Has the answering service/doctor on call gone the way of the house call and the Dodo bird?
I just went to see a General Practiitioner for the first time, it was my pastor's doctor and I went there because the church offered to pay for my visit. I was issued a prescription, but when I went to the WalMart pharmacy I learned there might be an equivalent to what was prescribed on the $4 list. I phoned the doctor's office to see if they could approve a change -- it was 6pm -- and just got a recorded message.
After hours you have only 2 options, you're told "if it's a life-threatening emergency hang up and dial 9-1-1" otherwise you can leave a message for them to return you call "as soon as they can". Which seems to be when the office re-opens Mon. morning, no one has called back all weekend.
There's a whole wide range of things for which you would need to speak with your doctor about that fall between a 9-1-1 emergency and waiting all weekend for attention. Is this what most doctors are doing now? Or is it just a regional thing here in West Palm Beach?
I just went to see a General Practiitioner for the first time, it was my pastor's doctor and I went there because the church offered to pay for my visit. I was issued a prescription, but when I went to the WalMart pharmacy I learned there might be an equivalent to what was prescribed on the $4 list. I phoned the doctor's office to see if they could approve a change -- it was 6pm -- and just got a recorded message.
After hours you have only 2 options, you're told "if it's a life-threatening emergency hang up and dial 9-1-1" otherwise you can leave a message for them to return you call "as soon as they can". Which seems to be when the office re-opens Mon. morning, no one has called back all weekend.
There's a whole wide range of things for which you would need to speak with your doctor about that fall between a 9-1-1 emergency and waiting all weekend for attention. Is this what most doctors are doing now? Or is it just a regional thing here in West Palm Beach?