So Bert, I tend to do a lot of upper GI endoscopy and laparoscopy. So I see a ton of esophageal spasm, esophagitis, simple GERD, etc. I often recommend medical therapy such as nifedipine, hyoscyamine or prilosec bid or whatever. I usually write the initial prescription but many of these patients are going to be on this long term. I send their doc a note telling what I recommend as well as the medication the patient will need to be on. Do you think I should refill this medication for the patient forever or allow their primary doc to take over prescribing it after my initial prescription is out? I like the primary doc taking over long term prescribing for most things and sending the patient back to me if it ain't working.
I'm with you. If you call my office, you get a time and date for the patient immediately. Everytime. That's the way it should be. One of my referring docs offices does everything by fax because of the problem with sitting on hold forever at multiple doctor's offices and still not getting an appointment. His office sends us a fax requesting an appointment, we fax back the appointment time/date, they send the patient the appointment date/time. Not quite as efficient as calling my office and giving the patient an immediate appointment but I have a small office and you talk to a person usually on the first ring who is sitting in front of the AC scheduler. I'm also rare in that I like to get all patients in within a 2 week period from the request date (usually I get them in within a week).
So every office we deal with does it differently. Some call with the request and tell the patient immediately. Some give us the patient's info and ask us to call the patient with time/date. And others do the fax-a-thon. If I know one thing it's this: you can't make everyone happy...especially doctors.
