Healthcare sucks here.

oldaunt

oldaunt

professional hermit
Location
Oregon to Arkansas in 3 easy stages....
So here I sit, out of my prescription. Pharmacy and I have been trying to get the doc to deal with it for over a week and the doc is not responding. Try to call the hospital doc works for, and the main number won't ring through. Called several other numbers to get through, and was dropped 6 times before I got where I neded to be. GREAT medical professionals, don't you think? This is the stuff that helps to keep my lungs working.
 

Many of you folks living rural have so many problems with doctors, etc. Here in NYC there are SO MANY doctors, several to each block, all loving to welcome me & my needs. So why I stick with my present doctor beats me except I am so lazy.

I can pick & choose around here. Your location affords many things but seems great medical care isn't one of them. Whereas I give up different stuff living where I am.
 
My Doctor here in Toronto responds to e mails within an hour, then he faxes the script renewal directly to my Pharmacy, which will have it ready in 2 hours, for either pick up or free delivery to my home. Standard practice here in Ontario. JImB.
 

What a difference.

For my atorvastatin CVS will text me that I'm due for a refill. Text 1 to refill is all I have to do & the next day I get a text that my refill is ready for pick up. When out of refills & about 15 days from being out CVS will text me to tell me to contact my doctor.

Calling my doctor gets the message to select 2 to request prescription refills. A person will verify my name, date of birth & ask what I want refilled. Two days later I get a text my refill is ready for pick up.
 
oldaunt said:
and the doc is not responding
Click to expand...
I'm having similar problem, I'm due in a few weeks for my next Prolia injection and have been waiting over a week for the doctor's office to act or reply to my request to have the dxa scan faxed to a doctor here in Maryland so that they can order the shot in the way that it is covered by Medicare (Medicare won't cover it if my doctor sends a prescription for it, only if a doctor orders it through the doctor office).
 
Never had a problem yet. Communication between doc and the pharmacy is excellent and quick. The only pain in the a$$ lately has been the automated phone service from home to pharmacy. It's a relatively new phone system (at the pharmacy) where you have to wade through automated prompts to finally get to a human.
 
HoneyNut said:
I'm having similar problem, I'm due in a few weeks for my next Prolia injection and have been waiting over a week for the doctor's office to act or reply to my request to have the dxa scan faxed to a doctor here in Maryland so that they can order the shot in the way that it is covered by Medicare (Medicare won't cover it if my doctor sends a prescription for it, only if a doctor orders it through the doctor office).
Click to expand...
I get a infusion of Remicade every 54 days, at a local infusion clinic. I have been doing that for at least 5 years to treat my colon problems. NO need to call anyone. By the way, here in Ontario that yearly cost is about $10,000 BUT because I am a senior, the Ontario Trillium Fund covers 100 percent of that cost.

SO, what is the Trillium Fund ? It is a branch of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, which operates ALL of the casinos and horse racing track in Ontario. ALL of the profits from the gambling locations go to the Trillium fund, which pays for a number of things, including MY medications. SO every time some body buys a lottery ticket anywhere in Ontario , a few cents goes toward paying for my biological treatments. The Trillium Fund also buys needed equipment for schools that serve special needs kids, and it also provides home assistance devices for seniors and disabled people across our Province which has a population of 14 million people. JimB.
 
chic said:
My mom has had the same issue and she lives in a city. Lousy! 😖
Click to expand...
Yes, I've experienced sketchy service in several places (in Canada). A city where no doctors were taking new patients. Another city with a world-class hospital, but it took the ambulance half an hour to get there with my daughter. The ambulance that refused to come, for complicated reasons that boiled down to it being a Saturday night. So I kind of roll my eyes when people tell me my small town doesn't have proper medical services.
 
If you get your healthcare from one single doctor, that could be a problem. He can't be everywhere and do everything for everyone since he's only one person. Best I think, is a clinic with multiple caregivers who can fill in. That's what I have now with nurses and other clinical staff with a system designed to foresee every need. Mine is not perfect but close.
 
The healthcare in my small community is pretty good. I like my primary care physician. He's about 60 years old. I asked him when he thought he might retire and he said in about 10 years when he's 70. Assuming I'm still alive then, I'll be 76 and will need to find a new doc. Not looking forward to that.
 
For me, it depends on the doc and the med. Some docs have good efficient staff, and some don't. The docs, who work in a medical group are the best. But I'm on some meds that have to be "reviewed" by the insurance co. every few months, because of their cost. It may take 3-4 days until the doc sends info to the ins. co. I always keep a fund of 4 days' worth of pills. And I'm on an opiate-which is a pain in the butt with all the stupid opiate regulations. Yeah, they are addicting, but they also take away the pain. DUH.
 
