Tuesday, April 04, 2006

I'd rather go to the DMV

Going to the doctor's office is horrible. You have a 2:00pm appointment and they won't even let you into that terrible little room until 2:45pm. At that point the nurse says that "the doctor will be right with you" which is a complete lie.

This splitting up of the wait time is similair to how government taxes you, they take most of your money but they do it in so many ways you don't really notice.

So when the doctor finally comes into the room at 3:15pm he spends about two minutes confirming what you already knew: your kid has an ear infection and needs antibiotics. Same thing as last time. Here's a prescription and oh yeah, a bill for $80.

The most maddening part of the whole ordeal is that you knew the kid had an ear infection. The kid gets one every 3 months like clockwork. You knew he needed an antibiotic just like last time. And you knew that you were going to have to waste half your day and $80 just to get it.

That's why I'm so encouraged by the mini doctor's offices that they are opening in places like Walgreens. A nurse is perfectly capable of telling you that your kid has an ear infection and writing a prescription. And while I haven't been to one of these places I'm sure that it costs less than the doctor's office or urgent care.

The best part: Walgreens opens one of these and charges $65 for the diagnosis, then the Rite-Aid down the street opens one and charges $55. Presto! You have some competition. Something that I believe is sorely lacking in the medical provider arena.

Think about it, when was the last time you stopped going to a certain doctor's office because they made you wait a half hour past your appointment? When was the last time you stopped ordering pizza from someplace because they were a half hour late delivering? See?

Me, I'm hoping that every Wal-Mart, Safeway, Albertsons and Taco Bell opens one of these mini doctor's offices and we show those white coat wearing bastards that we don't have to wait in some germ filled room reading People magazine to get an antibiotic for our kid's ear infection.

8 comments:

The Gentle Cricket said...

California is considering a socialized medical plan (SB840) that would eliminate such competition and criminalize private insurance....and you think you have it bad!

Anonymous said...

next thing you know, the healthcare industry will be so diluted that a fresh graduate from med school won't be able to earn a living wage. then, we'll need to import doctors from Mexico, to do the jobs Americans won't do.

there's that Taco Bell mini-doctor you wanted...

(sarcasm)

MAX Redline said...

Don't touch the magazines - they're germ-laden.

Anonymous said...

Amazingly enough the forced air systems used in most Doctors offices and Clinics is not sanitized in any way.

For a few hundred bucks and they could install an infrared system that would help keep clients a whole bunch healthier, but then they are in the sick biz just as schools are in the stupid biz and prisons are in the criminal business.

Scam anyone?

Anonymous said...

I hear Massachusettes just passed a law REQUIRING all citizens to purchase health insurance? If you don't purchase it there will be tax penalties.

Those Lefties have some sense of humour, don't they?

Kate said...

Now you know how women felt before we were able to get yeast infection medicine over the counter. Imagine sitting in the waiting area all that time and the little exam room and all the while you itch and burn so bad in your crotch that you want to climb the walls and rip the eyes of the next person to walk by.

~Kate

BEAR said...

Gee, kate, all this time I thought women acted that way for no reason at all! Is something as simple as prompt healthcare a cure for the feminist movement?

Scottiebill said...

Rooster, That's Massachusetts, home of John Kerry and Teddy Kennedrunk. Nothing more needs to be said.