for Melanie’s gall bladder, we can get another zero tacked on to the end of that bonus check.
Come on, representatives in Washington. It’s time to have the courage to say “enough” and stop allowing profit to be made from the treatment of the sick and injured.
Just my opinion. To which their own everyone has the right.
Innarested Observer
July 20, 2010
According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. spends more than any nation (relative to GDP) on health care, but has the 37th-ranked quality of services. http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html
Opinions are easy. Facts are cool.
Mike Clark
July 20, 2010
@Monroe – It’s not just insurance reform that’s needed.
There’s a drug called colchicine that’s been safely used for gout for centuries. Its use predates the FDA; as such the FDA had never explicitly approved the drug for sale in the US. It was given a free pass due to its long-established record of safety and efficacy.
URL Pharma ran some cursory studies on colchicine, and petitioned the FDA for marketing exclusivity, which was granted. They’ve begun marketing the drug as Colcrys, and raised the price by 5000 percent, going from pennies per tablet to nearly $5 each.
URL is also suing to push the “unapproved” generic colchicine off the market and sending vaguely threatening letters to doctors speaking out against them. Did I mention they also jacked the price up 5000 percent?
You can lay your blame at the feet of the profit-seekers at URL, but mine belongs with the regulatory climate that allowed this to happen.
PS – If this story sounds familiar, it’s because URL did the exact same thing with quinine, another centuries-old drug that had been grandfathered in by the FDA.
Mr. LK
August 9, 2010
John,
I had a very similar experience at a very large local hospital. Ironically, I was a member of a team building them a new facility at the time. I regularly interacted with their administration including the CEO and departement heads.
I was on the job and was overcome by the worst pain of my life. It only took one look at me writhing in pain on my office floor by somebody with experience to draw the conclusion it was probably a kidney stone. I was driven to the ER of the “old” facility where they took my information then strangely a hospital consultant came to see me. She recognized the name on my shirt, asked a couple of questions and said she knew who I was and they would take care of me. I didn’t name drop, didn’t care…all I really wanted at this point was for the pain to stop.
I moaned in the ER waiting for about 2 more hours and was put into an exam room room (presumably because I was painful to watch) and there I sat for another 1 hour. No instructions, no nurses, no contact. The pain started to subside and I actually passed the stone, collected it and put it in a cup on the nurses station. I asked what next and they said well you need to see the Dr. I replied that I would follow up with my family physician, didn’t want to see the ER Dr. and went back to the room and gathered my things.
I made it about 5 steps from the door and a gentleman who didn’t identify himself came down the hallway, stopped me and gave me a pamphlet on kidney stones along with a “have a nice day”. And I was on my way.
The bills started rolling in about 3 months later. One from the ER service (different than the hospital), one from the ER Doctor (apparently the pamphlet man) and one from the hospital itself for a total of about $700. I was of course angry, and spent an afternoon on the phone with all of the billing entities and the outcome was that I had in fact seen a Dr. (really, the pamphlet man?) and was diagnosed and treated. I’m not sure why, maybe out of embarassment or feeling defeated by beaurocracy but I paid the bills. I did have a conversation with the CEO at a later date and expressed my thoughts and regret at not raising the issue at the time.
I still get a little angry thinking about it. And by the way my family physician never saw anything in his records and he is in the same system. I have learned to avoid the ER, hopefully that avoidance doesn’t kill me someday.
LK
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