I am livid! A medical doctor treats me like a truant schoolboy in letter.

I just got a letter from a gastroenterologist (a partner in a group which includes two of my condo neighbors at our city place) with whom I had an appointment on the day after my dog Sirius became sick with what we now know is cancer of the prostate and lungs. I canceled my consultation with this gastroenterologist (more than 24 hours before the appointment) so that I could get Sirius the diagnostic tests that the veterinarian ordered. I got a scolding letter from the gastroenterology group with this particular doctor's signature. Here is the first draft of my contemplated reply:

Dear Dr. _____,

I received your letter of February 10, 2005 - postmarked February 17, 2005 (see attached) – chiding me for missing a recent appointment (February 10). As I informed your staff when I reluctantly cancelled the appointment, I was handling a critical veterinary problem with a dog who has since been diagnosed with extensive cancer of the prostate and lungs and who is now receiving chemotherapy treatment.

I apologized to your scheduling staff member for the inconvenience, and she was very sympathetic (having recently gone through the same thing herself, if I remember correctly). I apologize to you, too, and I hope my re-scheduling did not upset the routine of your clinic too much that day. Somehow I think that you did not, personally, notice my absence. Am I right? In other words, the offensive letter with your signature is about medical economics and not patient care.

However, never have I been lectured to like a truant schoolboy by anyone, and certainly not by a physician’s office (modicums of punctuality ..not!). My careers as military pilot, corporate pilot, airline captain, and magazine editor have been characterized by punctuality and dependability. As an airline captain my passengers’ safety and well-being came first, their comfort came second, and the sanctity of the schedule was third. As an aviation-space writer and editor, the sanctity of the deadline was right up there with editorial integrity and accuracy.

I know how to handle my time and I respect the time of others, especially busy professionals in high-stress situations. My volunteer work in the soup kitchens of Dallas enlightened me to another group as busy and high-stressed as the medical community: the hungry homeless seeking care for their children and themselves. Stress works in many ways. Precious time works against us all.

I find the scolding tone of the letter from your group extremely offensive and, at the same time, very ambiguous. I am first lectured, then scolded, and then told “ if an emergency does arise, or if you have to cancel, please call us as far in advance as possible.” What do you think I did? What is your definition of emergency?

My re-scheduled appointment is on Monday, April 18. That is one week after the maximum time the veterinary oncologist has given my dog, Sirius, to live (assuming the chemo does not work). That is ten days after his third scheduled chemo treatment (third of five, three weeks apart). But if he is coughing blood from his lung cancer that day, and I have to cancel my appointment .. will your group black-ball me? What if I have to euthanasia Sirius that day?

I will see two of your partners soon. One is my immediate next-door neighbor in the condominium at the address above. The other lives directly above me. I will speak with them of this matter, too.

I would guess that your letter was generated by an over-zealous office manager. However, it was motivated by the partners’ directions, and its offensive nature is your collective problem.

Sincerely,
(DemoTex)

Hiney well and truly spanked. Mission accomplished. :D

i like to hear the end of stories, lol if they have one. good letter, good for you

So sorry to hear about Sirius. :cry:

I had to take time off work without pay to see him. His office was within walking distance from my job, so I CALLED 10 minutes before the appointment to ask whether he was "on time" or not.. I even explained my predicament to the office person.. She assured me that there would be no delay.. I walked there, and found the waiting room FULL.. We all sat there for ages and NO ONE was taken back.. I finally got up to aske what was going on,when my "hour" was about up, and she then told me that he was "due back to the office" momentarily.. He was not even there when I called.. They could have told me then, and I could have rescheduled, but they LIED to me..

I told her I was leaving, and she then said "We will have to bill you if you do not keep your appointment". I said "My appointment was an HOUR ago.. I was HERE"..

They did send me a bill for %20.00 for the "no show" appointment.. I returned their bill with a bill of my own for my lost time and aggravation.. MY bill was $20.00.. I marked their bill.."Paid in Full"

They did not re-bill me....and I did find another doctor:)

And I'm sorry to hear about Sirius, I hope he defies all the odds and gets better soon.

