Is this letter rude? My wife thought so.... (page 2)

sspo

You should have urinated at home in a jar and bring it to them. You could have gotten it done for half the price.

Gopher

You should have urinated at home in a jar and bring it to them.

That wouldn't have worked. The idea of uroflowmetry is to measure the RATE of flow, not to check the quality of the output.

Uroflowmetry is pure and unadulterated patient rape.

They charge every swinging dork $100 to pee in a cup for five seconds never taking into account bladder fullness, pressure etc all of which naturally increase or decrease urine volume.

The answer is always "ummmHuh very good"

Compare it to a garden hose or in my case a fire hose; a LARGE fire hose.

greendawn

Some doctors think of money as the supreme value in life and charge heavily for their services. They want to become very rich quickly so it's worth shopping around and asking for prices.

CaptainSchmideo

I started another response, but of course, it got lost by a glitch (grrrrrr)

The upshot is: If you saw how pathetic this testing equipment looked like, you be mad at paying $93.50 (discounted from $135, no less!). The thing looks like a geriatric walker with the legs cut down, a funnel strapped to the top of it, and a plexi bucket to catch the urine while a electrode sticks into the stream. I believe you can find assembly plans for this in the August, 1973 issue of Popular Mechanics (or the February 8, 1974 issue of Awake).

In my job, which is in Tech Services, I give my customers quality work for the hourly charge. A lot of people comment on how I go the extra mile for them. And all I do is program phone systems! Why can't a clinic give me anything besides a bum's rush, especially when I pay $6000+ a year for medical insurance? Plus all the ~~nickel and dime~~ Twenty and Hundred Dollar bill charges on top of that.

steve2

It all depends on what your goal was for writing the letter.

If you hoped to argue a case for a re-consideration of the fee, your tone and sarcasm increase the likelihood you probably won't succeed.

On the other hand, if you knew you probably would have to pay the fee, your goals may have been to communicate your upset/anger at the high fee and still retain the urologist's services. Your tone and sarcasm probably succeed on the first goal (communicating upset/anger), but fail on the second goal (retaining the urologist's services.

Then again, may be your goal was simply to let the urologist know you were angry and upset at the perceived high fee, you've succeeded.

So, tell us, what was your goal in writing the letter?

Tara

Ouch! Yes, sorry, but it is rude (IMHO).

Finally-Free

If you're not happy, give 'em shit. Mission accomplished.

W

exwitless

Unfortunately, doctors are bound by endless mind-numbing rules as to what they are "allowed" to charge. There is a very specific way physician's fees are calculated. It's how insurance decides what they consider "usual and customary" fees. Doctors do not and cannot make up any old fee they want to. There are guidelines they must follow. For instance, physicians are not allowed to charge someone a fee below what Medicare will pay for a service. It doesn't matter that you don't have Medicare. That's one standard they have to follow. For instance, if Medicare allows $50 for an office visit, the doctor may not charge a patient who has Medicare, group health insurance, or no insurance any fee lower than $50.

It's all very complicated and rediculous, but my point is, your doctor is bound by his insurance contracts to charge fees within a certain range. Insurance is very frustrating. I can totally relate with you. I paid over $6500 in insurance premiums alone last year. That's just to have insurance. Then there are all kinds of copays, deductibles, etc... Ugh.

jaguarbass

If it makes you feel better, then its cool. As far as changing anything, things are the way they are.

Is this letter rude? My wife thought so....