I
treat uninsured patients and insured folks who face high deductibles who are
under financial strain because of the sagging economy and other personal
pressures. These folks need care that
may be unaffordable. Medical diagnostic
testing is expensive. Even routine
laboratory testing can be very costly as those without insurance may be forced
to pay the ‘retail cost’, which is quite different from insurance company
discounted pricing. This absurdity is
often seen in the emergency room where an uninsured patient can be billed
thousands of dollars compared to an insured person who has received identical
medical care whose insurance company will pay a fraction of this amount. Crazy.
Because
I am a human being, I try to be sensitive to my patients’ financial
concerns. Does the uninsured patient before
me really need a CAT scan or a colonoscopy?
Couldn’t we just watch and wait for a week or two and spare him from the
expense?
Consider
this scenario. A 50-year-old uninsured
patient comes to see me with fever and right -sided lower abdominal pain for 3
days. The pain is nearly constant and
has awakened him from sleep. He had a
night sweat during the night prior to my seeing him. In the office, he looks uncomfortable and had
a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
His abdomen was moderately tender when I palpated him. I am aware that he cannot afford medical
care.
Which
of the following responses do readers endorse?
“While
normally I would advise a CAT scan, I am going to prescribe antibiotics
instead. Call me 2 days from now to let
me know how you are doing.”
“Let’s
do an ultrasound (US) test to see if you have appendicitis. While a CAT scan gives much more information,
the US is much cheaper.”
“You
probably have a ‘bug’ that has been going around. I’ve seen a lot of it lately. Just take fluids and rest. Use Tylenol for fever. Give me a call in a few days. If it gets worse, you had better head to the
emergency room (ER) to make sure you don’t have a burst appendix.”
“I
advise a CAT scan as you may have any of a number of conditions that the scan
may identify. I know money is very tight for you, but I can’t back off this.”
“Go to
the emergency room. I know that you are
still paying off the $1,900 bill from your ER visit 2 years ago. This visit will cost even more, but I can’t
put a price on your health.”
I’m
interested in what readers think here.
Do you favor any of the above responses or, perhaps, you can suggest one
that I’ve omitted. How should doctors’
advice be modified in response to patients’ financial conditions?
I’ll
offer my view on this next Sunday.
Consider this scenario. A 50-year-old uninsured patient comes to see me with fever and right -sided lower abdominal pain for 3 days.
ReplyDeleteFalse scenario. In my neck of the woods, I wouldn't be seeing you at all. Your gatekeeper--after ascertaining my name and lack of insurance--would inform me that you are not seeing new (uninsured) patients. You don't have to offer him ANY advice . . . your gatekeeper has saved you from this decision-making quandary.
--Melody
What are the vital signs? We know his temperature is 100 F.
ReplyDeleteIf you are really concerned about cost, then I would advise him to immediately see surgeon XXX who doesn't take insurance. Unless you do colonoscopic guided appendectomies.
@Melody, thanks for the comment. While I can't account for what the gatekeeper might say, I do see patients w/o insurance.
ReplyDelete@Steve, haven't yanked out an appendix with the scope yet. You would send to a surgeon? Wouldn't surgeon likely insist upon a CAT scan?