Reports from varied sources show that patients are avoiding treatment.

Nowadays, maybe they don’t have the money.

Maybe they are worried about taking sick leave and appearing non-essential or uncommitted.

Still other patients are not coming in because they are stressed out or scared about what they will learn. “I don’t want to know.”

If You Are Avoiding Your Doctor, You Need to Find a Solution

Whatever your reason for not going to see your doctor, if you are avoiding an appointment, your doctor needs to know that and why.

Experienced physicians often can help patients find a way to come in when they need to.

Ignoring early signs of trouble does not save money. It will not make the news easier to hear later.

“It’s just stress,” is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom. It needs to be evaluated and a plan developed for reducing yours to more manageable levels.

Washington Post

““From Baltimore to Boise, doctors are encountering more patients struggling to pay for care. Some doctors have responded by selectively cutting their fees or devising novel payment arrangements; others have taken a harder line on billing and are sending more overdue accounts to bill collectors.

“Although professional groups such as the American College of Physicians do not specify how much charity care their members should provide, many doctors say they feel a responsibility to help strapped patients, particularly those with whom they have long-standing relationships. Some say assisting patients pays dividends in the form of loyalty, which will benefit them once the economy recovers. For others, such efforts may stem an exodus of consumers at a time when elective procedures and visits to doctors’ offices are down.

…..”The Medical Group Management Association, which represents 22,500 medical practices across the country, has reported sharp increases in patients who fail to keep appointments and decreases in preventive-care visits in recent months.”

Source: Washington Post, June 3, 2009