Someone tell me Dr. ****** is worth $400 + for an initial visit

[LVNatalie]

After visiting close to 10 dr's, I am out of options.
The last dr. even told me that she didn't think I had dry eye (after Restasis, Lotemax, Prednisonal, fish oil, hot compress, cold compress, flaxseed, lid scrubs, punctal plugs).
I made an appointment with Dr. ****** and learned that it would cost $400 for the initial and that's without any speciality tests.

I know you can't put a price on health, but come on - someone tell me this worth the money. Between the office visit and the plane ticket, one visit would cost me $800.

I'm torn!

[Rebecca Petris]

I know of many corneal specialists around the country charging similar fees.

If you haven't already, I'd suggest you read my comments about traveling to dry eye specialists in my article about finding a doctor.

[LVNatalie]

Thanks Rebecca.
I would be more inclined to find the $$ if I know that people had GREAT experiences with him. It's a HUGE amount of money for me. It's a tough decision.

[Hopeful2]

Hi Natalie,

I can really understand how hard it is to put more money into seeing yet another specialist. Maybe you can find out from Dr. ******'s office, what the additional testing fees might be, and what is likely to be covered by an insurance provider.

I have heard that he is an outstanding doctor. . . sorry I'm not too familiar with how the US medical system works in terms of coverage. In Canada we have excellent coverage. . . we just don't have access to some of the tests/treatments that are available in the US.

Best of luck!

[AprilShowers]

I have never heard of Dr ******, but if he could treat you or cure you the line outside his office door would be five mile long with ticket scalpers trying to buy your place in the queue [line]

I fell for the Leading Man In this area spiel, I was unaware he had seen so many hopeful patients like me that he was an expert in touching their hearts and purses, he took $500 from me in less than ten minutes and chucked me out of his office with a prescription for Doxycillan. All sufferers on this forum should note and remember this remark: If your Doctor prescribes for you Doxycillan, then be warned its a PLACEBO prescription with no real or lasting value or benefit, it kills strep germs in vast numbers, but the survivors can breed and recover so nothings been gained.

[DCRdryeye]

$400 + for an initial visit is too much. I'm sure I only paid half that for the last two "Professor" corneal specialists here in Australia. They tend to be generic and only have what technology is available. So one specialist is no different to the next in my experience. You'll get plugs, restasis, doxy, etc...it's all the same.

[spmcc]

Negotiate that price. Here's an article (for Canadians) about seeking care (mainly surgery) in the US. Some things may apply to you:

* "patients with cash are king"

* "No one pays the rack rate; expect about a 30-per-cent price cut if paying cash for a procedure. Given the downturn in the economy, I would negotiate hard for an even bigger discount"

Here's a link to the article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle2325641/

Also know that you are saving the doctor's office a lot of paperwork by paying cash. So, negotiate the prices of everything.

[tennisiu]

I had the same choice a couple of years ago. Dr. ****** told me he could help me before I went to see him. He told me to plan on staying a week if possible.
...I had one short appointment with him. The appointment is just part of the cost(trust me)....

[Rebecca Petris]

Great advice from spmcc re: negotiating.

Just a reminder to all participants, our [libel-avoidance] policy on talking about named doctors on this board is, as Thumper once said reluctantly, "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nuthin' at all". Of course, you can gripe all you want about a doctor if you don't name him/her . But once the name is out there, it's either good reviews or... eloquent silence!

[AprilShowers]

SPMCC speaks of 'negoiating with a Doctor and paying cash' as if he was a plumber, cowboy builder or casual worker.

Most people would find this demeaning and in some circles the Doctor will quickly show you the door. Paying him cash and using this as an negotiating ploy as the wrong undertones, it clearly suggests an underhand payment to him and tax avoidance. My advice is to ask for a guideline price before you go and see him and if you feel his/her prices are too high tell him so. If he volunteers to lower his prices so be it, if not go elsewhere. In any event pay by cheque or bank card. Doctors today earn fortunes, so why encourage them to cheat the Government, State and Tax Authorities. With regards to the remark if you can't say something nice about someone or something then say nothing. This is poor advice indeed. We need people to protest, to object, to say No, to stand up for injustice, for human rights, and at the end of the day to say to hoodlums and characters like Alphonse Capone, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Osama Bin Laden, and your local Police Officer whose on the take: "I not only object to what you are doing but will do everything in my power to stop you dead in your tracks if you persist in that behaviour". America, Canada and the UK, were built by people who said no, who said what they thought and to he-ll with the consequences. Yesterday was the 1st Anniversary of President Obama decision to say not only no, but to send the American Seals into a certain compound in Pakistan at night to have a quiet word with one of Americas enemies. Politeness does not pay, can cost lives, and can ruin businesses and jobs. My view is any Doctor who asks for cash is not the sort of person I would want to treat me, or my family.

