Doctor revisit

jjjade

hey guys

i visit my doctor when im sick and pay a fee and get better. if what they prescribe doesnt work and im still sick he allows me to come back without paying another visit fee. didnt solve the problem so technically he will treat me with no fee until he solves the issue.

this is a great service my doctor offers and my family and friends also have doctors who supply the same to their patients.

my query is, is this law? reason why is one of my friends is sick and went to the doctor got prescribed drugs and this didnt clear up the problem. she called her doctor and they advised her she will have to pay the 55 euro again to get viewed for the same issue, is this right?

why should the charge full amount if most of the leg work was done in a previous visit? if this is law is there anything online i can give to her like a document so she can show to her gp.

as usual any advise is good!!!

keithclancy

jjjade wrote: »

hey guys

i visit my doctor when im sick and pay a fee and get better. if what they prescribe doesnt work and im still sick he allows me to come back without paying another visit fee. didnt solve the problem so technically he will treat me with no fee until he solves the issue.

this is a great service my doctor offers and my family and friends also have doctors who supply the same to their patients.

my query is, is this law? reason why is one of my friends is sick and went to the doctor got prescribed drugs and this didnt clear up the problem. she called her doctor and they advised her she will have to pay the 55 euro again to get viewed for the same issue, is this right?

why should the charge full amount if most of the leg work was done in a previous visit? if this is law is there anything online i can give to her like a document so she can show to her gp.

as usual any advise is good!!!

Because everyone is different
i.e. Person goes to doctor is prescribed anti biotics, person goes out on the lash for the next 3 days.

Person still sick with same issue, not the Doctors fault.

watna

I think it depends on the doctor and their discretion whether they charge you for having to go back. Our family doctor would never dream of charging you if you didn't get better and went back to see him again. In fact, I had a virus for about 2 months when I was younger and had to get weekly blood tests. He never charged me for taking my blood and giving me the results. I think I paid for two appointments in the whole two months.

Other doctors will want to charge for their time. That's how they make their money and they won't want to give their time for free when a paying customer could have that appointement instead.

antoinolachtnai

It is great that your doctor offers this.

In general, there is no 'warranty work' in the medical business.

jjjade

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

It is great that your doctor offers this.

In general, there is no 'warranty work' in the medical business.

lol warranty work.

thank you all for the postive advice!

just wanted to query this, i just taught my friend would even be offered a discount as i have mention the doctor did already do the leg work, why charge full amount for a second visit for the same issue.

ah well can win them all!!!

Mountjoy Mugger

There is no harm in asking for a reduction in the fee.

axer

This is between the two parties of the contract. Your friend should have agreed this with the doctor the first day. Your friend was paying for the consultation and expert medical advice which were both given the first day there is no obligation that I am aware of that a revisit should be free. I think it should be however but that is irrelevant.

Pudding11

My own doctor has a policy that where they charge 55euro for the first visit and 30euro for a return visit within 1 week.
Every doctor is different though!

wmpdd3

Yeah mine is the same, the visit within the week, is called a 'review' consult. This is 25 compared to 60 got the initial.

Drummerboy2

I had to go to the Doc who ordered blood tests, I paid him for the first visit. When I rang up for the results, he told me I would have to call in to see him. I did and everything was fine, but the old fart charged me another 50 euros for the second visit. Rip off

MASTER...of the bra

Drummerboy2 wrote: »

I had to go to the Doc who ordered blood tests, I paid him for the first visit. When I rang up for the results, he told me I would have to call in to see him. I did and everything was fine, but the old fart charged me another 50 euros for the second visit. Rip off

Change your GP.

dudara

More importantly, let him know why you are changing. The message has to get out there that some of these costs are too high.

hdowney

Drummerboy2 wrote: »

