Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Nov
14
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“The Doctor Doesn’t Do Interviews, But You Can Make An Appointment For $500.”
“The doctor doesn’t do interviews, but you can make an appointment for $500.” – Receptionist at the OB office, when a mother called wanting to schedule an interview to determine if the OB was a good fit.
There are 27 comments to this post.
I think that she meant for the medical one, but I had exactly the same thing. I called about it and they said they didn’t do interviews. So I called up and scheduled an appointment to be seen, at the appointment I indicated that I am thinking to switch, so the doctor didn’t inspect me. She was a bit annoyed during appointment, but seemed like a good doctor so I switched.
but I hate when doctors do that, they should give you like a 15minute limit or something, on the other hand, I do realize that the doctor would have to spend their time to see you, and if you don’t pay for their time, during which they could be treating someone else, they just lost that money. I sort of see both sides of this.
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First reaction: Don’t ALL contractors have to do interviews to get work? Because that’s what you are, pal.
Second reaction: Never mind, you just told me everything I need to know.
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If it makes you feel any better I tried to get an appointment with the guy who delivered my last two babies in spite of him not being on which ever insurance we had that year just for an annual check up to pay out of pocket was $500 for a new patient. It had been about 10 years and that was for the works, but I couldn’t even get them to budge on the “new patient” part. Sometimes it is the office manager who is the jackass. This might actually be an indication of a good doctor with a solid reputation who keeps plenty busy, and a staff that doesn’t like the way he will keep them there past quitting time.
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To contrast this, I interviewed my midwife twice, the first time alone because my husband couldn’t be there (I recorded that one), and once with my husband. And she refused to charge me for either because, as she said, “You haven’t decided if you want to hire me yet”!
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This might just be an indication of an in-demand doctor who uses this method to cut down on new-patient inquiries. Doesn’t mean he’s necessarily good – just in demand – and this sort of response would put me off completely even if I could afford $500 for an interview without blinking, but it’s not bad medical practice. Just irritating.
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What??? I’m in metro NYC and a doc appt, even for a consult, is no more than $125. Even my fertility doc, who is very well known, charges $240 for an hour long consult if you’re paying OOP. $500? REAAALLLLYYYYY?
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BG Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 7:07 pm (Quote)
Probably a high-end, in-demand OB. The most skilled obstetricians with the best success rates, particularly if they own their own practice, can charge quite a lot. Of course, insurance will cover it, because the insurance companies know those are the doctors who don’t make the mistakes that cost more in the long run.
Especially true for a specialist in some concern, like an OB who specializes in patients with endocrine issues or something.
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With my third pregnancy I called my midwife and scheduled my first prenatal appointment. Not an interview, a prenatal, because I already knew I wanted her at my next birth. Then I miscarried a week before the appointment. I still went to the appointment to make completely sure that I had miscarried (she listened with the doppler – nothing there) and get advice on whether I was okay to travel and have sex. When I got up to leave at the end of the appointment, I went to the receptionist and asked what I owed them, because it was still an appointment, even if I wasn’t pregnant anymore. She told me to not worry about it. They wouldn’t charge me anything (and I tried to pay them). So for a doctor, who you do not have a previous relationship with, to charge you for an interview in which he does NOTHING for you except answer questions pertaining to his style of practice, and to charge $500 dollars, is nothing more than outrageous.
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My first was born at home with a midwife. Long story short I kind have lost all faith in the midwives in my town.(Las Vegas) I’m still undecided whether to use a doctor or midwife. This was my first call, the website had good info, but no doctor does interviews. Big shock to me since all midwives do and contractors (I’m in the process of remodeling my kitchen) and I have always heard from “experts” to interview your doctor and find one thats a good fit. This reception was actually the nicest. With the other receptionist I talked to I was literally laughed at, called a drug addict, told I have to be interviewed and approved before meeting the doctor, the on the that laughed at me and called me a drug addict also said that “shopping around for a doctor” was wrong and irresponsible. I was told once by Gyn/Ob manager or whater you call them that I don’t pay them my insurance company does, so therefor they are not my employee. Every office I talked to wanted money up front for an appointment, but “doctors don’t do interviews”. I have an interview with a midwife this week, we will see how that goes
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C.Pratt Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 5:47 pm (Quote)
Oh wow, that really doesn’t sound like a momma friendly area! I don’t know anything about midwife practices in your state, but I know that where I am there are good ones and bad ones, and sometimes you just don’t know. But that goes for OB’s too. I’m sorry you are having such a hard time and wish you good luck in your journey.
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BG Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 7:20 pm (Quote)
It’s strange that OBs do that– I know most non-OB doctors do that because honestly you can’t get through even an internship without someone doctor-shopping for drugs, but OBs usually figure pregnant women won’t bother because doctors won’t give them opiates anyway.
Of course, charging you is sensible; unlike a midwife who has maybe 50 patients a year and provides all the prenatal and postnatal care herself, a competent OB will have hundreds of patients and every second you talk to them is time he could be spending helping a woman who is already uynder his care. Also, unlike midwives or contractors, an OB is not looking for patients. Simply listing yourself in the phone book as an OB can provide you with more than enough patients to meet all your needs, and you have to be truly incompetent to lose enough patients to threaten your practice (or operate a charity clinic).
Personally, I recommend asking around of the other mothers in the area, and calling and asking to talk to a NURSE about the doctor’s policies. The staff can answer most questions about the policies to rule out the worst offenders,then you can schedule a routine prenatal check with one of them. If you don’t like them, you can then schedule your next appointment with another.
Just remember, doctors don’t work like midwives or contractors because the demand drastically exceeds the supply, and treating them like an employee is not the way to go about it. They do NOT need your business, they have 50 women ready to take your slot. Think of them as a well-known artist who doesn’t need to take commissions.
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Lil had this to say,
Nov 15, 2011 @ 10:17 am (Quote)
Wow! Bit of an eye opener this one. I have never liked the idea of paying doctors, the hypocratic oath, like many things, can be forgotten too easily when greed takes over….but I never even considered it would be *that* high a price!
The really sad thing, from my point of view, is you guys seem to pay HUGE costs, and yet you’re getting treated in the same (often bad) way as those in the UK who get it for free! Seriously, the only way to tell the difference between the location of posters is often their spellings or names! My sister went private for a while, she ended up paying to see the same doctors as she had before she went private, the only difference was she got a private room to herself…she was so bored she spend most of her time in the NHS patients’ room chatting to them!
I may moan and complain about my OB etc, but at least I haven’t got myself into debt paying for the lousy treatment!
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Rebecca Reply:
November 16th, 2011 at 7:52 am (Quote)
I usually don’t pick at spelling, but this one made me laugh. The doctor’s oath is the Hippocratic oath. However, I think you’re probably right, they take a ‘hypocratic’ oath in that they’re all a bunch of hypocrites that can’t even keep their own stories straight.
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Add Your Comment.
What does a *medical* appointment cost?!?
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BG Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 5:03 pm BG(Quote)
I think the receptionist is saying that’s all you can do, schedule a medical appointment. The doctor won’t do non-medical appointments, probably because they are in such high demand due to the huge shortage of OBs in the country.
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Heather P Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 7:40 pm Heather P(Quote)
$500 is an outrageous price for an office visit.
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