Medical stuff up

[FAT-TOY]

  Not VMX but one of those things that really piss me off.
    A mate of mine who works as a contract miner doing longwall changes (whatever the hell that is) was due to have a medical.  These are usually done by the coal board medical staff and are over in 2 to 3 hours but this time his employer decided to use one of these new medical centres that include a gym and a small private hospital and are run by a heap of 14 year olds in short skirts.  This one is owned by a local heart specialist.
   After the medical was completed the girl who did most of it told him that everything looked ok but because of his age (early 60s) he would have to have a stress test done and they couldn't give him a note to go back to work until that was done.  Of cause this was to happen in thier hospital.  After it was done they told him that he passed that but the specialist wants to do another test where he had to have dye though his veins to check for blockages and spend 2 nights in thier hospital. This also came back as clear and after each test he asked for a clearance and was told yes the doctor will sort that out for you soon.
  He has now been off work for almost 7 weeks for a friggin medical test and today the specialists staff have told him that he wont get a clearance until after his next appointment with this overservicing dickhead specialist and thats not until the middle of May where he will do the final checks.
  He has used most of his sick leave and is worried that with the downturn in the mining industries that he might not have a job to go back to after all of this bullshit is over, he told the receptionist at the specialist surgery this and she replied, but wont it be worth it to know that you are healthy and have no heart problems to which be replied I knew that before you started all of this shit.
  Any of you blokes ever had anything like this happen, it looks to me like the specialist is wroughting the system and bleeding of as much as he can and stuff those unfortunate enough to become his patients.
  He is going to see his local member to see if he can do anything, but he might have to ring John Laws or A Current Affair they seem to like this type of story.
                                                            Zane     
   

[TeeBone]

Hi Zane, your mate is not alone!

I work in the Iron Ore industry and our employer has allowed one of these mobs, although not as grandiose, to do the medicals. Guess what? Yep, gotta have a stress test at $250 a pop. I think I smell an (overservicing) rat!

[Mike52]

And the difference between that and what your local GP does is ?
Good mate of mine is either dieing from bowel cancer or is as healthy as.
Depends which specialist he's talking to on the day.
Meanwhile he's as sick as a dog and is spending all his savings trying to find our what the problem is.

[GMC]

I had the stress test then the dye in the veins while in the CatScan last year (maybe the year before)
There was no overnight stay, only took a couple of hours all up and I either had the result straight away or within a few days.

[firko]

I had the stress test then the dye in the veins while in the CatScan last year (maybe the year before)
There was no overnight stay, only took a couple of hours all up and I either had the result straight away or within a few days.

I had three stress tests last year during my health meltdown and all of them were day procedures while I was in hospital and the results were known the next day at the latest. Your mates getting the royal runaround Zane.

[KTMaico]

My observations of the medical fraternity in Australia is they are all in it for the money and the medical system we have is there to be rorted by over servicing. I can quote several of my personal experiences with doctors suddenly interested in my health problems when the Qld Government wanted to take the stress off Hospitals and offered Practioners a $500.00 bounty to send patients to outside clinitions and health service providers. I told the doctor that saw me that after 5-6 phone calls received from various groups for appointment to service me, that I did not want her to have anything to do with my health care and that only a few monthes earlier she just told me I had to live with my problems. She only was interested with my health after the $500.00 bonus.

Lets face it, Medico's are driving Mercedes because they make a very good living. If they want to make more all you have to do is over service your patient with various tests and get the kick backs from the Testing Labs for the referal. Take a look at your next Blood Test or CT Scan request form and you will note they are all putting a few words in there that you should only use the Lab the Doctor has sent you to and not to any other Lab.

In the end we have a Bloated Health care system that can not cope with the Public Patients as all the focus is where the money is in the Private Patients. The AMA protects it's members and the Australian Government (you and me) has to pay for the spiralling health costs. Don't get me started.
Kevin

[FAT-TOY]

   I agree it is unusual for a overnight stay let alone 2 nights and even though he is in his 60s he is still a fit man. I spoke to a friend this morning who is also a local GP and she said that she doubted the specialist was ripping off the system.  Although he has just gone through a messy divorce.
  Enough said.
                   Zane   

[Marc.com]

Yeah I definitely miss the Japanese and Taiwanese Public Health system which also covers dental and is cheap as chips. No messing about there with a bunch of bullshit, everything short of open heart surgery is pretty much done on the spot,  like Medicare was 20 years ago.

[Tim754]

Four hours including dye, tests and recovery observation. Unless something amiss  shows up in recovery. Results for inspection are available straight away at completion of test.
 ANYTHING longer in time is a con and a rip off.

How would I Know?  Have had heart problems resulting in numerous "Stress Tests" under the Fed Goverments "Country Health care Plan" system over the past few years.

[FAT-TOY]

  Tim he was told that he had to be at the hospital on tuesday afternoon.  I dropped him off at 5pm thinking that they would do the procedure that night but no, they told him it would be done wednesday morning and the overnight stay was to monitor and prepare him for the test.
  They did the procedure at about 3pm in the afternoon and when he hadn't rung me with a time to pick him up I contacted him, he then told me that the doctor told him that everything was clear and there were no blockages but he and all of the other done that day had to stay overnight and see the doctor about 9am thursday morning.  I arrived at 9am and found him and about a dozen others in a waiting room waiting to see the prick.  I waited in my car and he finally came out at 10.15am.
                                        Zane 

[Hoony]

i have 3 sheilas in my house, every day is a stress test so far i have passed them all but each time its getting harder

[Ted]

Yeah, well move to my joint. You'll be bonkers in a week