Since I was feeling like I’d been hit by a Mac truck Sunday and Monday, I decided not to wait and see if my regular doctor could squeeze me in, since an Express Care opened not too far from our house. 

Which ultimately took longer than if I had waited to go see my regular doctor because the woman at the front desk was confused by me telling her several times that the outstanding balance needed to be resubmitted to the insurance company – not because she asked me to pay the outstanding balance, but because I was the one who mentioned it. 

I should have kept my big mouth shut.  

Selective Hearing Lady (SHL):  “How May I help you?”

Me:  “I have a raging sinus infection that will be needing antibiotics.”

SHL:  “OK, have you been here before?”

Me:  “Yes, sometime last winter for my last sinus infection.”

SHL:  “Name and birth-date?”

Me:  “Blah, blah, blah.  Oh, and there might be a balance on our account unless my hubby paid it.  If there is a balance, it needs to be resubmitted to the insurance company since they had their wires crossed about the fact we have no other insurance, just them.  Basically, any balance on our account needs to be resubmitted to the insurance company.  Please and Thank You.”

Apparently what the woman heard was:

“Blah, blah, blah, I’d like to pay my outstanding balance, please.”

I can see how she got that, can’t you?  Which of course threw her into a tizzy, because she apparently didn’t know how to let someone pay their outstanding balance and had to make three different phone calls to find out what to do.  At one point I heard her say she has a patient that wants to pay the balance on their account, so I spoke up and said (again) that it needs to be submitted to the insurance company.  Selective Hearing didn’t hear me.

There was not a single solitary other soul in the waiting room, and I stood at the reception window for a good 20 minutes while she was making her flurry of phone calls.  I was willing my head to please explode now feeling worse by the minute, and finally took a page from Drama Queen Princess Nagger’s book and leaned down in front of the window, resting my weary and pounding head on the shelf-ledge-thingy.

Since that wasn’t all that comfortable, I moved to the nearest chair and sat down instead.  About 5 minutes later I heard:

“Ma’am?  Ma’am?”

The hackles raising on the back of my neck didn’t alleviate the pounding in my head.  In case you were wondering.  I thought “At last!  She’s finally going to get me in to see a medical professional so I can get the heck out of here!”

But I was wrong.

Instead she asked “How are you going to pay that today?  Cash?  Check?”

Me:  “Pay what?”

SHL:  “The outstanding balance?”

Me:  “I’m not paying that today – it needs to be resubmitted to the insurance company so they’ll pay it.  I just need to get this sinus infection taken care of.”

SHL:  “Oh.”  She looked confused for a minute, then muttered into the phone still planted to her ear: “Never mind, I guess I don’t need you.”

When I finally was called in to see the doctor, my blood pressure reading was a little high for their liking.  You think?  But after I finally actually did see the doctor and had a chat with her about my sinuses betraying me twice a year and which antibiotic works for me, my blood pressure was re-checked before leaving – it was back down to ‘normal’. 

When it was all said and done, the ‘express’ care took just over an hour.  About the same amount of time it takes at my regular doctor’s office with all the hurry-up-and-wait moments.

“Express” must mean something different in the Small Town.

Which brings me to this weeks question(s):

Do you have some sort of ‘Express Care’ in your area?  If so, do you use them for the convenience of getting a cold or flu bug taken care of, or do you prefer to see your regular/family doctor?

Have a great weekend!

Link up if you like – that way I can visit you easily, especially if you’re a new follower. You can be participating in any (or none) of the hops listed below – it’s a Free-For-All! (Just please oh please leave a comment when you do!) I’m also a little behind on following everyone that has followed me the last week or so – a gentle reminder is always a good thing, and I’ll definitely be doing some major catch-up when my head is less foggy than it currently is.

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30 Comments

  1. Yes we do, but I’m not sure where it’s at anymore because my clinic moved right down the road, and being as the walk in was at the back door & the clinic was at the front door before I didn’t see one at the new place. Guess I should check into that. Although I did see a Hospital walk in by Walmart by me. Nope don’t use it. I hear it’s a bit expensive & I believe our co-pay is higher than seeing the doctor. Guess I should look that up too. Hmmm Get better sweetie! Have a good weekend.
    XmasDolly would like you to read ..FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK, ALOHA FRIDAY & STALK HOP FRIDAY & FOLLOW FRIDAYMy Profile

  2. Thought I did this already, but here we go again (you may delete one if I did do it twice). In answer to your questions, no. I hate doctors any where! Have a good weekend.

