I have a question about something I was told at the doctor's yesterday

[Raineyrocks]

I tried looking up this "new law" on google but I can't find anything about it.

The receptionist said that there is a new law that came out the beginning of this month, that requires patients to show id at each doctor's appointment.  So I asked why and she said because of identity theft and I said, "who the hell would want to steal my identity at a doctor's office?"   She then said they had a patient that went under 3 different names to obtain narcotics, but couldn't they see it was the same patient by looking at them?   I wanted to bring up more questions and debate her but I was feeling like crap and usually when I do that in establishments I get told if you don't like it, there's the door.  If you read my last sentence you might understand why it's hard for me right now to walk out of this particular door.

It sounds like a load of horse crap to me.  First it was identity theft, now narcotic stuff, what the heck is she talking about?

WTF is going on in this world?

I don't know what to do because my doctor is really helping me with my anemia and thyroid so if they are lying and this isn't a new law, I really don't want to switch doctors.   I am getting tired of feeling like a chump ass though with the stupid answers I'm being given to my questions at places.  Undecided

[AntonLee]

tell them you don't have id but your check has your name on it.  Doctors have been very stingy lately with pain medications, to the point where someone very close to me has a very bad ailment and was flat out told by the doctor that they would not get pain meds that work because of the 'liability'

[Raineyrocks]

tell them you don't have id but your check has your name on it.  Doctors have been very stingy lately with pain medications, to the point where someone very close to me has a very bad ailment and was flat out told by the doctor that they would not get pain meds that work because of the 'liability'

The weird thing though is that I don't even get pain medicine from my doctor.   The receptionist said this "new law" is requiring all patients to show id.  I don't pay by check either, the visits get slapped on the credit card because we can't afford to have it come out of the bank.

It's sad, I know of this lady that just had knee surgery replacement and they won't give her anymore pain meds because of the "liability", poor people in pain.

Thanks for the suggestions though! 

[AntonLee]

luckily I've not been severely in pain many times in the past 6 years, but I've been refused pain medication because of my "status"

I've been in a jam for 3 or 4 years with dental work.  I've spent nearly 10,000 in my damn mouth.  I went to Tufts University Dental school to get some cheapER work done.  At one point, they needed to extract some teeth.  Normally, I guess, this is not something you need heavy meds for.  I had 3 removed and the fourth was not possible without doing a tougher surgery to remove it.  They had to cut into my gums, remove some of it, take the tooth out (it hurt) and sew it back up.

The students didn't do that tooth, they left it to the supervising Dentist.  He explained to me what the procedure was, and that it would be much too painful and they would give me a prescription for vicodin.  After the surgery, the doctors were arguing back and forth near where my cubicle was.  Eventually the doctor came back over and stated that I would recieve no pain medication because I was a different 'status'.

I asked what this 'status' meant.  He said that it was purely a technical thing, and that the student that told me I would receive pain medication was incorrect but that a "lot of acetominophen" would do the trick.  I explained that it wasn't a student that told me, but one of his fellow Doctors.  A bit more rabbling from them a little too far from my ear started.  The student assigned to me came over and informed me that it was an issue of me being an alcoholic. 

And. . . that makes me horribly angry.  I kept my cool and waited for the Dentist to return.  I asked him if he knew what an alcoholic was.  He correctly explained that an alcoholic was a person addicted to alcohol.  I asked him if there was alcohol in vicodin.   He said 'no, but. . .'  and I explained that I don't take pills for pleasure, but in the case that I would need something to stop my pain, I would do so.  I told him that if he didn't give me the prescription that I would be forced to find it somewhere else.  Since I'm not a doctor, I'll be taking a huge risk by not knowing how much and what drug to use. . . I'd have to use what I could get.  I then said "ORRRRRR, you could just give me the prescription, allow me to take the few pain meds I will get, and heal up nicely and without pain."

He would not give me the prescription.  I told him that I didn't intend to leave this chair until I spoke with his supervisor.  Just so happens, luckilly, that his director was the first dentist I saw months earlier upon entering the school.  I explained that I was an alcoholic, and that my addiction to alcohol had nothing to do with alleviating my pain.  He agreed, explained the liability that many doctors are very scared of, and gave me the prescription. 

I never even finished it, I have it stored away in my drug box.  I'm sure they're expired by now, but perhaps they'll work for the next time some Doctor decides that my pain is more acceptable than their risk that I get hooked on 5mg Vicodin/500mg Acetominophen. 

