Call local primary care clinics, let them know ahead of time that you are a cash patient and negotiate terms before you go. Ask about new patient fees and if they will be lower once you are established. Some will offer payment plans or interest-free credit options. Many clinics will suggest outside labs that are more affordable if you ask, and if they balk at this request you should keep looking. Ask about mask requirements as many are finally dropping these, but you may have to put up with that if you find a reasonable fee.
Many physicians will give up to a year of refills once you are established, but will require at least yearly visits to maintain the relationship. That’s minimal for good medical care and it is how they get paid for their services.
If you are expecting a physician to see you for much less than the $165 you were asked for at urgent care, you are likely to be disappointed, especially for an unestablished patient.
That short visit to your physician may seem overcharged to you, but in the costs of “just vital signs and a few questions”, especially for private practice physicians, are nurse, clerk and administrative salaries and benefits, rent, insurance, utilities, maintenance, computer and internet costs, etc. Not surprisingly, you are also paying for the physician’s experience and expertise.
He or she doesn’t know anything about your medical history, compliance, prior treatment, how up-to-date you are on necessary screening tests and loads of other necessary information to give proper care.
With those “few taps on a keyboard”, your physician also immediately assumes liability for your care and is on the hook for any poor outcomes you have from medication management. Even if you have been on the same medications for years, there may be better options available now that may need to be considered. There are reasons medical licenses are required to prescribe medications.
And yes, I am in the medical profession, and I understand that healthcare can be overly expensive, but expecting a physician to simply take medication orders from you and relay them to the pharmacy is unrealistic and insulting to the profession.
My advice is to do what I described in the first paragraph, and prepare to pay reasonable professional fees for professional services. You don’t say why you are unable to go back to your previous free clinics, but if you really need free care, you may need to look for other free options.
Love,
O2
Good advice!