[Rebecca Petris]

WHOA. AprilShowers, are you being totally facetious or have you seriously gone off the deep end misunderstanding spmcc altogether?!!

When spmcc says "paying cash" she doesn't mean bank notes under the table. She means paying it personally as opposed to insurance covering it without reference to check, credit card or actual cash. There are a lot of us in the US who don't have insurance (can't afford it, between jobs, or whatever) and pay out of pocket for all healthcare. It is absolutely routine in US medical practices for us to be given a discount of at least 5-10% if we are "cashpay" patients rather than using insurance. Considering the enormous resources that go into processing insurance at medical practices (huge overheads just to deal with the paperwork) they are quite happy to give discounts and even negotiate because it saves so much trouble.

[AprilShowers]

Sorry, in England "Paying cash to a builder or to any trades person means just one thing". I naturally assumed that in the US if you had insurance then the Insurance company picked up the tab. I was unaware US citizens often do not carry personal medical insurance because of the cost and assumed it was mandatory for all. I consider the Doctors giving a discount of 10% to cash-payers unethical if they are billing the Insurance Companies or State the full RRP price. Surely the Insurance Companies or State Providers should get a bulk buyers discount of lets say 35%, and private citizens / cash payers / no matter how poor pay more. I was always curious about how a person was treated in a US hospital if they did not have insurance but assumed an alternative was available meaning the State Government quietly picked up the bill as an humanitarian gesture.

[littlemermaid]

SPMCC speaks of 'negotiating with a Doctor and paying cash' as if he was a plumber, cowboy builder or casual worker. Most people would find this demeaning and in some circles the Doctor will quickly show you the door. Paying him cash and using this as an negotiating ploy as the wrong undertones, it clearly suggests an underhand payment to him and tax avoidance.

Oooops, I always pay cash (UK), hoping for discount. You are refreshing, AprilShowers. Strangely, I've yet to be shown the door, there's no sign of any of them finding it demeaning, they seem pleased to see me, and they all have professionals to do their tax avoidance. In fact the desk staff find it very amusing because of the undertones. I usually quip along the lines of 'this is for the new Mercedes fund'. And I'm not actually seeing much difference these days between a plumber, cowboy builder or casual worker; an honest transaction.

Welcome to the new rationalised NHS and desperate measures. For us, turns out it was a big mistake trusting the NHS to look after the children and not getting UK private health insurance. It's not the docs, they've been as kind as they can be, it's the NHS funding. Not so dissimilar, are we.

Hope you get sensible feedback on Dr M to help your decision LVNatalie.

[spmcc]

Heeheehee. I thought AprilShowers was hilarious! It does feel extremely awkward to tell a doctor you want a discounted price... I imagine I'm in a Third World country haggling the price of a trinket with a street vendor!!

But when you're Canadian (who gets FREE procedures if you're worthy (key words here!!)) and you go to the States for health care (e.g., second opinions or faster service etc.), NEGOTIATE... negotiate hard!! The prices are OUTRAGEOUS (esp to us folk who compare everything to free ).

[AprilShowers]

Sorry I was unaware of how the other half lives, meaning 'Our American Cousins'. I was unaware spmcc was "A friend of Ricks", and conversant with shopping in Casablanca for eyecare. We need to accept that all prices are outrageous. In the UK we pay 20% sales tax, 50% income tax on earnings and huge property taxes. For instance petrol is $10 dollars a gallon and our NHS Health Service is completely out of control - awash with funds that they waste and sqaunder. Every two months I receive eyelid Botox for my bleph-spasms -excessive blinking, the waiting room delay can be 2 hours and notices throughout the building say expect 4 hour delays so they can claim 2 hours is a brilliant piece of organisation. The injection procedure takes about 5 minutes to perform. Botox causes 'dry-eye', and treats the outer, visible sympton's only, whilst underneath I can still feel the germs playing football, revving up their engines, riding about on Harley-Davidsons, and holding mass meetings and protests. Zapping them with saline-solution might make me feel better [revenge is sweet] but who knows maybe the salt in the saline is a corrosive substance not to be advised. MGD sufferers needs to consider everything 3 times, and even though salt is supposed to be good for us, it it really? I'm going to study salt and its corrosive action/s and see what I can discover.