Returning to the doctor, do you pay another consultation fee?

daenerysstormborn3

My boyfriend recently went to the doctor as he was very run down, tired all the time and having breakouts on his face (he's 34 and never had skin problems in his life). The doctor did a test for diabetes, he said it was to rule it out more than anything else as there is no history of diabetes in the family but obviously my boyfriend was concerned as neither of us know a lot about the different types of diabetes.

My boyfriend is going to go back tomorrow to get his test results, he was told they would be in tomorrow and he would like to go in and talk to the doctor himself. He is just concerned that he will have to pay another 60euro for the visit which he actually doesn't have.

What I'm wondering is, is there no system in place whereby if you are returning to a doctor under these circumstances you don't pay for another consultation or you just pay a partial fee, say 10/15 euro?

The reason why my boyfriend wants to go into the doctor and not just get the results over the phone is because if it is diabetes he is obviously going to need to have an in depth conversation with the doctor and if it isn't diabetes he wants to find out what it is.

(I wasn't sure what forum to put this in, hope this is the right one.)

nesf

Varies from GP to GP. My one charges a reduced rate (at most) for a second appointment and has seen me free in the past for quick consultations where just the results of a test of mine were discussed.

RobFowl

nesf wrote: »

Varies from GP to GP. My one charges a reduced rate (at most) for a second appointment and has seen me free in the past for quick consultations where just the results of a test of mine were discussed.

+1
Varies from practice to practice. If you phone first they should be able to tell you the practice policy.

AndrewJD

Spoke with a GP about this a few weeks ago. For her there was no specific practice policy, she would decide on a case by case basis. I think follow-up appointments were often €30 (50%) and if it was just a quick test result type thing it could be free. Even if the practice doesn't have a hard and fast rule on it, they could ask the GP and get back to you. It's certainly not an unreasonable request to check these things. Good luck with the results.

dissed doc

I find the insecurity of this situation disgusting. He has the test results, as you paid for the test, get them to forward the results by post. Then, pay your money instead to a consultant or specialist that the GP will undoubtedly refer you to anyway.

€120? That is insane, for the advice of a non-specialist. A consultant is around €150.

RobFowl

dissed doc wrote: »

I find the insecurity of this situation disgusting. He has the test results, as you paid for the test, get them to forward the results by post. Then, pay your money instead to a consultant or specialist that the GP will undoubtedly refer you to anyway.

€120? That is insane, for the advice of a non-specialist. A consultant is around €150.

Just want to make three points
i) It's the interpretation of the results or results that's important
ii) If you can find a specialist accessible within a day or 2 (and for €150) then good luck !
iii) 90% + of healthcare issues can be dealth with in primary care alone. Countries with direct access to specialist do not have better health outcomes overall and specialists tend to be swamped with routine problems and issues. The most obvious being gynaecologists in the USA being the usual source of routine cervical screening.

daenerysstormborn3

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately, my boyfriend had to pay another consultation fee of 60euro. He told them in the office that he didn't think it was fair because it was a follow-up appointment and they said he could either pay the fee or get a bill to the house within 3 days and have 30 days to pay it. So he's going to drop the money into them when he gets the next installment of his grant. It's the same doctor he has gone to for a good few years so he is reluctant to change but hopefully this will convince him.

RobFowl

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately, my boyfriend had to pay another consultation fee of 60euro. He told them in the office that he didn't think it was fair because it was a follow-up appointment and they said he could either pay the fee or get a bill to the house within 3 days and have 30 days to pay it. So he's going to drop the money into them when he gets the next installment of his grant. It's the same doctor he has gone to for a good few years so he is reluctant to change but hopefully this will convince him.

I feel that's quite poor form TBH. GP's are obliged by law to publicly display their pricing structure. Some times writing a complaint or feedback to the GP/practice can be more productive than you think.