Blood Test Results

Golfwidow

Am I entitled to copies of my blood tests?
Back in the beginning of August - I went to see a doctor about my thyroid
( Hashimotos)Consultation was €250. He then asked me to deposit €325 for blood tests and a Cortisol test which I did. I returned to his surgery the following week for the blood draw for which I was charged a further €35. So that’s €610 altogether!!! And I still have no results nor receipts for these tests - just an invoice by email from himself, the doctor. I sent an email expressing my concern that I am waiting so long for my results. The doctor replied today with no apologies for the delay, telling me that my results are in but I must make another appointment with him to discuss. No mention of what my results entail. At this point I just want my results and I am happy to discuss with another doctor. This doctor’s fees are outrageous as far as I’m concerned and to take so long to get back to me is not fair! Also he will charge minimum of €125 on my card to talk on skype if I cannot make his surgery. I just want my results!!! What are my rights please????

Peregrinus

Ethically, doctors are not supposed to just send you the lab report; they have an obligation to ensure that you receive the information in a context in which you have the assistance you need to understand it, and to understand its implications for your health and your options regarding treatment, if the question of treatment arises. That's why they like you to come into the surgery to get your results.

If you have no confidence in this doctor, or for other reasons don't wish to retain him as a medical adviser, that is your right. You can go to another doctor and ask him to get copies of the test results and communicate them to you with appropriate interpretation, advice and counselling.

spurious

Change doctor. I have the same condition and my doctor is happy to give me a print out of the blood report and talk me through it. I do not have a medical card and just pay the 50 euro consultation fee. No charge for the bloods which I get done in a local hospital.

0lddog

OP, if you and your Dr are in RoI then this may be relevant

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=94723830

Martina1991

Golfwidow wrote: »

Am I entitled to copies of my blood tests?
Back in the beginning of August - I went to see a doctor about my thyroid
( Hashimotos)Consultation was €250. He then asked me to deposit €325 for blood tests and a Cortisol test which I did. I returned to his surgery the following week for the blood draw for which I was charged a further €35. So that’s €610 altogether!!! please????

That is an outrageous fee you GP charged. Whatever about the €250 for a consult, I don't know where he was pulling the €325 from.

GP practices don't pay for the tests to be carried out, the blood tubes or the request forms. The HSE provides all that.

I would change Dr. if I were you.

Glass fused light

Martina1991 wrote: »

That is an outrageous fee you GP charged. Whatever about the €250 for a consult, I don't know where he was pulling the €325 from.

GP practices don't pay for the tests to be carried out, the blood tubes or the request forms. The HSE provides all that.

I would change Dr. if I were you.

Is the doctor in Ireland and registered with then Irish Medical Council?
Was the consultation with a specialist or a GP?
And was the blood testing to be through the "normal" public system or did you by chance go fully private?

Golfwidow

Glass fused light wrote: »

Is the doctor in Ireland and registered with then Irish Medical Council?
Was the consultation with a specialist or a GP?
And was the blood testing to be through the "normal" public system or did you by chance go fully private?

He is a GP who specializes in thyroid matters which is difficult to find. He sent the blood tests to the UK but only showed me an ‘invoice’ for those tests with his name on the sheet - no receipt. I’d like a receipt. I’m supposing that I’m entitled to a receipt ? I’ve had the phone call to discuss the results. He did not even discuss payment for this. The conversation lasted 20 minutes . A couple of days later €125 had been taken from my bank account. He had obviously kept my card details. I’m shocked and angry at this. Again no receipt or acknowledgement of phone call. Surely this is not legal ?

Golfwidow

spurious wrote: »

Change doctor. I have the same condition and my doctor is happy to give me a print out of the blood report and talk me through it. I do not have a medical card and just pay the 50 euro consultation fee. No charge for the bloods which I get done in a local hospital.

Can I pm you please?

Golfwidow

Glass fused light wrote: »

Is the doctor in Ireland and registered with then Irish Medical Council?
Was the consultation with a specialist or a GP?
And was the blood testing to be through the "normal" public system or did you by chance go fully private?

Yes - I went private. He insisted on sending bloods to UK which was odd as I’ve had the same bloods taken and analyzed here.

Happyilylost

Golfwidow wrote:

Yes - I went private. He insisted on sending bloods to UK which was odd as I’ve had the same bloods taken and analyzed here.

Did you visit a private consultant? Or is this person a GP?