Here, if you receive regular medications, your prescription is renewed automatically and you just drop into the pharmacy (you can choose which one you use) and pick it up. If you have a change of prescription, this is sent to the pharmacy so you don't have to do anything.
Prescription medicines are free in Scotland (I think England is the only place that charges), but you pay for over the counter ones.

You mention reviews because of cost. Something similar must happen here because although you get the same medicine, it can come from different manufacturers and in different packaging.
 
Manatee said:
NYC, my father was in a NYC hospital in 1967 with lung cancer. A doctor came in and looked at him and said "he is terminal". Said doctor who had never seen my father before then sent a bill for $3500. I don't miss NY.
Click to expand...
How ridiculous. I had lung cancer in NYC and was treated like a queen. It was different in our father's time, though. Lung cancer was an automatic death sentence back when our fathers died. My dad had almost the same thing happen except his doctor felt really sad "You're good people," he said, but results the same. I have been hospitalized too many times to count, and have been treated as if I'm a rich person.

It is very different since 1967, and for my dad, 1981.
 
Here in the UK, we've got the NHS. Great for some prescriptions others are expensive and you get those life-saving medicines by the Postal lottery. The latter one is bizarre.

However, to my bits... LOL! We'd just moved into our new place and had to register with GPs (Doctor's office). I go to them only when I need help, otherwise I use herbal medicines for wee ailments.

Back in March 2020, had gained weight, had been grieving and depress for 5 years, due to sudden loss of our 26 years old son to a rare cancer. I was a mess. Woke up one morning, unable to breathe properly. My thyroid gland had swollen up.

By the time hubby got an appointment, Pandemic happened and first lockdown occurred. Needless to say, appointment was cancelled not even for an emergency. Push to shove, I grabbed the "Fire Heat" rub and covered my neck and Thyroid. Hubby provided hot tea, coffee anything to clear the swelling. It took two days and I survived. Phew!

Unable to get medical help and assistance, no phone answered either which was strange, I researched online, all I could on hypothyroidism (where thyroid gland goes sluggish and you put on weight). My problem!

Found out that selenium was lacking within our Scottish soils. I couldn't get the correct medication for thyroid perse but I knew that selenium and iodine were the key (especially iodine) in the past years I'd suffered.

Thankfully, Holland and Barrett had some great selenium. Changed regular table salt to Pink Salt and White Rock Salt. Got vitamins with iron (for anaemia) iodine for thyroid. One tablet a day, vitamin and selenium. I've now lost 2 stones (around 28lbs) and since hubby's passing back to about 5-6 hours sleep. I've more energy and have a flat neck area where thyroid used to bulge.

Finally, my NHS Card, found it after digging into multiple boxes. Was very surprised that I haven't had a registration with a GP/Doctor since 2012... It may be free and without the need of health insurance but at the end of the day, getting these services, is another ball game altogether.

I'm now waiting until after the holidays to bring my form to health centre. No need to rush. Spectacles aka glasses have been replaced after 5 years. Funky reading glasses a sneaker brand, lol! Regular distance lovely two tone. Dentists don't take NHS patients lately. So, I'll probably be another year with less than 10 teeth LOL!

At the end of the day, if you get services, they're top notch if you can't get help it sucks... I'm hoping. Later🤓
 
Last edited:
oldaunt said:
So here I sit, out of my prescription. Pharmacy and I have been trying to get the doc to deal with it for over a week and the doc is not responding. Try to call the hospital doc works for, and the main number won't ring through. Called several other numbers to get through, and was dropped 6 times before I got where I neded to be. GREAT medical professionals, don't you think? This is the stuff that helps to keep my lungs working.
Click to expand...
Next time you see your doctor, ask the receptionist for the clinic's directory or list of phone numbers. And ask if there's an on-call nurse or MA that takes patient's calls. That helped me a lot...my medical group has a lot of very specific departments.
 
When something is critical to our well being its best to be VERY proactive. Perscriptions should never be run toward the end before making sure a refill is set up.
 
Supernatural said:
At the end of the day, if you get services, they're top notch if you can't get help it sucks...
Click to expand...
Good description of the situation here as well.
fuzzybuddy said:
Medical care ain't cheap. Somebody has to pay, even if the patient can't. We haven't figured out a good way to do that yet.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, and getting worse. It is the outcome of a third party payer system. I have no good solutions, only bad examples...
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top