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some doctor's note..

siuying
edited July 2007 in General
so i went to the clinic today after being sick in bed for 2 days without any sign of healing.. and the doctor said it was another viral infection again.. i contacted one 2 months earlier and it was the same doc who diagnosed me.. and again he gave me no meds and just said it'll pass within the few days.. and so i asked him if he could give me a doctor's note since i've been out of work for two days and he said sure.. but there's a fee of $10 for doctor's note.. and i went wth.. so i asked him is this a new policy and he said yeah.. =.=" so i went out to the reception and gave the lady the 10 bucks and asked her.. when did this new policy started? and she said.. oh it started quite a while ago.. to which i replied.. oh really? i was here two months ago asking for a doctor's note and you guys didn't charge me.. and she's like oh they probably forgot.. now the funny thing is.. i've been visiting this clinic since i was a lil kid and never have i heard that a doctor's note had a fee.. and even if they did.. shouldn't they atleast put up a notice near the reception? so anyway.. i walked out and got into my car and stared at that doctor's note.. and in it.. it consisted of less than 10 words.. costing me $10... man this is fucked up... @_@

anyone ever got charged for getting a doctor's note here? i'm totally baffled over this.. =\

Comments

  • meeshmeesh
    edited June 2007
    ...wtf!?

    10 bucks for a doctor's note, i'm sorry but that's ridiculous. they're seriously just milking money out of patients which is so so sad. I've never had to pay for a doctor's note.

    Was it written by hand as well? Because I know some clinics use printed doctor's notes with watermarks so people know it's real...but still!
  • siuying
    edited June 2007
    sadly meesh.. it was hand written.. and i must say.. the calligraphy isn't worth 10 bucks at all... =(
  • Malakaiii
    edited June 2007
    I've seen the signs that say this, but it's still BS that they can do that.

    I think they should only write you a note if you are actually sick (which you are), and refuse to write notes for the rest. That should clear the problem up right there...

    Anyway, you should visit the doctors at the SFU clinic. They are AWESOME, and don't charge for notes (as far as I know)
  • Broken Lizard
    edited June 2007
    i think all walk in clinics charge and family doctors dont?
  • 中国&#30
    edited June 2007
    I had to pay for a doctor's note and it started a few years back. You are paying for the doctor's time and authorization to write a note because of his/her recognized status. This being a Medical Doctorate and or Doctorate of Philosophy. The ten dollars also impose a preventative measure for patients to get off easy from work. If you can work 1 hour for $10, then he can make $10 in 5 minutes.
  • meeshmeesh
    edited June 2007
    Triple;13897 said:
    i think all walk in clinics charge and family doctors dont?
    oh maybe! i've always gone to the family doctor so maybe that's why...
  • siuying
    edited June 2007
    this is my family doctor tho.. =(
  • siuying
    edited June 2007
    中国男人;13898 said:
    I had to pay for a doctor's note and it started a few years back. You are paying for the doctor's time and authorization to write a note because of his/her recognized status. This being a Medical Doctorate and or Doctorate of Philosophy. The ten dollars also impose a preventative measure for patients to get off easy from work. If you can work 1 hour for $10, then he can make $10 in 5 minutes.
    okay.. point taken.. but still it took him less than a minute to write it and he still charged me for $10.. i think that's hardly fair so to speak.. and i did ask if i could go to work tml.. and he advised me to stay put for the day.. i guess that implies he was after by 10 bucks anyway?
  • meeshmeesh
    edited June 2007
    中国男人;13898 said:
    I had to pay for a doctor's note and it started a few years back. You are paying for the doctor's time and authorization to write a note because of his/her recognized status. This being a Medical Doctorate and or Doctorate of Philosophy. The ten dollars also impose a preventative measure for patients to get off easy from work. If you can work 1 hour for $10, then he can make $10 in 5 minutes.
    wouldn't that be an abuse of power though? Doctors are experts and we trust them enough to take their advice, but i think when doctor's are asking for money in exchange for a doctor's note, they're using their status/position to enforce this policy and that's not really fair, because what else can you do when you really DO need a doctor's note?
    and why can't they just refuse to a write a note for someone if the patient isn't really sick?
    Also, this is just my assumption but the way I see it is if someone is desperate enough to get off work by pretending to be sick and seeing the doc, they would probably be willing to spend the $10 for a doctor's note. that's easy pocket money for the clinic.
  • Malakaiii
    edited June 2007
    I think that if they advise you not to go to work, the note should be free. But if you just want a note to say you were too sick to go in that day, maybe they could charge for it? It's a grey area...

