Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna
I had major orhtopedic surgery in late April. Prior to the surgery, the surgeon required a complete physical examination from a doctor on the staff of the same hospital where the surgery was to be performed in Chicago. I had a complete physical exam three months earlier done by a doctor in The Villages. None of the results of that exam were deemed acceptable. In the new physical the internist thought it would be a good idea if I had a stress test. Forget that I have had no experience or tests that suggest a heart problem.
If ALL these tests and procedures weren't unnecessary, they were at the very least a huge abundance of caution.
Medicare paid for it all. The "old" physical and tests, as well as another three months later.
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And what if the stress test had revealed a problem that your other "complete" physical had not picked up? Would you have classed it as unnecessary then? My brother-in-law died needlessly at 67 of lung cancer because in all the prior "complete" physicals (every year for 3 years), not once had he had a chest x-ray. When he collapsed and was admitted to the hospital, then they did a routine chest x-ray and found it. By then it was inoperable. The explanation given to him and his wife was that if he had been a smoker, coughing, or coughing up blood then they would have done one. Like you, since he checked out healthy otherwise, they didn't deem it necessary. I do agree that it is ridiculous that most of the time the doctors won't accept what has been done by another since reputable labs come up with the results, not the doctor. All they would have to do then is do only those that had not already been done within a short timeframe, as in your case.