My first time there was a pleasant surprise. I had been on my way to see a doctor, and my dad and I were stopped at a self-service gas station. The service station attendant took a quick look at my driver’s license and let me know that I was not allowed to drive because I was not yet 21. That was it. The attendant explained that if I got stopped by police it would be the end of my license.
This is probably a good thing that I’m aware of, but I still feel like there’s a bit of a stigma still attached to getting checked out by the police. There are also a lot of laws that make it a criminal offense for a minor to drive in many states, and some even require parents to have their children checked by the police, so even that stigma is getting lost in the fog of war.
Doctors like me are well aware of that problem, but I have to admit that my experience with the police in the last 15 years is that they are the best at treating minor injuries. I think we have all been in situations when someone came in with a minor injury or something you didn’t see on the ground, and they had to get stitches in it.
It’s not just the police that get it. I have had a few encounters with doctors that were willing to take my insurance with me when I needed the pain medication I needed. One of these times, I had already had surgery and I wanted the pain medication that I needed but I had to go back to the doctor to get the prescription filled. Once I got the prescription, I went back to get the prescription filled. Now I was covered and I was covered because I had a prescription.
But the problem is, that the doctor wanted to charge you for the prescription but you had the insurance. So you ended up getting billed for the prescription. And you don’t want that. You want to get the prescription filled. And that’s where urgent care comes in.
I’ve been seeing physicianone for about five years now. I’ve tried other pharmacies, but they always charge me double or triple my copay. That’s where urgent care comes in. The doctor can see me in the emergency room, do the tests, and get my medication right away. I’ve had no problems with waiting periods, no waiting for the prescription to be filled. I’ve had no problems with taking the pill.
I am the type of person who takes my medications exactly as they are prescribed, and I am not the type of person who wants to be on a doctor’s visit and wait for the doctor to give me the pill. I am the type of person who wants to get the prescription filled while I wait for an office visit. I am the type of person who wants to be done with the doctor visit and go home.
As a doctor, I know that the prescription is always with the patient. That means that I can always check it before I leave the office. I know that if there is a delay, I can always wait until the doctor gets back. I know that if there is an emergency and I am on the way to an emergency room, I can always find a doctor. And I know that I can always follow up with the patient or his or her family if the doctor refuses to write the prescription.
These are things I know. And I know that if I refuse to follow up, I might be responsible for the patient’s death.
Well… maybe. But that’s not a very good reason to avoid follow-up, is it? I mean, I know that I don’t have to see the patient, and I know that I can get a note in the mail if I’m really scared, or if I don’t feel like seeing the patient in person, but I still think that there are better reasons than following up with the patient.