  3. We have UrgentCare around here but they are awful so we avoid them if we can. We like to joke that they employ all the doctors who graduated last in their class 🙂 Sometimes though, they are the only option when a child is sick and our regular doctor isn’t open. I think you were fortunate to get out of there in an hour. A visit to Urgent Care usually takes 2-3 for us.
    Jen would like you to read ..Aloha Friday and Blog Hops – October 14, 2011My Profile

  4. lol. Sounds like you had fun. Not. Hope you feel better soon. One opened near our house too. We have used them several times (I’m accident prone). Nice for a quick fix, but there’s a large co-pay when we go there.
    Rachel would like you to read ..Our Must Haves-0-6monthsMy Profile

  8. We don’t have express care here but the doctors here are all walk-in so there is no need for prior appointments days or weeks in advance. This week I brought Doggie boy to see the doctor due to his fever and bad cough and we were in and out of the clinic with the meds within 1/2 hr. Medicine is dispensed at the doctor’s so there is no need for a trip to the pharmacy to pick them up.
    Dominique would like you to read ..Yellow Mellow FridayMy Profile

  9. Yes, there are a few Urgent Care places near here. In real emergency situations we will go there when we can not get to our doctor. The co-pay for that is more and the care not as good.
    Beth would like you to read ..Sukkah Decorating TimeMy Profile

  13. First of all, how did you get out of there without hurting Lady of the Desk? We have an urgent care place here that we typically reserve for weekends. the last time I was there the nurse was complaining about people who had shown up there “inappropriately”…with chest pains and such–she deemed that hospital stuff!
    Andrea would like you to read ..Wordless fungus amongus!My Profile

  16. We have a bunch of those 24 hour care clinics around town and we’ll use them just for that – flu shots and or other things we don’t want to ‘bother’ our doctor with. But more often than not, you’re right, it’s not ever more convenient than seeing our own doc! Nowadays, we just see our regular doctor – I hate wasting time!
    Jennifer would like you to read ..Aloha Friday – TV AddictMy Profile

  18. We have the ER in the local hospital, but you have to wait your turn. However, I almost always call my Family Doctor and get an appointment, and go there and wait for an hour or more past the appointment time. But, when it’s my turn, he takes his time with me, no rush, rush.

  19. We do have what is known as an immediate care (same thing essentially) for those times that you just need to go in and out-unfortunately, in and out just never seems to be what happens O.o

    So, unless someone in my family is seriously maimed or dying, we really don’t bother going at all.

    I’m glad you finally got in to see the doctor though! And I hope you’re feeling better 🙂

    Happy Friday!
    Kayla would like you to read ..It Can’t be That Time Already…Can It?!My Profile

  20. Hi!! Been there done that and got the t-shirt!! LOL I am your newest GFC follower. I hope that you can stop by http://www.indianacouponsavings.comand follow me too. You have a great site, keep up the good work. Also, Debs Dealz and I are hosting a month long Boo Hop. I hope that you can stop over and link up. http://indianacouponsavings.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween-boo-hop-all-month-long.html
    ErinHankins would like you to read ..(Not So) Express CareMy Profile

  23. Sometimes those front desk people have a one track mind, thats for sure. I have used a clinic last winter but only one time. It was around christmas time, my doc was on vacation and I had a cough that had been hanging on for weeks. It took about an hour and a half to get in and make sure I didn’t have an nasty infection. I much prefer my own doctor, but it was better than get pneumonia!
    Heather would like you to read ..Best Baby StrollersMy Profile

  27. I wish they had more clinics set up to just cater to basic health care needs. I want to mention for anyone that has frequent sinus problems to get something called a neti pot. You can buy them in major stores and of course research them online.
    Bob from 36 Bar Stools would like you to read ..Halloween Furniture CoversMy Profile

  30. That is so frustrating. I love people who act like you’re annoying them just by existing and making them actually do their jobs.

    Yes, we have the CVS Minute Clinic, which I actually have used a lot of times. It is usually way faster and open on the weekend so it’s a plus. Well, until the part where I have to haggle over antibiotic brands because of the kid’s allergies. Grr.
    Casey would like you to read ..The Time I Gave An Internet Stranger My Car KeysMy Profile

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