[Norm K]

I told my rheumatologist that when she requires me to come in for nothing more than a quick "Hello, how are you doing" (after having already seen my most recent lab-work) before she'll refill my scrip, my billing clock will start running fifteen minutes after the scheduled appointment time.

I offered her a reduced rate of $200/hr, with a one hour minimum, and told her to feel free to bill me similarly if I ever kept her waiting.

Although she thought I was kidding, I assured her I wasn't, as I was tired of having to drive across town, always arriving early, only to be kept waiting well beyond my appointment time. Every. Single. Time.

She declined, but my new guy didn't, and I've yet to be kept waiting or been asked to attend a needless appointment in the two years since the switch.

There aren't a whole lot of truly private-practice docs out there. I am lucky to have found an excellent one who is beholden only to his staff and his patients. As an added bonus, he's 30 years my junior, something I think is important in physicians and financial planners.

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