My friend went to her Dentist to have 9 (yeah 9!) teeth removed.  The doctor offered her a pain med at the end, and she explained that it was nice, but she gets better stuff on the street, and had taken double the amount before she even got in the car on her way to the dentist.  (not telling your doctor what meds you're on before surgery is not a good idea to me, fyi)

[K. Darien Freeheart]

I've found that people who don't want to be fully responsible for their own decisions sometimes claim "it's the law" when it's not.

[littlehawk]

This is just my 2 cents. Since most states said FU to REAL ID, our drivers licenses are becoming the "ID instrument" used to keep track of us all. All places (banks, doctors offices, auto shops, pawn shops, grocery stores, insurance companies, you name it) are making all of us cough up ID.   

So basically, if you do not flash your DL, no service. That is what REAL ID was going to do, force you to comply or you won't be able to function in society (travel, buy food, etc). REAL ID didn't work but the new improved DL will be edged in without a whimper. They already have most of us fingerprinted under the newer DL's. Maybe the retinal scan will be next and then a blood sample to list your blood type.
Sounds like REAL ID, huh? They just won't call it that. 

BTW, Does anyone know what personal information is contained on that magnetic strip on the back of your DL?

[RattyDog]

I have heard that one area of Identity Theft that is growing by leaps and bounds is medical ID theft. People are either med seeking or desperate for medical care and so, using your name and SSN, they recieve services and never pay for them...but the medical care is attached to your information, not theirs, so, no biggie for them.

That is what I heard....criminal and medical ID theft are on the rise. But then....I disregard most of what I hear these days. It seems to me that a lot of the "information" we spread around amongst each other, is really only the way the government goes about planting a reality in our brain, that sets them up for implementing new law, etc. (For instance: Everyone is talking about how identities are being stolen left and right in medical settings, etc....so, the next time you are at the doctors office and they ask you for your ID, you don't question it, because you've "heard" that there have been problems and that doctors offices and other such places are going to have to step up "security measures")

I don't like flashing my ID. I think it's bull. Any time someone tells me "It's a new law....for your own good/protection"....my red alert sirens automatically go off. I know all about what's "for my own good" if I'm hearing about something that's for my "own good" from someone else....I call bullcrap.

[.....]

..............

[ny2nh]

At the practice I work at, I believe that if you don't provide your social security number, we require a scan of your driver's license. I would say that most of patients' records that come across my desk have the SS# and on the ones that I have looked at the scanned files on, a good portion have a scan of their driver's license.

I can see how someone could steal medical services quite easily - and then receive treatment and then skip out on the bill. IN our practice, this could only happen if the real person's health insurance covered 100% because we require all payments up front. Even if only the insurance company ended up paying the bill, what would stink is if the real person tried to get similar services either in our facility or another, the insurance company would probably question it.

I don't think it is reasonable to expect the people working in a doctor's office - including the doctor - to actually remember people by sight only. They see hundreds of people every week - some are more memorable than others.

[AntonLee]

maybe I could get someone shorter and thinner to go in and do my physical for me.   That way I wouldn't have to hear the doctor tell me that I need to lose weight!

"well, Mr. Jankowski. . . I see . . .well. . . . wow. . . you've lost 200lbs, wow Congratulations!!!  Oh my, you've also lost a foot in height. . . weird."

[nemoslaw]

       RaineyRocks, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles, but I can tell you that the narcotics reason is no doubt because of what we call in the profession "doctor shopping", people go to different doctors and load up on narcotics to use because of addiction or to sell for monetary gain.
      Chronic back pain is the usual complaint and when they can't get the drugs from the doctors office they hit up the ERs or fake to get admitted and if they succeed they will get low income health care coverage for future admittance to get their narcotics clean through an IV.
         I wish opium dens were legalized again so that these people could go there instead of the hospital with their selfish demands taking time away from people who are really sick and need the attention more. Your tax dollars hard at work!
       Note: I used chronic back pain as an example no offense to anyone who actually suffers and tries to do right, the people that I have mentioned above throw suspicion on the innocent as well as use the system.

[jerryswife]

It is part of the anti-identity theft legislation because people are supposedly using other people's insurance to get coverage when they don't have their own.  As a physician, I would say it is pretty easy to spot the drug shoppers.  people who are not seeking pain meds inappropriately are usually concerned about getting addicted.  Drug-seekers will usually refuse anything but their preferred drug saying the others "don't work for them," they are vague about when and how the injury they are seeking the drugs for occurred and they are real inconsistent in their reaction to the examination of the "painful" area.  If they were smart, they would do a little research on anatomy before they went to the doctor.  I am not saying I never get fooled but I am pretty good at spotting the baddies and they never have insurance, insist they will pay cash, refuse testing and generally don't pay their bills.