I had to go to the Doc who ordered blood tests, I paid him for the first visit. When I rang up for the results, he told me I would have to call in to see him. I did and everything was fine, but the old fart charged me another 50 euros for the second visit. Rip off

that is just :eek::eek::eek: i don't even have the words. you had NO reason to need to see him if the blood tests were fine, seems to me like he was trying to scam you out of an extra fifty quid. i would deffo jump ship now.

picturehangup

Sorry to bump this old thread, and hope I am in the right forum, but just wondering how GPs are operating their businesses these days, as it seems to be getting more difficult to register with a practise at all.
Since December, I have attended my GP with a very serious rash (even had a visit to a and e with anaphylactoid type reaction over the festive season) which is still not resolved. I visited my GP practise (can never get the same doctor) FOUR times to be prescribed the same treatment which is not completely working, and I have been charged 60 Eu each time. Is that most people's experience now
Granted, I have been referred to an allergist on the last visit, and currently waiting for a private appointment.

Xterminator

Hi Op

have you ever heard the saying the closed mouth doesnt get fed?

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=A%20Closed%20Mouth%20Doesn%27t%20Get%20Fed

simply put if you are unhappy speak up about it. next time you visit the doctor express your unhappiness and tell him what you would like him to do to resolve the situation. Usually if you are with your doctor on a second visit and say to him, 'i hope you not planning to charge me full price i was with you a week ago and paid full price then!' they will be reminded to charge less.

simply going outside and paying the receptionist the full wack each time and then feeling sore about it after doesn't get your money back!

that way if the doctor doesn't agree and thinks you should pay full price he can justify himself.

homer911

My Doc charges for a repeat visit if its linked to the original visit. I once went to another Doc (convenience) who gave me a week of antibiotics. I went back after the week, still not better, and was charged for a fresh visit. Last time I went to them!

Xterminator

Xterminator wrote: »

Hi Op

have you ever heard the saying the closed mouth doesnt get fed?

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=A%20Closed%20Mouth%20Doesn%27t%20Get%20Fed

simply put if you are unhappy speak up about it. next time you visit the doctor express your unhappiness and tell him what you would like him to do to resolve the situation. Usually if you are with your doctor on a second visit and say to him, 'i hope you not planning to charge me full price i was with you a week ago and paid full price then!' they will be reminded to charge less.

simply going outside and paying the receptionist the full wack each time and then feeling sore about it after doesn't get your money back!

that way if the doctor doesn't agree and thinks you should pay full price he can justify himself.

I’m not sure where you are getting this from, probably wishful thinking. Every GP has their own way of charging and view on repeat visits.

In the above poster’s case, the GP is waiting on a definitive diagnosis by a specialist/allergist/dermatologist and as such can only offer treatments to reduce the symptoms rather than a possible cure. The poster knows this.

Doctors treat chronically ill patients everyday, many who have to return multiple times. Though a medical card may cover many, those which it doesn’t, pay each time in most cases. Medical care/treatment does not come with a guarantee to cure all ills, trust me, health professionals are not the least bit shy about charging, nor justifying their fees, a reminder of the type you describe would most likely be met with confirmation of the fee.

Xterminator

If you read my comment you will see it is a little more generalized than the specific scenario.

We are discussing what the OP should do if unhappy with being charged full fees for revisit.

some comments were saying just switch doctors, but i made the point he should address the issue in person with the doctor. if the scenario warrants a full fee then the doctor can justify this to his customer, and yes the doctor should always be able to justify his fees.

It is my experience a doctor will consider a reasonable request to consider it a repeat/ follow up visit.

picturehangup

Just to update, I rang the receptionist to ask her what the practise policy was, regarding repeat visits.
I had to go back, as I ran out of a very powerful antihistamine that can only be prescribed.
Plus, my blood pressure needed to be checked too, and my rash, to make sure I don't go back into full anaphylaxis.
I was informed that you need to re-attend within a 7 day period to be entitled to a reduced fee.
I was just just outside of that each time.
If that's the policy, hen that's the policy.