Monday, May 16, 2011

Flattery

Mary: "Okay, your co-pay for today's visit is $50."

Mr. Aetna: "No, my co-pay is $25."

Mary: "It's $25 for your internist, sir. According to your card, a specialist, like Dr. Grumpy, is $50."

Pause

Mr. Aetna: "Here's $25. He wasn't that special."

22 comments:

Frantic Pharmacist said...

Not to worry, Dr. Grumpy... WE still think you're special !!!

Mockingbird said...

Have Mary tell him that Dr. Grumpy is artisnal, and his copay for that IS $50.
Otherwise, he isn't allowed to leave and will have to work off the remaining $25.

Holly said...

Yeah, so why does a couple extra years of school make you so special anyway? Huh? Huh?

Officer Cynical said...

Come on, give the guy credit. That's funny.

GunDiva said...

Oh no, Mockingbird, if Dr. Grumpy is artisnal, the copay has got to be at least $150!

quixote said...

It's not the couple extra years of school.

It's the reflex hammer.

And he knows how to use it. Plus, if he uses it, that'll be another $200.

So just pay the $50, Mr. Aetna, and back away slowly.

J-Quell'n said...

That made me snort. Yes. Snort.

Anonymous said...

That's just cold. Maybe on his next visit, he needs a prescription for something that will give him night terrors...

C said...

I think he is going to have a bunch of bills from a collection agency and after awhile, it will be more than $25 because there will be interest charges.... I once got a mildly nasty letter 6 mos after physical therapy saying I owed $4.00. Whatever. I paid it.

DixieLaurel said...

How can you argue with that?

ERP said...

You didn't prescribe him enough Dilaudid.

The Redheaded Pharmacist said...

Bickering about a co-pay? Man that sucks Dr. Grumpy. That never happens at the pharmacy (yeah right). I need a sign at work that says "I can neither confirm nor deny your co-pay!" People will still ask me though. It's just the way it is I'm afraid.

Moose said...

Mary needs a Mr. Bat.

Every year in the spring you can find them at the "Toys 'n' at" stores. They've got a plastic handle but the top is over 2' of foam. They come with a big foam ball 'cause they're designed for toddlers to play very very soft softball with.

The best thing about them is that when they hit they sting just a little, but because it's all foam it leaves no mark.

quixote said...

(Sorry about being off-topic, but from the New Yorker on the subject of artisanal...)

Anonymous said...

Should have gone to special school.

Anonymous said...

It never ceases to amaze me how shocked and irritated patients act when they are asked to pay their copay. As if they didn't know that the little section on their card that says "copay" actually means something? And then they want to catch attitude with you as if YOU make up their insurance rules and picked their plan for them. UGH!

Packer said...

No cognitive deficit there.

kate sweeten said...

That's when I just shrug them off, tell them that they don't have to pay anything today and we'll just leave it up to their insurance to bill whatever they'd like. They usually pony up a credit card when I say that :)

cliffintokyo said...

Grumps is as about as special as you can get! You could go exclusively private, and get rid of copays at a stroke, just on the basis of your sense of humor!
This does not stop me from rather cynically asking whether you might possibly be unconciously fishing for a few back pats from your fans by posting this story.....
Whatever, I sympathize completely, because we all get little or no thanks for what we do, usually very well, with no fuss.

An amateur psychoanalyst fan (aka artisanal doc)

WV: botort (retort, with bows on?)

RehabRN said...

I'd have been tempted to tell him that if he wants to bargain, he'll have to do it with his insurance company, and they'll refund him later.

What an idiot...hello, this is not the flea market!

Anonymous said...

Not special? How many people do you know who are neurologists AND Mongolian yak herders?

pharmacy chick said...

well, did you get the other $25??

 
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