Shame on this office for their lack of empathy regarding your situation with your companion animal. I feel letters like this should be reserved for chronic offenders, not an occasional occurrence.

BTW, when you go in for an appointment, are they timely in getting you into see the doctor or do you have to wait?

My sympathies about your dog.

I had never been to them before. They come highly recommended and my next door neighbor in the condo is a gastroenterologist in that group. That, however, does not temper my ire over the letter.


Sweet Sirius

Don't give the idiot that SIGNED the letter an OUT!

I just edited that out. Thanks.


Sweet Sirius

I'll bet you read letters before you sign 'em!

That is a beautiful dog, DT. What is he?

your patient fee not your company.

I worked for a doc once who wanted me to send the police to pick up a family to bring them in for a missed appointment. He wanted them in not because they were in a crisis of any sort but because he wanted to be able to write a case study about them. I flat out refused to call the cops, and he was po'd for a while. I told him people still had the right miss an appointment, refuse care, or to go somewhere else, and that his demand was neither ethical, legal, or reasonable. It was frosty in the office for a while though.

frightening that he'd want the POLICE to bring in someone for a missed appointment. Like the police don't have anything better to do with their time. Doctors have tremendous power, like many lawyers and judges, and most of them are pretty reasonable and careful with it. But you always have idiots like that who make the whole bunch look bad. What would have happened if the police had gotten involved, anyway, it's not illegal to miss or cancel an appointment. At least not yet it isn't. It it had been a child, I can imagine social services getting involved, and then it would have really been ugly for them.

others. I have a friend who would get frustrated and say that anyone with an MD had to pass a course in asshole before graduating.

And let me know who the idiot is in case I ever need a local gastroenterologist. I'll know who NOT to go to.

DT-- Did you hear about our meetup Sunday evening? Not much interest on the thread, but we're thinking manybe 6:30 at the Blue Mesa in Addison. DeposeTheBoyKing is in town, and would like to meet everyone. That's why the short notice.

FSC

Last February I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy with Dr. William Stevens of Dallas. On the day before the procedure, I mixed up the Co-lite and started swilling it (ugh!). After my second trip to the john, the phone rang. It was his office. They had not confirmed my insurance (they had only had 6 weeks to do it in) and since it was the MLK holiday the Blue Cross offices were closed. They said that I could still have the procedure, as scheduled, early the next morning but that I would be responsible for the $2500 fee if BC/BS wouldn't pay. I said "No way!" so they canceled the procedure. Ends up that at that time BC/BS would NOT have paid for the procedure. Meanwhile, I spent that evening on the pot thanks to their incompetency.


Sweet Sirius

Helpful!

That name sounds really familiar to me. I'm wondering why. Hmmmmm...wonder if I've been to him before on an old HMO.

FSC

That was just an admin screw-up.

As someone with numerous furry friends over the decades, I can relate to what you're going through.

Just wanted to offer support. If he doesn't get better, then I hope his passing is as gentle as possible for both of you.

The best we can do for them at the end is guide them with love to the other side, where they wait patiently for us as they did in life. But we sure do miss them in the meantime!

doctors pulling this kind of shit lately. I don't even recognize my own doctor's office anymore, and I've been there for eleven years. They've been sending me a bill for my son's care addressed to my first name with my son's last name, which is different from mine. Never mind that I've told them fifty times that his FATHER is responsible for paying for his medical bills according to the child support order. They even included a past-due balance that they'd been billing his father for and that they'd sent his father to collections for!!!!! I get the runaround every time I try to talk to someone about it, too. I've been there for eleven years, you'd think they'd know my fucking name at least.

The few times I haven't had insurance, they've refused to see me unless I had some dough right then and there, even if it was an emergency (infections, pneumonia, etc., etc.). I'm fucking sick of this kind of shit from doctors.

