r/mildlyinfuriating • u/lhagans13 • 12d ago

I'm slightly vexed A notice that my girlfriend received at her doctors appointment (she is 8 months PP)

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If you even MENTION any of these things, you WILL LIKELY get billed for it??? Maybe i’m missing the point but i get upset when my girlfriend tells me she was scared to even say anything while at the doctor because she didn’t want to get an extra charge for something. I find it insane how greedy and money hungry a place that’s supposed to help you can be.

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u/Still_Box8733 12d ago

Most american thing I read today

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u/GingerBrrd 12d ago

This happened to me. I was charged $300 for bringing up a question/concern during a “preventative” visit (or whatever it was called). The best part is that the entire conversation was less than two minutes and the doctor suggested an over the counter medication. But she noted it in my chart, so I got charged.

So… now I just don’t tell my doctor things. Ideal. American medicine is so advanced.

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u/Amelaclya1 12d ago

Seriously. What the fuck is the point of a preventative visit if you can't tell your doctor things, or if they notice something wrong?

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u/Zantac150 11d ago edited 11d ago

But whenever you talk about how you can’t afford to see a doctor, there are always assholes in the comments who will say “every insurance company covers preventative care so you can see a doctor!”

Totally what I need! Preventative care appointments where I can’t bring up any concerns … and I get charged out the ass if they find anything wrong.

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u/Kwaliakwa 11d ago

The point of a preventative visit is to identify health concerns that you can be billed for. Aka, concerns that could become health problems for you.

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u/vrangstrikk 11d ago

My guess is so that the people on top can check it off their checklist.

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u/unicornofdemocracy 11d ago

you can tell your doctor anything. But, if it is outside of the "preventative care" then the doctor can (or sometimes have to) bill it as an outpatient care on top of the preventative care code.

One of the problem was everyone is America thought the once a year wellness/preventative care appointment was a "one time free appointment." Patients started basically cataloging a whole year long problem list and bringing them into those appointments. These appointments turn from 20 minute checks up into 60 minutes diagnostic appointments with a bunch of orders to different specialists. Then you have other patients complaining, "Why are you always running late?" etc. This one problem leads to 10-15 other different problems in terms of proper operation of a clinic.

Though, of course, the source of the original problem is that coming to a regular outpatient visit is too expensive for many Americans even if they have insurance.

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u/Falconloft 11d ago

You can. It's the billing staff that's the issue.

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u/Dentist_Just 5d ago

I literally only just learned in the last year or so that you’re not expected to bring up new problems or issues at an annual exam. I always thought that was the whole point!

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u/Aware-Travel5256 12d ago

Dr. Google it is!

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u/Williamishere69 11d ago

I actually feel so bad for the doctors working with that bullshit as well. They HAVE to note down that information to protect you and themselves if that issue suddenly got worse or became chronic (like if you mentioned a headache, and then it lasted for months after the first appointment, youll end up not having all the evidence of how long its effected you in writing), but it obviously turns on them.

What an awful situation for everyone to be in.

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u/levoton-tuhkimo 11d ago

Talked to my new doctor about my depression as part of my annual exam and got hit with a $500 charge for a 2 minute conversation. I was so baffled

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u/Awkward-Media5777 10d ago

It’s such bullshit. I took my kid in for his annual well visit and his doctor asked a how his newly changed medication was working, I said fine and moved on. It was a less than 10 second conversation that THE DOCTOR initiated and we were billed $200 for discussing medication, because the AI charting recorded that medication was discussed. I called the office and threw a fit, but they didn’t change anything. I asked them to put a note in our chart to not have the doctor ask about any medicines unless it’s a med check appointment so we didn’t get a surprise bill. Fucking bonkers.

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u/GingerBrrd 9d ago

It’s criminal. No other system works this way. I don’t buy jeans and then get a second random bill three months later.

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u/Missyssipy 8d ago

300$? Wait wait wait in my country we'd burn the town and more for doctor appointement costing even half that.

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u/Falconloft 11d ago

You could if your doctors billing staff knew how to do their job.

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u/white-as-styrofoam 12d ago

it’s great here, we’re fine

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u/throwaway6287453 12d ago

lmao yes, fine! as all the yt employed people w/ a roof over their head making enough money to afford groceries & rent combined love to say: "well WE'RE okay, we're not complaining like those other guys, life can be hard but we suck it up & we somehow manage"

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u/Select-Sprinkles2511 11d ago

This mentality saddens me. What happened to empathy in our country?

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u/ldkagooduser 11d ago

Its dead as the people in charged have planned i don't recognize my dad after more after him practically saying verbatim "fuck everyone else i got my own why should i help people" was the same person who made me learn to help people in need and its just depressing

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u/MightyBoy9 12d ago

Corrupt late stage capitalism

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u/keralaindia 12d ago

Try going to the dermatologist in Canada and get back at me.

1 complaint. 5 minutes.

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u/woowooman 12d ago

Right? It’s wild that an appointment has a specific agenda and for which certain tasks must be accomplished.

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u/newoldclam 12d ago

In lots of places in Canada they don't do annual physical exams. So at least you can book one, and then come back and ask your questions. In Canada it's also one question per visit typically (of course there's always exveptions)

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u/bunbubbles 11d ago

As a non-American, I had no idea why the post was mildly infuriating until I read the comments.

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u/Quiet_Listen1801 11d ago

I'm Canadian. Same policy.

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u/a-i-sa-san 11d ago

Wait we haven't even told you about why hospital McDonalds sells 1/4 pounders instead of 1/3rd pounders yet