Would You Find It Annoying if Your Doctor did this...?

Question

I went to health clinic to get birth control pills to treat my Endometriosis.

I requested a copy of my medical file from there and I noticed that in the "Counseling/Education Given" box, she checked off many things that we never discussed.

All she said was "Ok here is are your pills. We are putting you on Levora. Come back when you need a new pack and just show us this card" (Hands me a patient card)

She checked off the boxes: "safer s*x, smoking risks, Emergency Contraception discussed/Offered, STI/HIV Risk Reduction" She never discussed or mentioned any of those things.

I don't really care because I don't need any education on those issues.

However, I was just wondering.....Is this standard procedure? Do you think a lot of medical/health professionals check off boxes and write notes that they went over things when they never did?

I also noticed that the nurse practitioner that performed my pelvic exam also wrote that she discussed safter s*x with me, and she never did.

Are they just trying to cover themselves from a law suit? They don't feel like taking the time to discuss it so they just mark it off, thinking that people rarely will ever ask to see a copy of the file?

Answer 1

Jesus christ you are freaking crazy. Stop posting about all this. That's nine posts obsessing about ridiculous unimportant details in this paper you got.

Answer 2

of course I will

Answer 3

They were probably just filling in the blanks because of some office, hospital or clinic mandate.  It's a shame really.  I see it where I work as well.  There are too many patients and not enough time to always do everything completely and with care and without rush.  Couple that with required forms that have no end, and you wind up with professional, honest men and women falsifying documents.  And make no mistake, there did falsify documents.  Bring it up next time you see the doctor.  Heck start asking questions about the very issues they wrote they talked to you about.  They will probably realize what you are doing when you  start asking the very questions that they have listed.  It'll be a hoot.

Answer 4

I just assume that my medical record would look different than the reality.  The medical docs are a different breed than 40 years ago.  It really is common to see money seeking people in the medical field which is no small part due to the medicare, medicaid, and other third party payers.  Still medical doctors are an exalted class in the U.S.  There is a HIPPA act which gives you access to your file.  If you are going through government sponsored health care there may a degree of resentment on the part of the staff at the clinic.  The check off of procedure may be based on a common sense approach to assuming if there is no complaint there is no problem.  The government pays for all this history and many times it is not material to your health care.  I am not sure that your care was compromised on this visit.  I think you are assumed to have the intelligence to be aware fo the "check off" questions.  It sounds like a volume medical practice and you have to expect that they are going to run you in and out.  In the interest of all the patients in clinic.  Of course, I was not there and may have the story upside down.  I see your concern.  Just wondering if you were harmed vs. helped by the visit.