Is there some way you can post the original letter you received from them? I'd be interested in seeing that, and let us know what happens! Good for you for doing something about it instead of just taking it, like most people do.

overheard the receptionist refuse to schedule an appointment for a patient who owed $300.00. I actually heard her say, "I'm sorry you're in pain, but Dr. X will not see you until that bill is paid. And, no, he will not accept partial payment. He needs the full $300.00"

Meantime Dr. X lives in splendor in a gated community and has cut back his work schedule to two days a week so he can spend more time out on the links.

Of course people should pay what they owe and I'm sure many professionals will work out a payment schedule, but this just struck me as cruel.

MDs who whine about malpractice.

1) They won't police themselves properly and actually remove licenses for practice in all states.
2) They won't let the public know the names of the 5% of truly incompetent physicans.
3) They keep trying to be big business and not healers.

(far too many) are in bed with the drug companies and the insurance companies, which is what truly infuriates me. Not all, of course, but enough to make a real impact. And the ones who aren't have to work even harder and without all the perks that those in the pocket of drug and insurance companies get.

even if your child has a true emergency, if you owe something, fugeddaboutit. One of the doctors at the office I've been going to for eleven years actually quit, he was so disgusted with that. Turns out he discovered that that was standard policy at most offices, and he couldn't believe it, he was so angry. He made his own scheduler disregard that particular policy for his own patients at his new practice, and he actually has less trouble with non-payment than a lot of other doctors because he works with his patients and they're happy to do what they can to pay him.

:cry:

Great scolding you gave those bastards! :spank:

You have my sympathies over the situation with Sirius. I hope the treatment works. They really are our 'shaggy' best friends.

The largest GI group in town is the most obnoxious in terms of scheduling practices--and they are the ones I could see as being the most likely to do such a thing.

It is one thing when there is a patient who habitually misses appointments (especially without notice). However I figure anyone can have an ocassional reason to have to change an appointment, and even anticipate that some people will simply screw up and forget from time to time, and am willing to over look that.

That was pretty much what my brother, who is a radiologist in Atlanta, said last night. However, his radiology group is affiliated with a hospital so the scheduling function is somewhat different. My brother had a good point about my letter, too. He said I might want to wait until after the colonoscopy/endoscopy to mail it. I don't really want a guy who is shaking with rage at the mere thought of my letter sticking that scope up my arse. On the other hand, I might just get my brother to refer me to a good GI doc in Atlanta.


Sweet Sirius

No point in angering someone who is sticking something up your you-know-what.

it takes one to know one. Assholes, that is.

I'd be inclined to tell the doctor to go *&#@ himself.

GREAT "fuck you" letter!

1) "modicums of punctuality ..not!)." Was this (modicums {sic} of punctuality) his phrase? If so, enclose it in quotes, note the erroneous pluralization, and add a third period -- no spaces -- after the close quote after punctuality.

"modicums {sic} of punctuality"...not!). NOTE: Where I use {} here, you should use the rectilinear brackets that I can't use here.

2) "emergency" at end of graph 5 of the letter should be in quotes, not italicized.

3) Use "euthanize" instead of "euthanasia" in graph 6.


Otherwise, I'm sorry for your problems with Sirius, and I hope his medical travails are as painless as possible.
:cry:

I was coming back to it later today to look for that kind of stuff.


Sweet Sirius.

And I'm sorry about your dog.

I agree that you should be allowed to cancel an appointment with sufficient notice for pretty much any reason that you want to.

I guess it's because I don't have a dog or anything like that, and I don't know how serious the condition is/was that you were seeing a gastroenterologist about... but why cancel a human doctor appointment in favor of a dog doctor's appointment?

All I was doing was trying to understand.

It sounded like he had an appointment with a specialist to treat a human condition (because I didn't know what the appointment was for and a gastroenterologist appointment sounded pretty important). I couldn't imagine cancelling an important medical appointment for a human in favor of an appointment for a canine medical condition. Considering the dog's condition was critical and the human's appointment was routine, however, I now understand.

But thanks for the condescending dismissiveness, that was really nice.

...on the fact that your lack of a dog makes it clear why you wouldn't understand through your own interpretive tendencies to turn it into dismissive and/or condescending. It was a statement of fact about people who are not dog owners: they don't understand the bonds that develop between man and dog.

