Doctor office closed for coronavirus?

Even though I moved I've kept my same endocrinologist.  He's a long drive from me, and with our new health insurance plan he is not longer "inner circle" so the co-pay to see him is insane.  But I've kept seeing him because he is good at what he does.  

I have an appointment next week and they called me today to tell me they're closing down to avoid spreading the virus, and believe they will open back up in April or May.  I can understand not wanting a waiting room full of patients, so I said I understood and would have no problem rescheduling.  I was out picking up chrome books from the school when they called, so I said I would need to call them back when I got home to reschedule.  Here is where it got weird.  They're closing the whole office until this blows over.  Not just patients, no one will even be in the office to even take phone calls, so I can't call back to reschedule.  They said they'll call me tomorrow when they're finishing up their phone calls, but then there will be no one in the office.  At all.  

Now my personal health issue can wait a bit, but many patients who see an endocrinologist have diabetes, and for the doctor to say he's simply closing up shop, won't even have anyone answering the phones, for a month or two, just seems irresponsible.  True, you don't want to spread it, but at least have telephone visits or someone answering the phones in case someone needs to get in touch with the doctor, or even just for refills.

Are other doctor's offices closing up?  Is it just mine?  Again, I don't have an issue with limiting or even stopping patients from being physically in the office, but to not even have a skeleton staff to answer phones just seems weird.


Other offices are closing; not just your's.


So if you need a refill then you're just ******?

And if you have a medical situation what are you to do?  Wait it out and hope you don't die, or go to the ER and add to an already overwhelmed medical system?  

The office should at a minimum be open to answer calls, that is the part I can't comprehend.  Not even answering the phones


People are saying President Trump is a narcissist because he's only complaining about the Pandemic's effects on him.

What do you think about that?


What does that have to do with people possibly running out of medication because their doctor's office is closed and not even taking phone calls?  I had no issue with my visit being rescheduled, and even said as much in my first post.  But other patients might have true medical need to reach their doctor, and now they can't.  I have an issue with a doctor's office not even taking phone calls.  I would hope that you realize that you can't catch or transmit the virus via the telephone.  

jersey_boy said:

People are saying President Trump is a narcissist because he's only complaining about the Pandemic's effects on him.

What do you think about that?

 


jersey_boy said:

People are saying President Trump is a narcissist because he's only complaining about the Pandemic's effects on him.

What do you think about that?

 That he’s a narcissist...

But I’d don’t see the relevance here


spontaneous said:

I can understand not wanting a waiting room full of patients, so I said I understood and would have no problem rescheduling. 

 Reading Is Fundamental


cubby said:

Other offices are closing; not just your's.

 
Yes - and she said she understood them closing - that wasn’t her concern...


I just got an email from my son's pediatrician that they are moving to online/virtual appointments, i.e. tele-medicine. Not the same as @spontaneous, for sure. But a sign of evolving concern for health care workers these days, which I understand.

For the record, I find closing up shop and being inaccessible to patients pretty irresponsible for doctors. 


finnegan said:

I just got an email from my son's pediatrician that they are moving to online/virtual appointments, i.e. tele-medicine. Not the same as @spontaneous, for sure. But a sign of evolving concern for health care workers these days, which I understand.

For the record, I find closing up shop and being inaccessible to patients pretty irresponsible for doctors. 

 This makes sense.  Postponing visits, taking some visits online or via telephone.

My youngest son had a crushing fracture of his finger in early February.  He had his first follow up with the pediatric orthopedist at three weeks, and was supposed to have his second follow up tomorrow.  The pediatric orthopedist's office called to postpone, they're trying to limit the number of people in the office at one time.  Since his three week visit showed good healing, and since he isn't complaining of any pain and has good movement (he's allowed to be out of the splint now) I'm okay with his visit being moved, and if they end up just cancelling it and  wait for the one year check up (that is to make sure the growth plate wasn't affected) I'm okay with that.  The difference is that they're still there, and if we need them we're able to get them on the phone.



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