    Also, I'm 99% sure that the doctor is not just pocketing that $10! It would go to the clinic.
  • 中国&#30
    edited June 2007
    siuying;13908 said:
    okay.. point taken.. but still it took him less than a minute to write it and he still charged me for $10.. i think that's hardly fair so to speak.. and i did ask if i could go to work tml.. and he advised me to stay put for the day.. i guess that implies he was after by 10 bucks anyway?
    It's fair to him since his time is money while he is at work. When you ask for a doctor's note, that meant he was going to receive 10 bucks. You didn't have to ask for a note.
  • 中国&#30
    edited June 2007
    meesh;13911 said:
    wouldn't that be an abuse of power though? Doctors are experts and we trust them enough to take their advice, but i think when doctor's are asking for money in exchange for a doctor's note, they're using their status/position to enforce this policy and that's not really fair, because what else can you do when you really DO need a doctor's note?
    and why can't they just refuse to a write a note for someone if the patient isn't really sick?
    Also, this is just my assumption but the way I see it is if someone is desperate enough to get off work by pretending to be sick and seeing the doc, they would probably be willing to spend the $10 for a doctor's note. that's easy pocket money for the clinic.
    As I said to siuying, you don't have to ask for a doctor's note. Maybe a prescription note but I doubt an employter would accept that. Why would a doctor refuse 10 bucks for an autograph on special stationary paper that costs less 10 cents?

    You are right about the easy reasons to get off work.
  • siuying
    edited June 2007
    中国男人;13917 said:
    It's fair to him since his time is money while he is at work. When you ask for a doctor's note, that meant he was going to receive 10 bucks. You didn't have to ask for a note.
    actually i did.. i called in sick for 2 days at work already.. and their policy is that if it goes onto the 3rd day you need the doctor's note... otherwise i wouldn't have asked nor paid for it..

    well i decided to call back today and talk to my family doctor about this.. and he told me that HE doesn't charge a fee but some practitioners in his clinic do.. and that's why there's no notice of any sort because not the whole clinic does it.. =.=" and so he made a note to the receptionist to book me in with doctors at his clinic that don't charge a fee in the future.. =)

    but i don't know malakaiii.. if the clinic is not completely enforcing this fee.. especially after i talked with my family doctor.. i can't help but wonder if that 10 bucks is really going to the clinic or his pocket.. moreover.. he was the same guy that saw me 2 months earlier and gave me the doctor's note then.. why didn't he charge me that time? =\
  • siuying
    edited June 2007
    中国男人;13918 said:
    Why would a doctor refuse 10 bucks for an autograph on special stationary paper that costs less 10 cents?
    because he's a money leeching parasite?
  • Smiles
    edited June 2007
    I think it depends on the doctor. My old family doctor would charge $10-15 for doctor's notes. However he was an idiot. I actually stopped seeing him because he did not care about his patients. My current doctor, I have been seeing for the past 6 years. He has never charged me for a doctor's note and he geniunely cares about his patients. Then again, I have only gotten one doctor's note from my current doctor.
  • jkd
    edited July 2007
    I heard that somewhere in Canda, employers are Banned to request doctors notes because it takes up too much room and time, money...
  • toast
    edited July 2007
    That's probably why half of the people i know are going to med school.

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