I am sure there are plenty of people who have dogs who would wonder why a human would put a dog's health as a higher priority than their own.

that was really nice.

My scheduled consultation was to discuss a routine colonoscopy/endoscopy that was recommended by my internist because of my age and family history. My dog was critically ill and required immediate diagnostics and treatment. It was a no brainer for me.


Sweet Sirius

Hi DemoTex,
For sure you treat your dog better than the gastroenterologist treated you! I pray your dear dog is able to be relieved of any pain or discomfort in the weeks ahead! He certainly looks like a precious guy!
Since your visit is more routine perhaps you'd want to consider having a different doc--as you might be thinking of the added headache he caused (yes he's responsible for his staff also) during this time of trauma. (The two events are paired and will always be remembered as such.)
Best wishes to you and Sirius!

Sirius has an excellent veterinary oncologist who calls every other day or so to check on him (long-distance, at that). As far as my GI evaluation, I had picked that group because it was recommended and my next door neighbor at my city condo is a doc there (as is the woman who lives above me). I didn't schedule my neighbor because I don't want to be having dinner with someone who has peeked up my arse. I might just get my brother in Atlanta to refer me to a good GI group there.

Welcome to DU and thanks for the kind words for Sirius and me. Are you "hue" as in "Hue, Vietnam" (pronounced way) or as in color (pronounced like the name Hugh)?


Sirius' young pal Nick-Nick

pronounced "Hugh" but I am a lady!
I am JohnnyCougar's Mother. I joined recently. I am an RN and work with docs alot--am well familiar with some of their overly zestful egos!

I sympathesize with you as I remember when our lovely dog Missy (about the size of Sirius and a mut as well--the best kind) woke up with seizures one morning. She was having a massive stroke. We had to have her put to sleep. I certainly didn't want her to pass away alone so I insisted she pass away in my arms! I just wept! I really can't say she left us completely. I feel she is our guardian angel now!

Thank you for welcoming me!

My pets will always come first if they need treatment. I'm sorry you haven't experienced the amazing bond between a pet and it's owner - you are missing out.

The human medical appointment was routine and the dog's medical emergency was serious. So giving the dog priority does make sense to me, in this case.

But are you saying that if both you and your dog had a serious medical condition, the dog would take priority? That IS indeed the case with my children -- their medical needs DO take precedence over my own. But I see my children differently than I see animals. Are you saying that you don't?

I can't quite wrap my mind around that.

Some doctors do that -- you don't abide by their cancellation schedule, you get a bill.

They can treat you however they like. But if you dare to interfere with their schedule....

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. This has to be a difficult time. I hope he is not in too much pain.

First off, I am really sorry to hear about Sirius and hope that he defies all odds. And, what the heck is it with GIs? 10 years ago I changed jobs and as a condition of employment had to have a physical performed by the company's medical people. I passed but the doctor informed me that one of my liver functions was rather high and I should have it checked by my regular doctor as it could mean that I had gall stones (painful) or a problem with my liver (life threatening). Shortly thereafter I had the first of many gall stone colic attacks and my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist. Went to see him and the first thing he says he is going to do is a liver biopsy. I told him flat out no. In a very condescending tone of voice he asked me if I even knew what a biopsy was. I told him yes, I did, and what's more, I knew it was a last option, not a first since I most likely had gall stones and a biopsy would be expensive, painful and not revealing. He got pissed at that. Then he announced that he would a gastric endoscopy. Again I told him no - I refused to have invasive procedures as a first diagnostic instance. He finally said in a very pissed off voice that he would order an ultra-sound and he hoped I realized it didn't hurt. My response was that I felt that was an appropriate test to begin with and that when one heard hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras. The ultra-sound revealed that my liver was ok and that I had gallstones. When I went back for the follow up, the GI spent roughly 2 minutes with me - you have gallstones and can either have surgery or take this incredibly expensive medicine that only works in 20% of the cases to break them up. Whatever. I opted for surgery and have been fine ever since.

