Remember what James Carville once said, “You’ve got Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other end, and Alabama in the middle.”
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Interesting. Logically (there’s the problem … lol ) if a patient hasn’t been to the doctor’s office in two years, it’s b/c they remain in good health & don’t need to. I mean why should someone go to the doctor when there’s no need? I had a similar experience one time, went for an inner ear infection, and the doctor made a point to note on the form that I hadn’t been into the office in several years. Couldn’t figure out what that had to do with an inner ear infection, but maybe they use that info to decide whether the patient has been paying their dues … sigh … I did get a whopper of an invoice for that visit.
Yeah, but they are a health care factory and want to generate as much business as possible. They use the annual physical as an excuse and use the sunset clause to enforce it. The place I go isn’t the only doctor’s office that does this. My cardiologist does the same thing. How else can they get a new S500 every two years?
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This is service department triage. The 2021 Tucson is still driveable. Another vehicle may need immediate attention to be made operable or to be made safe to be on the road. The owner of the vehicle needs transportation. I would have no problem having to wait a month for an appointment if my car runs and can be driven safely so that another motorist.whiose car doesn’t run and needs transportation can get his car back on the road.
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Well I just made an appointment at the Acura dealer for trans, transfer case and rear diff fluid changes for Tuesday. Monday was open but couldn’t make that. So that’s about 3 days.
hmmmm … I’m starting to get the sense this problem will never be fixed … lol …
Well I feel doubly fortunate then. When the wife racked her knee Sunday morning, we decided to not go to the emergency room but to the clinic the next day. We had to go to the next town 10 miles away but still got in on Monday.
I would make the counter argument that going to the doctor’s office once a year for a routine physical (still covered by insurance per the ACA last time I checked) is not a waste of time or money. I’m 33, no current medical issues, minor physical issues (I’ll need bilateral knees and my right shoulder done at some point in the next 10-15 years probably), but it let’s my doctor make sure everything is in as good of shape as possible. Plus he checks basic labs every year to make sure things remain at baseline.
Is that so different than having your car checked twice a year by your mechanic while your oil is getting changed and the fluids checked?
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The original issue was that doctors did not want the office cluttered with people that didn’t clearly need to be there. Now, they want to penalize those of us that followed their recommendations. It’s hard to respect people that behave that way. I am not generalizing, but commenting directly on the business end of the GP and cardiologist practices I deal with.
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Which does make sense given COVID.
And that is utter garbage, I agree with you.
The shop I work at is currently running on a 2+ week backlog for scheduling. Meaning that if you call today you’ll be told we can get your car in right around Christmas. Now we schedule certain problems further out than others. For instance if you’re car is towed in because it quit on the freeway, there will be an opening sooner than for getting your collision avoidance system checked. The car that doesn’t run is in urgent need of repair. Your car can still be driven normally with no issues. It’s like the difference between a broken molar and a teeth cleaning. One is urgent, the other can wait until it’s convenient.
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Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, based on their own situation. There’s both advantages and risks when going to a clinic in good health, only for a check-up. I I don’t think however that patients should be treated differently if they prefer the “fewer health care visits” approach.
I don’t get the sense here that many car owners take their car to the shop twice a year for no reason other than a check-up, other than for warranty purposes.
No risk with primary doctor, virtual appointments over the past year.
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every 6 months for an oil change? Granted we have plenty of people who post here who clearly ignore that, but there are plenty of people who do exactly that. And even people who DIY are able to get underneath and look around as well as doing an eye check on the fluids while they change the oil.
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A shop NEEDS to have a 2 week backlog of work or things can very quickly get kind of tense.
With only a couple of days work scheduled this is going to mean running out of work PDQ and people working on flat rate can, and rightfully so, become kind of surly.
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A well managed backlog/back order is a sign of a healthy business. A mechanic with a full lot and cars actively worked on in all bays is the way to keep the revenue stream going and the techs getting paid. Nothing wrong with prioritizing work. I am dropping my son’s Jeep at the shop today for a tire swap, nothing urgent. I had to schedule it a week ago and the folks at the shop said they were swamped. If I had an urgent problem they would have squeezed me in sooner.
At the Acura dealer yesterday there were only a couple other people. The service manager did say it had been pretty steady though and next week was booked up. In addition to the trans, transfer case, and differential fluid change, the advised flushing the brake fluid which I did. The brake pedal seemed a little more sensitive after that.
They had a few cars in the showroom but said the supply was erratic. I was shocked at the price though that was $20,000 more than we paid in 2016. Gulp.