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#1
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off.
I had an appointment yesterday with an opthalmologist. When I first moved here in 2008 I went to this practice to get new glasses. That was almost 5 years ago. That doctor sold his practice and moved away. For whatever reason, about 1.5 years ago I went a different practice. This guy sold me new glasses and told me I'd need cataract surgery within 5 years. Really? No one ever mentioned that before. A couple of days ago I tripped on a throw rug and fell face-first into the coffee table (ouch!) bending my eyeglass frames all out of whack. I've managed to bend them back to "wearable" but it's definitely time for new frames. This time I went to the guy who took over that first practice. They still had my medical records from 2008. Guess what? My prescription hasn't changed! So what the heck was that other doctor doing, charging me for new glasses when I didn't need them?! Furthermore, he told me I'd need to have cataract surgery within 5 years. The doctor I saw yesterday said I *might* need cataract surgery by the time I'm 65 (I'll be 52 in July)... that's certainly not "within 5 years" like this other quack told me. He also said if I do have to have cataract surgery, it's basically lasic so I wouldn't even need to wear glasses after that. This guy wasn't trying to push me into surgery. Hell, he wouldn't have even pushed me into new glasses if I hadn't nearly broken the existing frames when I fell. How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was hospitalized for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up visits he kept pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove half of my colon. Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have this surgery you'll be wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's funny how quickly he changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I don't have insurance, right?" Oh! Suddenly it was just modify your diet... handed me some pamphlets and I was outta there. Obviously, since there wasn't an insurance company to bilk it made a big difference to how he treated me. And I never heard from him again So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. I'm wondering if I should file complaints about these two with the AMA. Jill |
#2
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"jmcquown" wrote in message
... I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off. I had an appointment yesterday with an opthalmologist. When I first moved here in 2008 I went to this practice to get new glasses. That was almost 5 years ago. That doctor sold his practice and moved away. For whatever reason, about 1.5 years ago I went a different practice. This guy sold me new glasses and told me I'd need cataract surgery within 5 years. Really? No one ever mentioned that before. A couple of days ago I tripped on a throw rug and fell face-first into the coffee table (ouch!) bending my eyeglass frames all out of whack. I've managed to bend them back to "wearable" but it's definitely time for new frames. This time I went to the guy who took over that first practice. They still had my medical records from 2008. Guess what? My prescription hasn't changed! So what the heck was that other doctor doing, charging me for new glasses when I didn't need them?! Furthermore, he told me I'd need to have cataract surgery within 5 years. The doctor I saw yesterday said I *might* need cataract surgery by the time I'm 65 (I'll be 52 in July)... that's certainly not "within 5 years" like this other quack told me. He also said if I do have to have cataract surgery, it's basically lasic so I wouldn't even need to wear glasses after that. This guy wasn't trying to push me into surgery. Hell, he wouldn't have even pushed me into new glasses if I hadn't nearly broken the existing frames when I fell. How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was hospitalized for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up visits he kept pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove half of my colon. Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have this surgery you'll be wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's funny how quickly he changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I don't have insurance, right?" Oh! Suddenly it was just modify your diet... handed me some pamphlets and I was outta there. Obviously, since there wasn't an insurance company to bilk it made a big difference to how he treated me. And I never heard from him again So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. I'm wondering if I should file complaints about these two with the AMA. Jill I'd say it's a bit late for the gastric surgeon. I've had an experience with a greedy doctor too. The doctor who did my cataract surgery asked me to have a preop checkup, so I went to my primary care physician for that. Apparently some of the results were sent to a cardiologist for interpretation, because my pcp told me that "Dr. Garg (a cardiologist) wants to see you." I saw him, and he did some assorted tests and told me to come back in a month. He did prescribe medicine for my high blood pressure, but other than that all he'd do was listen to my heart through my clothes and tell me to come back in a month. He had told me I didn't have any serious problems with my heart. When I'd went the next time, the nurse told me the doctor likes to do an EKG every two months. I went along with this for longer than I should. Finally I said, "If I don't have any serious problems, why do I need to come in so often?" He decided it would wait three months. Eventually that lengthened to six months. Then I had some minor problem which I don't remember now, and he went back to, "Come back in a month." Finally I wised up, asked my pcp if he could prescribe the blood pressure medication, and "fired" the cardiologist. I wrote a letter cancelling the appointment he'd insisted I make and telling him I'd be back when I needed him. The day before the appointment I'd cancelled, I got a phone call reminding me of the appointment. I told the woman who called that I'd cancelled it. A week or so later, I got a call from his nurse wanting to reschedule the appointment I'd "missed". I told her no, and got another call from his office a few weeks after that. Finally I wrote another letter to the doctor, asking him to show it to his staff and put it in my file. I said that if I received any more calls from his office, he wouldn't be the cardiologist I'd see when I needed one. I didn't get any more calls. However, I have no intention of going back to him. Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Joy |
