Just Say No To Drug Reps
I've been in a lot of doctor's offices in the past year. This has made me a bit of a snob and I have formed definite opinions in what I want in a doctor. Because I need a normal, sore throat, broken bones sort of doctor, I had made an appointment with a practice in Winchester. I loved my family doctor in Centreville, but that's a long way to go when you're not feeling well, so I set an appointment. I'll admit that my standards weren't high when I was flipping through the insurance book. Close to my house. American medical school. English as a first language. My first choice wasn't accepting new patients, so I moved on to the second.
My phone call to set up the appointment was a little unusual, to say the least, so I was already a little biased when I walked in this morning. When I asked the scheduler if the doctor performed well-woman exams, she told me that it would depend. I would have to meet the doctor first, and then it would be determined. When pressed about what it would depend on, I got a vague answer about religious beliefs. I'm not sure if it was my religious beliefs or her religious beliefs and why that would be at all relevant to my medical care. But I had been putting off this trip to the doctor for a while, so I scheduled it.
Strike one came this morning when I waited forty minutes for my "get acquainted" appointment. I'm willing to wait when I can see that the doctor's office is really busy or if there is some sort of legitimate emergency. But not one patient left the office while I was there, so it wasn't like they were busy with other patients.
I noticed strike two while I was waiting. Once I was finally led back to an exam room, it was even worse. Everything in the office had a drug logo on it. Tissue boxes, soap, the paper on the table, the tongue depressors. Everything. I've seen Nextel Cup race cars decorated with fewer logos. I don't think I have ever seen one item, with the exception of an occasional ink pen, in any of my oncologists' offices that was provided by a drug company. This is huge for me, because I don't want to think that my doctor is deciding what drugs to prescribe based on what rep furnished their office. I want them to draw on their training and pick the best solution for me. Picky, I know.
But the real kicker came when I was finally seen by the nurse practitioner. When taking my medical history, she questioned me as to why I had checked the box next to "Cancer" on the form. Umm, because I had cancer? She asked me if I was sure I really had cancer. Now, this is the second time in a week that someone has insinuated that I didn't really have cancer. (Last week Kristen, forced to get a mammogram because her 29 year old sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, was asked if she was sure her sister really had cancer. No, all that surgery, chemo and radiation was just for fun.) Is this something that people frequently lie about? Because I can think of a lot of lies that would make me seem much cooler than I really am, but having cancer isn't one of them. After I had her convinced that I actually did have cancer, she tried to insinuate that my doctor shouldn't have given me chemo. The nurse practitioner has decided that my oncologist with both an MD and a PhD is wrong. If she had made one of the valid arguments against the particular type of chemo that I had, then I might not object, but she didn't even ask what drugs I had been given, or what the characteristics of my cancer were, so I don't think she was informed enough to make that decision. Needless to say, I'm not feeling the love.
She concluded our little getting to know you session by telling me that I was just the type of patient they were looking for; nice and normal. Then she proceeded to describe one of their other patients who was not so normal. Sorry, but I'm big on that whole doctor/patient confidentiality thing and I don't want you talking about me, even if you don't use my name, to someone else. And then she gave me a hug.
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually scheduled another appointment with her for my annual checkup, but that's just a place holder until I can find a doctor that I don't want to punch.
My phone call to set up the appointment was a little unusual, to say the least, so I was already a little biased when I walked in this morning. When I asked the scheduler if the doctor performed well-woman exams, she told me that it would depend. I would have to meet the doctor first, and then it would be determined. When pressed about what it would depend on, I got a vague answer about religious beliefs. I'm not sure if it was my religious beliefs or her religious beliefs and why that would be at all relevant to my medical care. But I had been putting off this trip to the doctor for a while, so I scheduled it.
Strike one came this morning when I waited forty minutes for my "get acquainted" appointment. I'm willing to wait when I can see that the doctor's office is really busy or if there is some sort of legitimate emergency. But not one patient left the office while I was there, so it wasn't like they were busy with other patients.
I noticed strike two while I was waiting. Once I was finally led back to an exam room, it was even worse. Everything in the office had a drug logo on it. Tissue boxes, soap, the paper on the table, the tongue depressors. Everything. I've seen Nextel Cup race cars decorated with fewer logos. I don't think I have ever seen one item, with the exception of an occasional ink pen, in any of my oncologists' offices that was provided by a drug company. This is huge for me, because I don't want to think that my doctor is deciding what drugs to prescribe based on what rep furnished their office. I want them to draw on their training and pick the best solution for me. Picky, I know.
But the real kicker came when I was finally seen by the nurse practitioner. When taking my medical history, she questioned me as to why I had checked the box next to "Cancer" on the form. Umm, because I had cancer? She asked me if I was sure I really had cancer. Now, this is the second time in a week that someone has insinuated that I didn't really have cancer. (Last week Kristen, forced to get a mammogram because her 29 year old sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, was asked if she was sure her sister really had cancer. No, all that surgery, chemo and radiation was just for fun.) Is this something that people frequently lie about? Because I can think of a lot of lies that would make me seem much cooler than I really am, but having cancer isn't one of them. After I had her convinced that I actually did have cancer, she tried to insinuate that my doctor shouldn't have given me chemo. The nurse practitioner has decided that my oncologist with both an MD and a PhD is wrong. If she had made one of the valid arguments against the particular type of chemo that I had, then I might not object, but she didn't even ask what drugs I had been given, or what the characteristics of my cancer were, so I don't think she was informed enough to make that decision. Needless to say, I'm not feeling the love.
She concluded our little getting to know you session by telling me that I was just the type of patient they were looking for; nice and normal. Then she proceeded to describe one of their other patients who was not so normal. Sorry, but I'm big on that whole doctor/patient confidentiality thing and I don't want you talking about me, even if you don't use my name, to someone else. And then she gave me a hug.
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually scheduled another appointment with her for my annual checkup, but that's just a place holder until I can find a doctor that I don't want to punch.
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