My sleep Dr. Dropped me

[Pugsy]

This was on fb this morning. 8C274C7C-44CA-4C3A-ACA7-15F40F2AF756.jpeg

Not a viewable file.
Can you capture it for those of us who eschew fb?

I can see the image just fine.

[ChicagoGranny]

It shows on some of my browsers, not on others.

[babydinosnoreless]

It was just a screen shot of the ad. Thanks for posting the link CG, I'm not sure how to post it any other way.

[chunkyfrog]

Just an ad, then?
What would we ever do without commercials!

[babydinosnoreless]

Just an ad, then?
What would we ever do without commercials!

They offered a free prescription with the purchase of a machine.
I figured it might be helpful for the op.

[ChicagoGranny]

They offered a free prescription with the purchase of a machine.
I figured it might be helpful for the op.

It might be helpful to a lot of people reading this thread. But, I hope the OP goes to his family doctor and says he doesn't like the sleep doctor and the next closest sleep doctor is x miles away. A decent family doctor will write scripts for whatever the OP needs.

[chunkyfrog]

They offered a free prescription with the purchase of a machine.
I figured it might be helpful for the op.

It might be helpful to a lot of people reading this thread. But, I hope the OP goes to his family doctor and says he doesn't like the sleep doctor and the next closest sleep doctor is x miles away. A decent family doctor will write scripts for whatever the OP needs.

Nailed it, Granny!

[Lucyhere]

I doubt my new sleep doctor would consider dropping me, even if I wrecked his office. His pool with a water fall and hot tub isn't quite completed yet.

[chunkyfrog]

I doubt my new sleep doctor would consider dropping me, even if I wrecked his office. His pool with a water fall and hot tub isn't quite completed yet.

GOOD ONE! Lucy.

[babydinosnoreless]

They offered a free prescription with the purchase of a machine.
I figured it might be helpful for the op.

It might be helpful to a lot of people reading this thread. But, I hope the OP goes to his family doctor and says he doesn't like the sleep doctor and the next closest sleep doctor is x miles away. A decent family doctor will write scripts for whatever the OP needs.

Most of us lost our decent family doctors when O not care happened. Now I have a primary who refers me to a million different specialists and not one of them fixes anything they just all blame the other guy.

[hueyville]

My primary care who is also an internist won't write any sleep prescriptions, even for my Lunesta much less equipment as feels all of that is a specialists job. The issue is his group is a conglomerate with a sleep group, orthopedic group, cancer group, etc. If I think my leg is broken he won't even look at it even if their ortho group says they don't have an open appointment till following week. When get a doctor in a "network" they do everything possible to keep you with an in network specialist so the group is more profitable.

Had a great general practitioner and a "do-all" specialist but when Nobamacare gradually took more control as new rules phased in every January five of my doctors required and three of you wife's quit. My new primary and new internal medicine doctors are in groups that give doctors ten mutes per patent and have to see six per hour to make production. That counts washing hands, reviewing charts and moving rooms. My wife's bone specialist said before Nobamacare he broke even on an average patient office visit ad made mone on procedures. Second year of Nobamacare he was losing 45 dollars per Medicare patient and third year 80 dollars per Medicare patient visit so dropped all insurance and went to cash only for a year then retired.

My good general practitioner who also is a personal friend told me one December planned to never retire then on February 1st about six weeks later sent letters to all patients saying he was locking the doors in two weeks and not booking a appointments not already booked those two weeks but to please come pick up our records if we wanted them. I had seen him over 30 years and he had over 400 pages of notes and test results. He told me he got back his tax return from CPA third week of January and saw he had gone in the red by $35,000 year before due to Nobamacare reduction of benefits paid and having to hire more staff as most Medicare claims had to be filed with additional information at leat three times before they paid. Crazy part is he used to be closed half a day on Wednesday and all day on Fridays and was in a paid for building but started working all day Wednesday then added Fridays trying to make up for lost revenue and increasing insurance prices but still could not compete.

