My spouse has a condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa for which they have been prescribed an immune suppressant by a dermatologist, which keeps the condition at bay. Initially my spouse was on a Government Trial for the injections, but it has been put on the PBS in the last 12 months.
The dermatologist has just started demanding that my spouse pay for their visits in advance, so essentially when my spouse makes the next appointment (in 3 months) they want payment before my spouse attends. My spouse refused the first time & they rang 3 days before the appointment & said if my spouse didn't pay they would cancel the appointment. My spouse paid & it's not cheap, $360 of which we get approx $70 back from Medicare. $75 of that is for a nurse to take my spouse's blood pressure & weight, but the last 3 visits the scales have been broken so the nurse just guesses.
My issue is they have sent my spouse for a scan on their liver, as the bloods showed an elevation (LFT), but in 8 months no one has told my spouse the results or followed up on it and that wasn't a cheap visit either. We do not have private health insurance, but as the immune suppressant is working, we pay the over the top fees to stay with this particular doctor.
Is this normal practice to demand payment before you attend? I just feel that this is all about the money & not about my spouse's health. I would also like to question if we should have been paying while on the Government trial for the drugs?
"High costs, low care"
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Posted by Snippa23 (as ),
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