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[Mimi2RN]

Yesterday, I had an appointment scheduled with my PCP. There were several people in the waiting room, but it was quiet.

After a few minutes, a teenage girl, maybe 16 yrs old or so came out from the exam room area over to an older woman sitting across from me.

The conversation went something like this.

Teenage girl"I have to have an MRI".

Older woman, presumably mom" You are not going to have an MRI! Who's going to pay for it?"

Girl"I need to have an MRI for my headaches".

Mom "You can't have an MRI, you need to go back and tell them that".

At that point, mom repeated that she couldn't pay for an MRI, and sent the girl back to the exam room. The girl did not look happy, but went back. Mom got up and headed down the stairs, girl came back out and followed her mom out.

The problems with health care just don't go away.I can totally understand mom's dilemma. She cared enough to take the girl to the doctor, but had no money to pay for the care. God willing, this girl has no life threatening problem, but what can we do in cases like this? It's just sad.

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

I would be surprised if the girl was 18+. But if that was so, she would not have been at a private practice doc's office, as there is more than one clinic here in town for adult to get care on her own, and then get more help for other care. This girl looked like she didn't know what to do, except to do as she was told.

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

I would be surprised if the girl was 18+. But if that was so, she would not have been at a private practice doc's office, as there is more than one clinic here in town for adult to get care on her own, and then get more help for other care. This girl looked like she didn't know what to do, except to do as she was told.

That describes a good 70% of people up to 30,(and sometimes well over) anymore.

Lot's of assumptions, in the observation, but a few facts that I can cull from what was provided.

1) She was being seen for headaches.

2) She was told that she needed an MRI.

3) She may or may not have been emancipated/foster/18+, but in any case, she is not financially independant.

4) The MRI is "needed" so for limitation of liability, primarily. If the PCP gives her a triptan script, and she goes home and blows an undiagnosed aneurysm, mom/gmom/whatever, can come back and claim wrongful death, malpractice, pain and suffering, etc., etc..

Is the MRI standard of care in differentiating migraine from aneurysm from a few other abnormalities? Yes. Could it be refused(signed AMA), and the headaches treated empiracally? Yes.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say: shame on mom/gmom for being uneducated white/black/whatever trash.

We do not have "clients" or "customers", we have patients. The majority of people we see have no clue as to problems, resources, alternatives or standards. The problem is less one of available resources, but of education and perspective(ours!). We do not provide services ("Like fries with that...?"), we provide care and the means to capacity in life.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

So many assumptions and so little time......:smokin:

I think it is hard to have any intelligent conversation or debate about this when so little of the facts are known. Kind of a huge waste of energy. Meaningless.