Since COVID, the excuse to do appointments by phone is the biggest ripoff to my insurance company. I’ve received charges for copay that I’ve never had to pay in office. The fact that I’m charged for an office visit, without the office, is disgusting.
There’s no blood pressure taken, no temperature, no heart rate, no stethoscope. None of the office checkup [procedures] that are truly necessary to check and diagnose a patient. The charges are the same, without proper examination. There’s no way any doctor can ethically treat a patient properly over the phone.
This has created a monster for the patients and the insurance companies’ bottom line. I never feel comfortable with it, or the charges I see on my medical statement. COVID has created lazy patient care, not only with the doctors, but office staff as well. This is a professional tragedy, and I, for one, have lost faith and respect for the medical profession.