Mine is starting oct 1. I never called when I was prego, but I guess they had to start charging for a reason. Twenty bucks for a consult.
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@matador84: Is this over the phone? or...?
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@Bao: yep!
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@matador84: Wow that's a lot...no charge here so far.
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No charge at my dr's so far. Does insurance cover the cost?
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I think that's terrible - pregnant ladies should feel free to call their doctor's office if they have questions about things!
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@mrsbookworm: nope.
I just remembered the sign also said for prescriptions if you're sick and it's not pregnancy related. Makes sense to me though.
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No. I don't think he does nurse consults, because everytime I called the office, they out him on the phone.
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I don't think I like that policy. I guess they could have been getting too many calls and want to deter people from calling unless they really need to, but it seems a little stingy. Pregnancy can be nerve wracking - you should be able to ask questions.
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wtheyll?
Um, no...
Trust me, I called like 10x hehe -
@mrsbookworm: he's a great doctor, but it in a practice so it's just him and two nurses. I think back to how many times I called for just peace of mind or dumb stuff with my first pregnancy. Multiply that times 50 a day and I guess they had to do something?
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@TurtleDoves: I've called at *least* 10 times already, and I'm 11 weeks!
This would not be good news for me. They always tell me to call with questions, so I do. I don't think I would be comfortable only calling when I have to pay $20. Yuck.
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I understand why they're doing it, if it's such a small practice. It probably takes up a lot of their day. On the other hand, I would hate to think someone wouldn't call with a legitimate concern because of the money issue...
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my ob office only charges if it's after hours and it's deemed a non emergency (something that couldn't wait until when the office was open.)
i think it's ridiculous that your dr's office is charging for all calls. it's definitely going to deter some people from calling and who knows if one of those times would be a life or death situation, for mom or baby.
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My OB office only charges for ultrasounds and any tests that have to be sent to a lab. Everything else is "free". Charging for a phone call is crazy!
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No, and I think that's outrageous! FWIW I also went to a small practice- 1 doctor, 1 nurse, 1 admin. I didn't call that often but I can't even imagine having to take into consideration the cost of a call.
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Omg... no my doctor's office did not charge for that. There was an answering machine you left your message on and the nurses would call you back within 4 hours during business hours.
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Nope, mine has the same policy as @jmarionsmith.
My Former EYE doctor, on the other hand, used to charge $45 for a follow up call from his technician... A follow up call, that was initiated by his office AFTER my appointment just to see if my contacts were good.. Urgh.
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Whaaat?! That's BS.
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No charge for phone consults...that's crazy!
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That stinks! Mine was a large practice but still...I would have gone broke if I had been charged for all the times I called! I worry that women who have to watch their wallets might not call when they really need to!
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I really think an attitude like that toward answering patients' questions would make me change practices.
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Wow that's crazy. We don't get charged at all for these phone call consults or emails.
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No but if they did I would of gone bankrupt. I word switch offices over something like that. That is just not encouraging woman to call when something could be wrong IMO that's just plain wrong.
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So it's $20 to call in, tell the nurse your symptoms, and get a prescription faxed over? (pregnancy issues notwithstanding)?
That doesn't seem unreasonable. But what calls would an OB take if it's not pregnancy related? If you're sick, wouldn't you call your family dr??....
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@blackbird: My primary care doctor will not do ANYTHING to help me while pregnant. I had vertigo and while I was at my OB's office, they told me to call to my primary care because they thought it was an ear issue. Primary care said since I was pregnant they didn't know what I could take and said they could do nothing for me.
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@shootingstar, but you're a pregnant patient.....so that counts as pregnancy to me!
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No, not that I am aware of
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My OB doesn't (at least not when I was pregnant) but our peditrican charges if we are on the phone for more than 5 minutes.
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@blackbird: usually an OB is also a GYN, so it could just be "woman" related. (BC pills or whatever)
I guess I get it, with the nature of the economy lately. It's not great, but maybe they're having a not so great fiscal year and it's better than raising rates for things.
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@blackbird: Yeah, but they determined it wasn't pregnancy related. I just happened to be pregnant while having an inner ear issue.
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No mine doesn't, but that kinda really stinks...$20 is a lot of money for a phone call! I've only called once (and was on the phone for less than 5 minutes, definitely not worth $20) but my mom is an RN in labor and delivery and a lactation consultant (plus she had 6 kids of her own) so I usually just text or call her if I have an issue.
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I personally think that health care providers should bill for time like lawyers do. But this is likely bc I am a nurse practitioner. I spend hours per day on the phone with patients/families and never bill for it. And all of the fmla/disability paperwork etc takes tons of time too.
However, I do think the fee for a phone call should be lower than $20, or at least on a sliding scale for income.
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My OB does not charge, and neither does our pediatrician.
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Our office is moving towards billing for phone consults. We won't be charging for short "yes, that's normal and okay" or factual information calls.
But, if it is a question that involves more than a cursory review of a patient's chart and medical history, collecting new information about a problem/symptom, or initiating a new medication, we're going to be starting to charge soon.
Basically, if it something we could and would bill for if the patient were present in the office, but they phoned instead, we want to collect a fee for it.
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My OB has a call-in hour with a nurse everyday at 11. No charge, but sometimes I'm on hold for a long time. I think this is a good way to do it bc 1)you're not going to stay on hold for a question that's easily Googleable and 2)it allows the docs and nurses to pay attention to the patients who are there to see them.
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@blackbird: I guess a lot of women call their ob...weird or just me?? @LuLu Mom: our pediatrician charges also for after 5 minute calls. $15. I don't see it as any different than my obs office charging.
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@Meltini: wouldn't that be how you are covered under your insurance, not your doctors office? I pay nothing when I go except the amount towards their fee for delivery.
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@matador84: Nope. I have a high deductible plan and am not even half way to meeting my deductible. They have not charged my insurance or myself for anything other than lab work and ultrasounds. Seeing the doctor, seeing the nurses, and calling in to talk to the nurses are "free". Obviously it will be included in my doctor's hospital fee which is why I am using the word free in quotes. If I were to deliver with someone other than my current OB, I wouldn't owe a dime for my office visits.
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