my cat died of renal failure a few weeks ago--it tore me up and to see my little 5 year-old cry and ask if he was coming back almost did me in...:cry:

As far as the rude doctor, I had a neurologist in Dallas charge me $50 for failure to show up for an appointment that THEY mis-scheduled. I had never missed an appointment, nor had I had any problems with my BC/BS paying it. There was an over zealous office manager who didn't seem to know what the hell she was doing. As I left their office after my appointment, they wanted the $50 and after arguing with them about the wrong appointment I finally paid just to make peace. Later they sent the check back after they realized their mistake. (long story)

If I didn't like the doctor so much I would never deal with them again. Office managers are the worst...

I hope Sirus gets better real soon:hug:

Did they charge you for the missed visit? You may want to check this when you go for your appt. in April. Doctor's LOVE to charge patience for missed appt.

Personally, I don't think you need to give them such detailed information about your dog, but that's just me. Telling them that you have a sick dog, who is fighting cancer, should be sufficient.

Since I am a cancer survivor, I have been seeing doctors for years, one bit of advice I can give, is to be sure the doctors are aware of the letter you received - show your neighbors a copy. Most of the time the doctors are not aware of what is actually happening in their office. Good luck w/ your dog and good luck w/ these doctors.

He pooped many times on Cheney's lawn on Euclid Ave. in Highland Park (Dallas).

:grouphug:

He learned so quickly! Of course my dispensing of liver treats after those initial craps in Cheney's yard helped seal the deal. All the while I was tormenting Dick Cheney (and Lynn) at the Highland Park Village Starbucks. Dick drove a 2-door Cadillac Elderado. I drove a mint 1965 Porsche 356SC at the time. On the back window I had a permanent "Texas Democrat" sticker, and I rotated other messages as I saw fit ("Green Peace" got time there). Dick always eye-fucked my 356 when he and the ice-queen left Starbucks. But I could see the chest-pain set in when he saw my back window. I talked with Cheney a couple of times in Starbucks and he remembered our crossings in DC during Gulf War-1. I covered the Pentagon during Gulf War-1 for a major air&space magazine.I put him on the spot during a Pentagon press briefing by asking what the disposition of the Iraqi Air Force and civilian air fleet was. He was stunned by my question. We don't have an answer almost 15 years later!



Sweet, sweet Sirius

as he claimed when he was chosen as Bush's running mate in 2000. I watched as his car pulled into his Highland Park home while he said he was a resident of Wyoming...give me a fucking break...when the hell will people wake up :argh:

...I'm also sorry you had to deal with that crap-o letter. Your response was excellent! :-)

Seriously...I hope all goes well with your dog.

send it. absolutely.

I hope he has a speedy and full recovery.

As the guardian of a female black lab, I can tell you I would have done the same thing you did in a heartbeat. The letter they sent you was definitely insensitive to your situation.

my uncle and brother are mds. and two more arrogant bastards do not walk the earth.

letter was excellent. Let us know if you get a response.

When I was younger (in my 20s) -- I had a very uncomfortable experience with a Dr. (gyno) who I had been going to for several years. Out of the blue, he had the gall to tell me he liked my perfume, and to wear it next time as he was performing a breast exam. (Must have lost his bedside manner with his old age). I didn't say anything at the time, but I knew I would NOT be back. Livid, I paid my bill. When it came time the next year to go for an exam, I found a new doctor, and arranged to have my files sent to her.

The first Dr. called me at home, and asked me why I was leaving -- wanted to know why, wanted to know why -- I kept telling him that it was just time for me to move on, and I was not at liberty to discuss the matter -- not wanting to get into anything. He asked where I would be going to and then he belittled my OB/GYN choice (she had just graduated -- funny, I've been with her almost 20 years, and 5 years ago she delivered my son). He kept pressing, and finally I exploded and told him his bedside manner was terrible, that he shouldn't say things to his patients that were of a personal nature, and that he was out of bounds. I told him you WILL send my files, and you WILL NOT contact me again about this. And then I hung up.