Golfwidow

Happyilylost wrote: »

Did you visit a private consultant? Or is this person a GP?

He is a GP who specializes in thyroid. I went to see him privately. He was recommended through a FB forum. I saw him privately.

Martina1991

Golfwidow wrote:

Yes - I went private. He insisted on sending bloods to UK which was odd as I’ve had the same bloods taken and analyzed here.

Do you know where in the UK? I can't think of any reason why he would send them to the UK when Irish laboratories can provide the same tests routinely.

Even more specialised test requests can be sent to your local hospital and then sent abroad via courier, again all paid for by the HSE.

Happyilylost

Golfwidow wrote:

He is a GP who specializes in thyroid. I went to see him privately. He was recommended through a FB forum. I saw him privately.

Ok. I didn't think GP had private like patients. Anyway. Not sure if it helps you now but to see a private consultant in Galway who specializes in thyroid issues is €200 with bloods included first visit and €90 for a return. Only bloods I can think of that need to be sent to the UK is plasma Metanephrines which take six weeks to be returned. The cost of all you investigations sounds very high (TFT bloods and the like are routine and not expensive)

Martina1991

Martina1991 wrote: »

Do you know where in the UK? I can't think of any reason why he would send them to the UK when Irish laboratories can provide the same tests routinely.

Even more specialised test requests can be sent to your local hospital and then sent abroad via courier, again all paid for by the HSE.

I can think of many reasons, bare in mind that the HSE sends samples to the UK and US for testing, unless you have been living under a rock you will know that US land were used for smear tests and at the moment Irish Labs have months of backlog.

Op is private patient and was aware of this from the start, as such, assuming prices were discussed before the tests were done, the Dr is free to charge what they wish. No op, you are not entitled to a copy of the Lab invoice, that is between the GP and the Lab, you are of course entitled to a receipt from your GP for the services provided by the GP.

In most cases, GPs will not discuss test results over the phone.

Martina1991

Dav010 wrote: »

I can think of many reasons, bare in mind that the HSE sends samples to the UK and US for testing, unless you have been living under a rock you will know that US land were used for smear tests and at the moment Irish Labs have months of backlog.

Op is private patient and was aware of this from the start, as such, assuming prices were discussed before the tests were done, the Dr is free to charge what they wish. No op, you are not entitled to a copy of the Lab invoice, that is between the GP and the Lab, you are of course entitled to a receipt from your GP for the services provided by the GP.

In most cases, GPs will not discuss test results over the phone.

What reasons are you thinking of?

I'm well aware of the smear tests being sent to the US.
The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association warned the HSE and the Cervical Screening Service in 2007 of the risk of outsourcing our smear to the USA due to the different testing protocols and the disconnect between their screening program and our clinical services for women.

The smears were outsourced due to the large volume of patient samples and lack of staff to deal with the workload. If our Irish labs were not understaffed we could have dealt with the workload and not have had to outsource our screening service.

Blood tests are completely different, and the tests the OP had carried out would have been routinely available from an Irish lab.

I don't the OP was made aware of the costs. He/she has called them outrageous, and they have no idea what the fees were paying for.

ienduredQcon

250 euro for a consultant wouldnt be bad. if hes a specialist then hes not just a gp. and if hes sending things off to the uk its probably because its not a normal thyroid panel. there are doctors who do things like heavy metal testing of your hair and vitimin testing and other obscure things that arent the usuall gp thyroid panel. which by the wya costs 10euros even to unemployed people. my aunt went to beaumount recently to the a and e and they recomended she come back and see the gp whoch was gonna cost her ..i cant remember exactly the amount but at least 150 quid ...some doctors are around 80 quid some can be 60 depending. but private gp is more. and a private specialist would be mroe than a private gp so this doesnt seem uncommon. i know a lady who sees a specialist privately for her condition and her phone cosultations cost 70 euro ,,,,so it is dear. also he should not be taking your money without you knowing what your paying for which should be available for you to read somewhere. he should definitely give you your test results printed out so you cna share tha twith any other medical team you have and should absolutely give you a receipt. they should also have a complaints procedure for you to complain and if not you can complain to the medical board. i mean you dont even know if this guy is even a doctor by the sounds of it. but it doesnt sound like a lot. my aunts visit would have cost similar and many people are paying a lot if they dont have insurance and the hse are not helping them they end up going to private and that costs a bomb.

notabogsnotion

Under GDPR you may be able to make a request for your blood test results? Not sure on this.