New Modern Doctor's office visit.

jd50ae

Is it ever going to end?
New totally computerized system.
Your handed a "Tablet" when you walk in. Answer questions that were never asked before, everytime you walk in.
Make a Co-Pay payment by debit or CC. I am using a check or cash just to be difficult. I still get a bill in the mail.
Go to demographics and you get this, "Birth Sex / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity".
No one has ever asked if I own firearms, yet.
Whole visit and the doctor is poking with his pen on his "tablet".
The Computer says I have diabetes, the doctor didn't, the Computer did. So now I take metformin and stick myself once or twice a day.
Messed up my fasting and I could just show up for a blood draw, like I have done in the past. The computer shows it as another visit and Co-Pay.
None of the old hands are left, and the young lady who takes the blood pressure has a timeline for another job.
The older patients are a bit put off by the electronics and more time is spent getting them through the process then time spent with the doctor.
The former office staff were wonderful, and answered any question or handled any problems on the spot. Now it is wait and see.
If I didn't need my scripts I would stop going.
And I believe that it will become so impersonal that I could send someone else in my place.

Amos_Umwhat

Some of the folks I used to work with have asked me if I'll be going back to Nursing now that my wife has passed away.

You just gave one of the best explanations as to why that answer is, and will remain

NO!

Poopy_Jones

The most shocking part of your story is that you actually saw a doctor. I rarely see my doctors. In their place are physician assistants who are competent medical professionals who serve as an extension of the doctor. The rest is just part of the constant cycle of change in medicine. Remember, it’s not perfect. They’re always practicing 

Diver43

No tablet, but on a recent visit i was asked many of those questions. When I replied not applicable, the young lady looked at me funny.  She did ask if i owned firearms. I answered No, as she checked no on the sheet, i was tempted to add. Im not answering that but let it go.  I asked a lawyer friend about those questions. He said that seeing it is illegal for the Gov. to keep a database on guns, they are using doctors to gather info that is fed into the CDC database.
Of course it is then a federal database isnt it?  The Military is collecting firearms info via the moving process. Program asks firearms yes or no. If answered yes  a pop up wants make, caliber, model, serial number, where purchased. If asked my advice is put them in your trunk.

Amos_Umwhat

I was once asking all these personal and invasive questions during an intake assessment when the patient's husband spoke up and said: 
"You know, that's really none of your F---ing business."

"You are correct, Sir."  I replied, then added "If you'd like, I will happily type that in as your response to any of these questions that you may object to.  As long as I put it in quotations, I can put in whatever your response is."

Made us both happy.