GP Costs

Socorro

Not sure where to post this but...

Needed to get a repeat prescription for my contraceptive pill so I rang doc and was told to come in and get blood pressure taken before I could get the repeat prescription. Went and got this done this morning and was shocked to find they charged €50. Is this normal? I mean, I was in and out in 2 minutes!

sam34

when on the contraceptive pill you should have regular blood pressure checks.

and yep, that is a consultation and as such warrants a charge.

mlumley

sam34 wrote: »

and yep, that is a consultation and as such warrants a charge.

That aint consultation, that is gouging. :eek:

Socorro

Yeah I was expecting the BP check but really didn't think I'd be charged that much for it.

Didn't know that classed as a consultation, good to know thanks! Glad I didn't make too much of a fuss now!

Still think it's a ridiculous price though.

Socorro

mlumley wrote: »

That aint consultation, that is gouging. :eek:

That was my reaction too!

esharknz

Same here, although from time to time, I've been in and out in a couple of minutes, and have been charged the lower rate for repeat consultations.

sam34

mlumley wrote: »

That aint consultation, that is gouging. :eek:

:rolleyes: of course it's a consultation. the op got a bp check and a prescription.

op, for future reference you could ask if the practice nurse does bp checks, that would be cheaper than seeing the doctor and they could then organise the repeat script for you.

Ihaveanopinion

to put it in another context, say you need to get a document notarised - you have to go to a notary public. All the procedure involves is a stamp and a signature - takes two seconds. How much do you think you get charged!!

Its a professional service you are looking for - of course you are going to get charged.

I'm sure you're aware OP the contraceptive pill, although it is one of the more commonly prescribed items by GPs (for females of a particular age group) it still carries the risk of blood clots, increased blood pressure, fluid retention etc. so you need to get your BP checked when going in for a repeat prescription and recorded in your chart in case , god forbid, something happened to you. So yes, a BP check and repeat prescription would count as a consultation if the doctor saw you.

My old GP down the country never charged me any more than €20 for a consultation of this type. Some of my family and friends still attend him and he never goes over the €30 mark, if he charges at all. Such a decent man, has always been, nearing retirement at this stage, wish there were more of his type around...:)

I recently got charged €65 for the same thing by a practice in Dublin. I had to bite my lip and pay out the €65 to the receptionist who didn't bat an eyelid at the amount while asking me for the money. All I could think of for the rest of the day was the €45 odd more it cost me than with the GP down the country and how hard it is to earn these days, esp living in Dublin !! :mad:

So OP €50 is quite an amount, but there are better/worse deals to be had for that type of consultation it seems

Hal Emmerich

:eek::mad:

That is all.

No harm asking what the fee is before booking an appointment. I think charging full whack for this type of consultation is taking the piss. Charging follow up consultation rates would be more appropriate.

john__long

Whats the call out fee for your dishwasher repair guy or similar?

Do you raise as much of an issue about that?

It's like Ihaveanopinion said, you pay for the service you get/want/need.

pegasus1

sam34 wrote: »

that is a consultation and as such warrants a charge.

For two minutes that is 1,500 euro an hour..:eek:

rang the docs yesterday for a repeat,the receptionist said come in to get it in the morning, went down this morning, they didn't have it...now have to spend an extra fiver on fuel to go in on monday...fecked if im paying for any repeat charges...

ricardo1

Ring a number of surgeries explain your dilemma and get a price for the consultation you would need approx ever 6 months.
Get the best price and go back to the original surgery and tell them you're switching unless they at least match that price.
Remember the consumer dictates the price of goods not the vendor.
Don't like the price don't pay.

pegasus1

pegasus1 wrote: »

For two minutes that is 1,500 euro an hour..:eek:

rang the docs yesterday for a repeat,the receptionist said come in to get it in the morning, went down this morning, they didn't have it...now have to spend an extra fiver on fuel to go in on monday...fecked if im paying for any repeat charges...

That sounds like poor service. Seeing as though you had the courtesy to phone in the previous day they should have had it ready when you came in this morning. Otherwise they should have done it for you while you were there this morning rather that making you come back on Monday. That would never happen in the surgery where I work, over-busy and all as it is.

opinion guy

sam34 wrote: »

when on the contraceptive pill you should have regular blood pressure checks.

and yep, that is a consultation and as such warrants a charge.

Nurse or pharmacist can easily check her BP. Does not merit a consulation.

sam34 wrote: »

:rolleyes: of course it's a consultation. the op got a bp check and a prescription.

op, for future reference you could ask if the practice nurse does bp checks, that would be cheaper than seeing the doctor and they could then organise the repeat script for you.

Shoudl have been explained to her ahead of time that it was gonna cost 50EUR.
I'm sorry but this is just gouging. 15EUR for a script would have been fair. Doc has a hard neck to charge 50 for this.

Ihaveanopinion wrote: »

to put it in another context, say you need to get a document notarised - you have to go to a notary public. All the procedure involves is a stamp and a signature - takes two seconds. How much do you think you get charged!!

Its a professional service you are looking for - of course you are going to get charged.

Notaries charge a wide range of prices from 10eur to 110eur. The same can't be said of GPs

Yes it can. Not all, but some it can.