Soon all practices will be groups where patients are shoved through like a cattle auction where you mostly see nurse practioners and physicians assistants and only see a real doctor for about three to five minutes in pre-op before a procedure and will be under anesthesia when he does his work. I already have one doctor that used to do all his clinicals and patient treatment from writing scripts to surgery. He said he had choice to join a group and do things their way or become the group. Now he has 22 locations and 40 doctors working for him. Except for old patients like me new patients see the doctor n first visit the P.A.s for the rest of time except for when have procedures. He has his own surgical centers at a dozen of his locations and the rest are adjacent to hospitals. The doctors are all surgeons, work two operatories and while working on one patient have a second surgical team prepping next patient in another room. All the doctors just walk back and forth between two operatories and do procedures. Doc says it's the way most medicine will be except in rural areas where doctors will have to send patients to closest big city for any specialty work.

I looked online and my new Respironics Dreamstation BiPAP autoSV was $3,500 to $3,700 unless purchased a refurbished machine. As much as insurance costs me will let them pick up the tab as that is about a single months premium for me now being 57 in a good PPO with low deductible/copay at beginning of year with all my issues. Before 2007 I basically went in for checkups. After breaking spine three times due to drivers texting and one fall plus a deer running out in front of my motorcycle an average year since 2009 I get E.O.B.s on $150,000 to $270,000 in total payouts per year so am getting my $3,250 per month premium back. Wife has one medicine for her bone disease that is $3,300 per month and Medicare won't pay so we pulled her out of disability back on company payroll and buy private insurance as its cheaper than Medicare with an F Plan supplimental. With my spinal issues and her bone disease we have learned how much health care costs in U.S. When Obama was voted in my PPO insurance was $800 per month. His last year in office it cracked $3,000 per month so that was Nobamacares gift to us. Since Trump took office has only gone up $150 per month. Good luck finding a door as have had five retire on me and two fire me because my case took too much time. Luckily I have a great sleep doctor just six miles from home.

[ChicagoGranny]

My family doctor is in a large hospital group. He has been great. He is careful to take plenty of time with me on an office visit, makes sure I understand everything he says and makes sure all my questions are answered. I can get in touch with him by message through the group's portal. He has answered in as little as 15 minutes, and the longest was two hours. You could mark the message "Urgent", but I haven't had any like that.

He has referred me to three specialists who are not in his group.

He has been nothing but accommodating including writing scripts for CPAP supplies and a CPAP machine despite his group having a nearby sleep clinic.

And, I have a Medicare Advantage account that is nearly trouble-free.

Now, I do live in a desirable metro area. A lot of doctors want to come here. This makes for competition which makes for quality improvements and cost improvements.

I am sorry for others who are not in such a good position. Particularly in rural areas, things can be not so good.

[bluper@cableone.net]

Hi DH,
Yes there are other sleep clinics in NM! I live in Roswell and it is a 6 hour round trip drive to any of them. It isn't practical for me to do that. Thanks though.

[chunkyfrog]

Hi DH,
Yes there are other sleep clinics in NM! I live in Roswell and it is a 6 hour round trip drive to any of them. It isn't practical for me to do that. Thanks though.

Bluper: your cardiologist or PCP may be able to help you.
Share your tale of woe with them.
Include your inability to get a new prescription, due to your dickhead/EX-sleep doc.

[colomom]

Hi DH,
Yes there are other sleep clinics in NM! I live in Roswell and it is a 6 hour round trip drive to any of them. It isn't practical for me to do that. Thanks though.

I feel for you. It’s easy for those who live in cities to tell you to find another doc, easier said than done when you live in a small town with limited resources far from any city like Roswell.

I to am in a small town with limited resources (even smaller than Roswell) the nearest small city to me is a 7 hour round trip trek.

One benefit of COVID 19 is it has opened up tele med opportunities. With elective appointments being cancelled, surgeries being postponed, and hospitals having to furlough workers; you may have a unique opportunity to get a tele appointment with someone in ABQ who hopefully would sign off on your script.