[Giggan]

Re: pain meds, when I had my wisdom's taken out, I was given a prescription for a few vicodan, but the doc told me only to take them if 2 ibuprofen and 2 tylenol every few hours didn't do the trick. Hearing horror stories from my friends of outrageous pain following the surgery, I didn't imagine simple over the counter stuff would work. So I used tried the tylenol-ibuprofen mix, and realized I wasn't in pain. After a few days of feeling normal, I didn't take them, and my mouth was killing me. So apparently, the combo of the 2 is stronger than one would expect, or at least it was for me. And I got to save the vic's for a rainy day.

[bigmike]

Here in Michigan we will be the 3rd state to implement REAL ID. It's not really REAL ID, it's an EDL which stands for Enhanced Drivers License.

I heard Katherine Albrecht say the EDL specific data that can be transferred to a EDL scanner through walls and up to 30 feet away is the equivalent of walking around with your SSN on your shirt. In conversation I've only had to make that point to supporters of REAL ID/EDL's. They hate it afterward. Most favor the military on our border.

The bad news isn't that this story isn't told in the MSM, you'd expect as much from the government media. It's the highly governmental regulated businesses that are forced to comply with this, like your doctor Rainey.

I have 3 suggestions:

1) comply

2) tell them (whoever that turns out to be) that you lost it. They'll find a way to get your compliance like rushing you to the front of the line at your next TSA check.

3) refuse to carry ID and face arrest.

People would be surprised at how much they could do without ID. Your doctor knows you. So does his staff. Try saying 'no' next time and guage their response. Be prepared to accept their outcome.

[Raineyrocks]

luckily I've not been severely in pain many times in the past 6 years, but I've been refused pain medication because of my "status"

I've been in a jam for 3 or 4 years with dental work.  I've spent nearly 10,000 in my damn mouth.  I went to Tufts University Dental school to get some cheapER work done.  At one point, they needed to extract some teeth.  Normally, I guess, this is not something you need heavy meds for.  I had 3 removed and the fourth was not possible without doing a tougher surgery to remove it.  They had to cut into my gums, remove some of it, take the tooth out (it hurt) and sew it back up.

The students didn't do that tooth, they left it to the supervising Dentist.  He explained to me what the procedure was, and that it would be much too painful and they would give me a prescription for vicodin.  After the surgery, the doctors were arguing back and forth near where my cubicle was.  Eventually the doctor came back over and stated that I would recieve no pain medication because I was a different 'status'.

I asked what this 'status' meant.  He said that it was purely a technical thing, and that the student that told me I would receive pain medication was incorrect but that a "lot of acetominophen" would do the trick.  I explained that it wasn't a student that told me, but one of his fellow Doctors.  A bit more rabbling from them a little too far from my ear started.  The student assigned to me came over and informed me that it was an issue of me being an alcoholic. 

And. . . that makes me horribly angry.  I kept my cool and waited for the Dentist to return.  I asked him if he knew what an alcoholic was.  He correctly explained that an alcoholic was a person addicted to alcohol.  I asked him if there was alcohol in vicodin.   He said 'no, but. . .'  and I explained that I don't take pills for pleasure, but in the case that I would need something to stop my pain, I would do so.  I told him that if he didn't give me the prescription that I would be forced to find it somewhere else.  Since I'm not a doctor, I'll be taking a huge risk by not knowing how much and what drug to use. . . I'd have to use what I could get.  I then said "ORRRRRR, you could just give me the prescription, allow me to take the few pain meds I will get, and heal up nicely and without pain."

He would not give me the prescription.  I told him that I didn't intend to leave this chair until I spoke with his supervisor.  Just so happens, luckilly, that his director was the first dentist I saw months earlier upon entering the school.  I explained that I was an alcoholic, and that my addiction to alcohol had nothing to do with alleviating my pain.  He agreed, explained the liability that many doctors are very scared of, and gave me the prescription. 

I never even finished it, I have it stored away in my drug box.  I'm sure they're expired by now, but perhaps they'll work for the next time some Doctor decides that my pain is more acceptable than their risk that I get hooked on 5mg Vicodin/500mg Acetominophen. 

My friend went to her Dentist to have 9 (yeah 9!) teeth removed.  The doctor offered her a pain med at the end, and she explained that it was nice, but she gets better stuff on the street, and had taken double the amount before she even got in the car on her way to the dentist.  (not telling your doctor what meds you're on before surgery is not a good idea to me, fyi)

Wow, what crap to have to go through!   My dentist is really good about pain meds when I have something done, thank goodness!