[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by pooh

The decision to go or not go is up to each member.

I think you're right about that; what could they possibly do about it if I don't agree to it? Maybe I'll call the HMO to see what they have to say about it.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

Good luck with your choicemaking. It is very empowering and liberating to own your life, when others around you are blaming things outside themselves for any negativity in their life.

Thank you. I want to ease into old age and I don't feel old yet. Just a few months ago I agreed to the 6 month check up. I believe I will just let it stay that way for a few years and see how things go. My motto will be: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

But make sure that if you do this your HMO will not penalize you if - God forbid - you ACTUALLY get sick and the problem was not picked up but the three checkups that you missed..

OMG! On top of being sick they'll give me a penalty?

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by blueash

Contrary to some postings, I believe that the doctor is paid for the visit, not the HMO. It is the HMO which has to pay the doctor. I would like to see more information from the OP, specifically the name of the HMO. Is this a Medicare advantage plan or a private insurance carrier?

This is a Medicare advantage plan: Optimum Health Care, Inc.

I am not aware of any national organization that has recommended 4 times a year routine check-ups. Perhaps the OP could call the insurance company and ask if this call really came from them.

That's a good idea. The literature I read before joining never said there would be 4 "free" check-ups per year. Not even 2 per year.

Four times a year "annual" exams would overwhelm the already overworked primary care doctors. Only explanation I can come up with is that somehow the HMO has you coded as having an illness that should require more frequent visits like diabetes. It is possible the doctor's office entered a wrong diagnostic code on a charge they submitted to the insurance carrier which triggered this call.

Wow, it's getting more interesting all the time. I never thought about the possibility of a wrong diagnostic code. I certainly will call to find out.

Thanks!

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

I thought you were only suppose to go to a doctor when you had symptons or something wasn't right.

Am I misssing something?

What's coming next is a gadget we will all wear on our wrist which will provide constant 24 hour monitoring, even if we are healthy. If something goes wrong a signal will be sent to our doctor's office and we will be notified that we need an appointment. In the event of a heart attack, 911 will be alerted.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

Since it was an automated call, it seems like it's possible that the electronic medical records program/software might have detected a "red flag", correct or put there by human error. Remember GIGO being at the crux of computing? Come to think of it, I haven't heard anyone mention GIGO in about 20 years.

Whether or not it is the case, we should be careful what we wish for with those.

How about a "red flag" put there by a computer error?

[graciegirl]

Something isn't right here. Either your doctor is wrong in wanting to see you more frequently or you are ignoring something he wants to see you about.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Something isn't right here. Either your doctor is wrong in wanting to see you more frequently or you are ignoring something he wants to see you about.

I'm glad you asked. This should wrap things up with this thread. When I went in to get the results of my blood test, I just happened to mention to my doctor that I had decided to take a larger B12 supplement. I told him I had been taking only 100mcg per day. So he must have wondered about it and decided to require another B12 blood test. Then he must have looked over my records and saw a few other items that hadn't been checked for a long time, like urine analysis. So he combined three different items. I'm not sure what the third one was; I couldn't understand it.

Anyway, for those who might be wondering, I made an assumption that my exams would be every 6 months in the future. No! I shouldn't have made that assumption! When I called Optimum Health Care, they told me that there would be no such requirement for someone who doesn't have any health issues. As a matter of fact, they offered to cancel the appointment for me. But I told them I would prefer to keep the appointment and they said okay to it. And there would be no charge to me.

Anymore questions? Did I leave anything out?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

I'm glad you asked. This should wrap things up with this thread. When I went in to get the results of my blood test, I just happened to mention to my doctor that I had decided to take a larger B12 supplement. I told him I had been taking only 100mcg per day. So he must have wondered about it and decided to require another B12 blood test. Then he must have looked over my records and saw a few other items that hadn't been checked for a long time, like urine analysis. So he combined three different items. I'm not sure what the third one was; I couldn't understand it.

Anyway, for those who might be wondering, I made an assumption that my exams would be every 6 months in the future. No! I shouldn't have made that assumption! When I called Optimum Health Care, they told me that there would be no such requirement for someone who doesn't have any health issues. As a matter of fact, they offered to cancel the appointment for me. But I told them I would prefer to keep the appointment and they said okay to it. And there would be no charge to me.

Anymore questions? Did I leave anything out?

I didn't ask a question. I just made a summary statement.

Urine tests, blood tests for cholesterol, sugar, vitamin D levels in blood, liver function, and thyroid function and procedures such as endoscopy and colonoscopy can all alert for illnesses that have not presented themselves blatantly.

An ounce of early diagnosis is worth a pound of heavy medicine is my feelings. Seeing your doctor once too often is better in my mind than once too few.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I didn't ask a question. I just made a summary statement.

Urine tests, blood tests for cholesterol, sugar, vitamin D levels in blood, liver function, and thyroid function and procedures such as endoscopy and colonoscopy can all alert for illnesses that have not presented themselves blatantly.

An ounce of early diagnosis is worth a pound of heavy medicine is my feelings. Seeing your doctor once too often is better in my mind than once too few.

I'm trusting my doctor to decide which tests are needed.

Even more frequent visits and tests don't guarantee anything. I was just reading a book from the library and it told about a woman who went to the emergency room with some complaint and the doctor told her she was okay and not to worry. As she left the hospital to go to her car in the parking lot, she collapsed and died.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

I'm trusting my doctor to decide which tests are needed.

Even more frequent visits and tests don't guarantee anything. I was just reading a book from the library and it told about a woman who went to the emergency room with some complaint and the doctor told her she was okay and not to worry. As she left the hospital to go to her car in the parking lot, she collapsed and died.

I missed the point you just made. An emergency visit is not the same at all as being monitored by a physician routinely. An emergency visit cannot detect all health issues that may be sickening a patient.

People frequently take medication for conditions that do NOT cause them to feel ill or be ill. Those people feel healthy but they have conditions that if left untreated will blossom into dangerous health issues.

My response to you a few posts back about the issue that you stated at the beginning of this thread that you started is that your doctor/service/office wanted to see you every three months. I responded by saying either your doctor is wrong or you are ignoring his advice.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I missed the point you just made. An emergency visit is not the same at all as being monitored by a physician routinely. An emergency visit cannot detect all health issues that may be sickening a patient.

People frequently take medication for conditions that do NOT cause them to feel ill or be ill. Those people feel healthy but they have conditions that if left untreated will blossom into dangerous health issues.

My response to you a few posts back about the issue that you stated at the beginning of this thread that you started is that your doctor/service/office wanted to see you every three months. I responded by saying either your doctor is wrong or you are ignoring his advice.

I hope this clears it up: Yes, I received an automated call from my HMO stating that it had been 3 months since my last visit and that I should contact my doctor to make an appointment. When I called my HMO, after starting this thread, they said the automated message goes out to everyone. It was not specific to me.

About the hospital patient: She thought she might have been having a heart attack but the doctor said otherwise. So it wasn't that she came in for one thing and died of another.

[graciegirl]

Now that I reread your initial post on this thead I do get your point. You wanted to point out that you are eating a healthy diet.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Now that I reread your initial post on this thead I do get your point. You wanted to point out that you are eating a healthy diet.

boy howdy