My friend Mike and I share a doctor, and when we’re not quoting the rockumentary, Anvil, we often sit around and strategize ways to get appointments. As much as we like the doctor, it’s just not that easy getting through the iron gate that is the front desk. Years ago, I called complaining of some chest pain (putting the hypochondriac in this blog’s title). It was Thanksgiving weekend. The woman who answered the phone said that they had an opening in mid January.
My one successful technique for getting a quick, on the spot, appointment was when I showed up at the front desk with a bad case of bells palsy. When half of your face is paralyzed and you show up in person, the doctor will generally see you. But not always.
It’s no surprise that patients who can afford it are opting for the concierge programs offered by many doctor’s offices. You pay an annual fee to join the club and you get the doctor’s cell phone number, same day appointments and even housecalls when you need them. These services have been largely recession proof.
In the end, we’re left with a greater disparity between the haves and have-nots when it comes to health care. And those paying the extra dough are doing so to have an experience that is not unlike the one everyone had (sans the cell phones) a few decades ago.
