Glad I'm Not Sick

[deserteagle71]

I carry a VA medical card but have yet to use it. Remember a few years ago the big stink about veterans not able to get appointments with the VA? The media has moved on to talking about Trump, I guess, and forgotten about the problems with VA medical care. Got a phone message from the VA asking why I hadn't come in for a physical yet...to "call this number and make an appointment". I've called that number innumerable times in the last few months. Each time, the phone will ring and ring and ring and finally a recorded message comes on telling me to call back when they aren't so busy. So I've yet to get ANY medical care from the VA. That same old problem of access still exists...but the media is tired of talking about it.

 

[mrmikey]

I called my family Dr. at 8:30, told the receptionist "I may have broken my second toe but what concerns me is the big blood blister on top." She said can you be here at 10:00? Yep.

I used to have a Dr like that, she was awesome, until....She wanted to go less than full time and the gvnmt said 'nope, ur full time' so she went teaching instead. We lost a good dr.

We are in a rural area 60 miles from the big city. Not many specialists here but otherwise regular doctor appointments are fairly quick and even going to a new doctor is only a 2-4 week wait.

ER has been 0-20 minutes. Surgery? Neurosurgeon saw me on a Friday and operated the next Thursday. Cataract surgery took about a month for the first eye and the second one was done two weeks later (that doctor divides his time among several areas each week.)

The brother of a friend had an unexpected heart attack one evening. Local hospital did heart surgery and he went home that night.

I just checked, the local ER is posted as a 23 minute wait.

I wish. Couple of weeks ago my daughter was telling me it was a couple hour wait just to get triaged at the local ER.
I don't know the story behind this but there were two of deaths in the NB ER a couple weeks back

 

[bigtiller]

I used to have a Dr like that, she was awesome, until....She wanted to go less than full time and the gvnmt said 'nope, ur full time' so she went teaching instead. We lost a good dr.


I wish. Couple of weeks ago my daughter was telling me it was a couple hour wait just to get triaged at the local ER.
I don't know the story behind this but there were two of deaths in the NB ER a couple weeks back

Really? A government can dictate how many hours a Dr. must work? What country are you in?

And what is NB ER?

 

[Doofy]

I carry a VA medical card but have yet to use it. Remember a few years ago the big stink about veterans not able to get appointments with the VA? The media has moved on to talking about Trump, I guess, and forgotten about the problems with VA medical care. Got a phone message from the VA asking why I hadn't come in for a physical yet...to "call this number and make an appointment". I've called that number innumerable times in the last few months. Each time, the phone will ring and ring and ring and finally a recorded message comes on telling me to call back when they aren't so busy. So I've yet to get ANY medical care from the VA. That same old problem of access still exists...but the media is tired of talking about it.

I have yet to use the VA also. I have Medicare and my retiree insurance and have been afraid to throw the VA in to that mix. I'm sure it would mess everything up.

 

[ultrarunner]

Really? A government can dictate how many hours a Dr. must work? What country are you in?

And what is NB ER?

I have pilot and over the road CDL friends and the government most definitely dictates how many hours.

When I had High School work permit the hours I could work was dictated too.

 

[bigtiller]

I have pilot and over the road CDL friends and the government most definitely dictates how many hours.

When I had High School work permit the hours I could work was dictated too.

In your 3 examples, they usually want to work many more hours and that turns into a safety thing. That is the opposite of what mrmikey said. His Dr. wanted to work less hours.

 

[mrmikey]

Really? A government can dictate how many hours a Dr. must work? What country are you in?

LOL, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Apparently so, this was over three years ago and I have no idea what the thought was behind it, I don't imagine they would dare do that now.

And what is NB ER?

Sorry, New Brunswick Emergency Room

 

[KennyG]

I'm not sure how much of the issue is lack of available staff and how much is that medical people have decided they don't need to work as much. My dentist is open 4 days a week. My wife's doctor has office hours 4 - 1/2 days a week. If you call after hours, the message tells you to go to the emergency room.

I remember when we were told the medical costs were high because we didn't have insurance or family doctors and just used the emergency room. Now, if you try to call the offices they tell you to go to the emergency room if you don't have an appointment.

 

[Doughknob]

No problems here. But I go to my GP once a year for a checkup; that's it. I take all minor things like blood blisters, achy joints, cuts, upset stomach, ear wax, in stride.......

 

[ultrarunner]

Sometimes part time work schedule isn’t available or hard to get if benefits included.

When the hospital decided full benefits required 24 hours in the work week many nurses and docs opted for 3/5 schedule.

It became a problem because employer still on the hook for medical as the big one… plus the 20-30 hours annual training that is mandatory.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Being or getting sick cost money! And these days, doctor appointments are often months out rather than in the old days of hours or days.

 

[mrmikey]

Here's one for you, a not uncommon experience unfortunately

 

[MinnesotaEric]

In our area, the local hospital/health clinic organization is one of the top three employers. It seems you can't turn around without seeing a medical facility of some sort. Today (9/14) I called to schedule my annual physical. Earliest appointment - January 11.

The last time I needed medical care, I had severely impacted ear wax that I couldn't clear. The walk-in clinic couldn't do anything and referred me to a specialist. Earliest appointment was three months. With some creative self doctoring, I took care of it myself.

Dental and vision care is a little better. If you are an existing patient, you can get a checkup appointment within one to two months.

Is this the new standard for every place?

I had the same problem when I was a yonger person. While the guy worked on me, I took note of the tools he was using, which were cheesy, plastic thingies with tiny, little loops at the bottom. Extras were stores in cups. On my way out, I nabbed a few of each size and told them so. Those dumb, little things have saved me twice ever since from my shoving ear plugs in just about every day.

 

[m1garand762]

Same way here some of the best hospitals in the world are less than an hour away but you’ll die waiting for a appointment. And if you go to the we plan on being misdiagnosed. I went in with gout ( which all I needed was a script for cohlcrys I have had gout for year )and they said it was a rattlesnake bite. I would have know if that happened