If you work in a doctor's office, what kind of patients drive you crazy every day?

I have been a medicaid recipient and on the other end of some of your complaints. I would like to reply.

First, *I* was treated different the second they realized I was on medicaid. My oncologists were always great, but when it came to seeing other types of doctors, they made it clear they disdained that I dare be a young person on medicaid before they even had a chance to know what kind of patient I am. They lost interest in working with me to find a solution, they lost interest in follow ups and reg check ups. I was told doctors were not accepting new patients even though my oncologist or other doctor had just confirmed that they could take a new patient and sent a referral and all i needed to do was call to set up the apt.

I usually tried to call to cancel the appt, but sometimes its difficult. I know some think, youre on medicaid and not working how hard is it to pick up a phone? But I was going through cancer treatment.. I was incredibly sick, sometimes I slept through apts because of my meds. If I had several apts in one day its hard to sit on the phone for an hour and half waiting the office staff to pick up. I WAS charged a no show fee when it happened.

I argued with doctors over referrals because it was a cluster f to see anyone else. I was 21 and uninsured when I was diagnosed, so the only doctors I had seen when I was signed up were my oncologists. They just put the general practice side of the hospital I was being treated at as my primary physician's office. So my oncologist would write a referral, send it, everything would be fine until I called to set up the actual apt, and then no, you cant, you dont have a referral. YES I do. no, it has to be from your gp. I dont have a gp. Who is the doc listed on your card, you go back to see them. There isnt a specific doc, its a practice group, and since I was never a patient there, they wouldnt take me either. I tried to get this fixed through medicaid, I was rarely able to actually communicate with my case manager - they never returned calls. So every time I needed to see someone other than my oncologist it was a huge battle to get seen.

I was seeing an allergist at one point. I have had year round allergies since I was a teen, and have sinusitus issues, but none of the typical products had been helping me like zyrtec and claritin. I dont respond well to the nose sprays either. So while I was trying to describe what was going on, I also mentioned that something covered by my insurance would be awesome as spending $50 a month on over the counter meds that werent helping was really hurting. My phone rang while I was in the office, it was an iphone. My cell bill is now and was then cheaper than what a land line would be, and the actual phone was a gift. The doc's attitude changed 180 degrees. he made comments that sounded sarccastic about what a nice phone I have, and if I can have a nice cell with all the bells and whisltes surely I can afford to go to costco and pay for some zyrtec.

Which brings me to your comment about beautiful nails and hair and this and that. When you are broke like that, you figure out how to do things cheeply. I can make my hair look like an expensive salon do with nothing more than some time. I do have hair products but I have choosen products that are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. For example I have redkin leave in conditioner. $20 on discount, and I have made that thing last over a year. I bought a flat iron for 30 4 years ago and it works perfectly today. hair pins cost pennies. Same thing with nails. If you know how to do it yourself and where to get the supplies, you can do your own nails for a dollar or two. Its not my fault you have never looked for this kind of stuff and pay $50 every two weeks for your nails. Its not my fault you know nothing about your hair and have to spend money to get it done. I wore nice clothes too. I live in an area with a fairly large good will and SEVERAL other thrift stores. Its not my fault you paid $200 for the outfit I spent 15 on. You can often find knock off shoes online for cheap, and I am really easy on shoes so they last a long time. I search for sales and wait for coupons.

As far as demanding to get in immediately.. When I have solid green thick snot pouring out of my nose telling me I have to wait a month isnt going to do me any good. The 6-12 week waiting period for mental health wasnt exactly helpful either. I am bipolar, by the time the 6-12 week wait was up, I was already out of the depressive or manic state I was in when I called, and no longer cared. When I did keep the apt, all I got was a dude staring at me with a skeptical look the entire time who prescribed me a medication I told him I did not react to well when I was on it before.

So, maybe just think about the way you all treat medicaid patients when complaining about their behavior.

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Actually, dentists make MORE money if you have your teeth pulled. Dentures, bridges and implants to replace missing teeth all costs spectacular amounts of money if you want to be able to continue chewing food rather than gumming a liquid diet. Doesn't make a difference to most dentists. If you made an informed decision to have a tooth pulled and are aware of the consequences, a dentist will pull it. In the New York City area where I am, a dentist charges around $200 for an average filling on someone with teeth, and $1200 for an arch of denture (complete or partials) on someone missing teeth. Do the math. Whoever thinks having your teeth pulled will put dentists out of business is an idiot. :-D

Please tell us where your office is located so that all we scummy Medicaid people can avoid it.

Mind you, a couple of doses of cancer and you could be one of us, trying hard to look normal while some nurse turns her nose up at you.

Edit: I'm Canadian and we all have "Medicaid" here, and expect to be treated with outstanding courtesy and respect. The top hospital that I use has a special mission to street people, who are treated as kindly as I am.

Well said! Although I never worked in a physician's office, I have worked at two home health agencies and am a healthcare teaching assistant.

My favorite comment by a Medicaid recipient? We teach pharmacy technology at the school where I work, and a student told me that the recipient had to pay 69 cents for a prescription. Recipient: "It was only 30 cents last time! Did it go up? I shouldn't have to pay for this at all!"

I believe that the reason many Medicaid recipients (not all of them, mind you) behave this way is because their care is free, or even very inexpensive. Often when someone is given something, or practically given something, they do not feel it has much value and treat it accordingly. They didn't have to work to earn it, so it means little or nothing to them.

I am a working individual with private insurance, and I have had to forego appointments, treatments, procedures, and diagnostic tests that my insurer refused. Fortunately, I have always worked either in a healthcare setting or healthcare education, and am surrounded by licensed people who can give me good advice.

People who work in healthcare offices are saints. They may see and talk to hundreds of people a day, and no one goes to or calls a physician's office because they feel great. They're sick, impatient, and angry. By the time they come in for an appointment, they've usually been sick a while, had to take off work, and then have to wait to be seen. Not a good scenario for either them or the office staff.

I have seen many offices that prohibit children in the waiting room unless those children are patients. "If you bring young children to your appointment, it will need to be rescheduled." This may be something (if possible) that your office manager (unless it's you....) can address.

Please don't burn out. We need more healthcare workers, whether they're doctors, nurses, aides, or the people that keep the front and back offices running.

I would say the most annoying people at my work are the people who have little or zero understanding of healthcare psychology. You know the ones who are clearly very prejudiced to those in their care. Maybe the lady with the 5 children has nobody to help her care for them, maybe the people who cancel have to juggle many things in life and sometimes they have to make sacrifices. If I was your manager and could Identify you, I would sack you. You shouldn't be working in health 'CARE'. Go work in Abercrombie or Hollister where you are permitted to not give an ef about equality diversity and rights.