#3
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
Joy wrote: Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Joy That was always my experience, too. You may require an ophthalmologist to treat physical eye problems, but they are not nearly so experienced at fitting glasses! (However, optometrists CAN spot potential problems like cataracts, and send you to an ophthalmologist when indicated.) |
#4
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
... Joy wrote: Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Joy That was always my experience, too. You may require an ophthalmologist to treat physical eye problems, but they are not nearly so experienced at fitting glasses! (However, optometrists CAN spot potential problems like cataracts, and send you to an ophthalmologist when indicated.) Yes, my optometrist did exactly that. Joy |
#5
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"Joy" wrote in message ... "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message ... Joy wrote: Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Joy That was always my experience, too. You may require an ophthalmologist to treat physical eye problems, but they are not nearly so experienced at fitting glasses! (However, optometrists CAN spot potential problems like cataracts, and send you to an ophthalmologist when indicated.) Yes, my optometrist did exactly that. Joy Even though I've lived here for five years, I'm still not really familiar with the area. All I did was look up "eye doctors" when I realized driving here with Persia I could barely read the signs on the Interstate. That's how I found the first place. The second place, the one I think ripped me off, was one I'd found a card for among my mother's things. I do know the difference between an optometrist and an opthalmologist but sometimes they do both. The opthalmogist who charged me for the unnecessary new prescription had a selection of frames, an optician who fits glasses, the whole nine yards. Where I live there's not a lot of choice. I surely do miss being able to run to 'Eyes for You' back in Memphis, where I could get the exam and 2 pair of glasses (or a pair of glasses and contacts) for $99. From the ads I see on TV, Sears does that, but there isn't a Sears within 70 miles of here. I'm in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, I needed new frames since I bent the hell out of the old ones when I fell and the lenses got scratched. I picked the cheapest frames I could find. It was still an expensive visit. Jill |
#6
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
On Feb 24, 11:59*am, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote: Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Over here you have to be referred to an ophthalmologist they are doctors who deal with eye conditions- regular routine stuff like eye tests, glasses, contact lenses etc are the preserve of an optician- some of whom are optometrists. I would go to them for that stuff and they might refer me on but for eyesight problems that's where us in the UK go. The one big disadvantage is they're not usually part of the NHS so you have to pay for eye tests etc unless you are on benefits in which eye tests are free and there's a selection of (usually) unattractive frames for free then again going to the opticians can be quite reasonable depending on what you need and want- my current specs were almost £400 but they're varifocals with anti glare and I didn't use one of the high street chains for them where I could have halved that price Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs |
#7
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
Lesley wrote:
Over here you have to be referred to an ophthalmologist they are doctors who deal with eye conditions- regular routine stuff like eye tests, glasses, contact lenses etc are the preserve of an optician- some of whom are optometrists. I would go to them for that stuff and they might refer me on but for eyesight problems that's where us in the UK go. The one big disadvantage is they're not usually part of the NHS so you have to pay for eye tests etc unless you are on benefits in which eye tests are free The NHS doesn't include vision care?? How about dentists? It's so weird how medical specialties are all broken up into these different categories, requiring different coverage. It's the same thing here. At work we have 3 different health insurance plans: medical, dental and vision. They are completely separate - different companies, different rules and procedures, etc. But why? They're all part of health care, so why don't they all come under one plan? I know, it's historical. "That's just how it came about," and now we're stuck with it. And I have little hope that the health care reform is going to simplify things in that regard. (The document describing that plan would qualify as a bench press weight!) On the other hand, I recently found out that, starting last August (the beginning of a new "plan year"), that my benefits got a little *better*. That surprised me! I've been assuming that since I work for a tech company and I get a cushy health plan, that I would probably lose a bit of coverage so that people who now have nothing could have something. I was certainly willing to go along with that, so this was a pleasant surprise. -- Joyce Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives. -- Albert Schweitzer |
#8
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"jmcquown" wrote in message ... I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off. I had an appointment yesterday with an opthalmologist. When I first moved here in 2008 I went to this practice to get new glasses. That was almost 5 years ago. That doctor sold his practice and moved away. For whatever reason, about 1.5 years ago I went a different practice. This guy sold me new glasses and told me I'd need cataract surgery within 5 years. Really? No one ever mentioned that before. A couple of days ago I tripped on a throw rug and fell face-first into the coffee table (ouch!) bending my eyeglass frames all out of whack. I've managed to bend them back to "wearable" but it's definitely time for new frames. This time I went to the guy who took over that first practice. They still had my medical records from 2008. Guess what? My prescription hasn't changed! So what the heck was that other doctor doing, charging me for new glasses when I didn't need them?! Furthermore, he told me I'd need to have cataract surgery within 5 years. The doctor I saw yesterday said I *might* need cataract surgery by the time I'm 65 (I'll be 52 in July)... that's certainly not "within 5 years" like this other quack told me. He also said if I do have to have cataract surgery, it's basically lasic so I wouldn't even need to wear glasses after that. This guy wasn't trying to push me into surgery. Hell, he wouldn't have even pushed me into new glasses if I hadn't nearly broken the existing frames when I fell. How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was hospitalized for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up visits he kept pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove half of my colon. Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have this surgery you'll be wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's funny how quickly he changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I don't have insurance, right?" Oh! Suddenly it was just modify your diet... handed me some pamphlets and I was outta there. Obviously, since there wasn't an insurance company to bilk it made a big difference to how he treated me. And I never heard from him again So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. I'm wondering if I should file complaints about these two with the AMA. You've had a really bad experience. If my optometrist had not seen something bad in a routine examination and referred me to the hospital I would have lost my central vision. I had many operations, groundbreaking ones, and after 5 years I could see. It took that long for my eyes to settle down, although the downside is that I cannot see in the dark. I don't know whether the difference in your USA health system makes a difference. Or whether the surgeon can make more money from you because of that. I am happy that by paying per month through my salary for many years that I am well cared for by our National Health system. Yes, we do have to wait if our health condition is non-urgent or not life threatening. But I was rushed into hospital within an hour when my Gp suspected a tumour in 2005 (good diagnosis, that doc) and an ambulance came within minutes when I broke and dislocated my ankle last October. You can lose your foot through lack of blood flow to the ankle and the ambulance came with blue lights flashing, which I was amazed about. I'd phoned June to get her to take me to the hospital. She said "are you mad? I'll get you an ambulance." which was lucky as they gave me morphine which I very very much needed with my foot hanging off. |
#9
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"jmcquown" wrote in message
... "Joy" wrote in message ... "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message ... Joy wrote: Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from an optometrist than from an ophthalmologist. Joy That was always my experience, too. You may require an ophthalmologist to treat physical eye problems, but they are not nearly so experienced at fitting glasses! (However, optometrists CAN spot potential problems like cataracts, and send you to an ophthalmologist when indicated.) Yes, my optometrist did exactly that. Joy Even though I've lived here for five years, I'm still not really familiar with the area. All I did was look up "eye doctors" when I realized driving here with Persia I could barely read the signs on the Interstate. That's how I found the first place. The second place, the one I think ripped me off, was one I'd found a card for among my mother's things. I do know the difference between an optometrist and an opthalmologist but sometimes they do both. The opthalmogist who charged me for the unnecessary new prescription had a selection of frames, an optician who fits glasses, the whole nine yards. Where I live there's not a lot of choice. I surely do miss being able to run to 'Eyes for You' back in Memphis, where I could get the exam and 2 pair of glasses (or a pair of glasses and contacts) for $99. From the ads I see on TV, Sears does that, but there isn't a Sears within 70 miles of here. I'm in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, I needed new frames since I bent the hell out of the old ones when I fell and the lenses got scratched. I picked the cheapest frames I could find. It was still an expensive visit. Jill I'm sorry you don't have access to a good optometrist. Mine has a large selections of frames, including a whole rack of $10 frames. He sends the prescription out to have the glasses made. I think his prices are quite reasonable. |
#10
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(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off
"Christina Websell" wrote in message ... "jmcquown" wrote in message ... I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off. How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was hospitalized for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up visits he kept pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove half of my colon. Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have this surgery you'll be wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's funny how quickly he changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I don't have insurance, right?" Oh! (snipped self) So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. You've had a really bad experience. If my optometrist had not seen something bad in a routine examination and referred me to the hospital I would have lost my central vision. I had many operations, groundbreaking ones, and after 5 years I could see. It took that long for my eyes to settle down, although the downside is that I cannot see in the dark. I don't know whether the difference in your USA health system makes a difference. Or whether the surgeon can make more money from you because of that. (snip) The USA doesn't *have* a healthcare system. That's the problem. It's a paradox inside of a conundrum. I own a house, therefore I don't qualify for Medicaid. I'm too young for Medicare and I'm not disabled so I don't qualify for Social Security Disability. I have no health coverage. I have to pay for this stuff. General medical checkups, eye care, dental, surgery. All out of my own pocket. This is why I resent being ripped off by doctors who probably have yachts or 6-seater sailboats moored not far from here. That doctor had to know I didn't need new lenses, yet he charged me for them anyway. And he was trying to talk me into a premature and unecessary surgery. That makes me angry. Jill |
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