Physicals nowadays are not thorough at all

@Grizzly_Paladin like I said it’s your choice. We are shaped by life experiences. Mine tell me a GP can barely diagnose his way out of a box without labwork and scans.

Optometrists are trained to correct vision. I disagree with you on that one they all should have told my parents to have an optometrist test my vision as it wasn’t 20/20. Instead he referred me to an ophthalmologist who is primarily responsible for the health of the eye. Thank god I was able to learn about it at 17 but only after several knockouts caused by trying to keep my eye on the ball while trying to catch it.

My PCP gives me empathy without giving me a DRE. A PSA test doesn’t detect cancer, it simply tells the doc that statistically, your level is either normal or high. The cause can be many things. My PCP diagnosed prostatitis with a PSA test. But they were younger so no DRE and didn’t jump the gun and send me for a prostate biopsy they just retested after several courses of antibiotics. My PSA lscore went from 17 to 9. Over two months it dropped down to 1.09. They worked smarter. Out of pocket PSA tests where I live are around $50. Labwork is free on my plan.

My price quote was for a targeted CT. MRI scans definitely run higher. PET scans higher yet. My insurance caps a CT, MRI or PET scan at $150.

I did see a self pay doctor for a few years. He charged $287 for a 15 minute exam. Multiply by 3 for a physical.

Optometrists are trained to correct vision. I disagree with you on that one they all should have told my parents to have an optometrist test my vision as it wasn’t 20/20. Instead he referred me to an ophthalmologist who is primarily responsible for the health of the eye. Thank god I was able to learn about it at 17 but only after several knockouts caused by trying to keep my eye on the ball while trying to catch it.

My PCP gives me empathy without giving me a DRE. A PSA test doesn’t detect cancer, it simply tells the doc that statistically, your level is either normal or high. The cause can be many things. My PCP diagnosed prostatitis with a PSA test. But they were younger so no DRE and didn’t jump the gun and send me for a prostate biopsy they just retested after several courses of antibiotics. My PSA lscore went from 17 to 9. Over two months it dropped down to 1.09. They worked smarter. Out of pocket PSA tests where I live are around $50. Labwork is free on my plan.

My price quote was for a targeted CT. MRI scans definitely run higher. PET scans higher yet. My insurance caps a CT, MRI or PET scan at $150.

I did see a self pay doctor for a few years. He charged $287 for a 15 minute exam. Multiply by 3 for a physical.

That's really good insurance then. Congrats on however you landed that. I think I came off more combative than I intended before, but I agree that everyone has a different experience with medicine. My doctors seem to use labs and scans as a crutch to avoid actually touching the patient, to the point that 90% of my office visits could be a FaceTime call. That's something that pisses me off when I'm taking 2-3 hours out of my day to drive to them, wait on them, get charged money for them to check a box on a form and wave me off, and then have to drive back to work to deal with all the things that piled up while I was gone.

If a doctor wants to rely on blood work and scans, then those should cover every conceivable thing they can check for and the results can be discussed over video call. Do it like on Star Trek where they just wave a scanner over you and send you on your way. But if I'm spending significant time and money for an exam, I should get a thorough exam. At a minimum they can be doing a skin check since most related issues likely won't show up on a lab, and while they're checking that it's fairly trivial to palpate the abdomen or do a testicular cancer screening.

I am still confused how nearsightedness went unnoticed for that long. When I was in school we had mandatory vision and hearing tests every year with letters sent home about any concerns about needing glasses or hearing aids. An optometrist is the first logical step for vision problems, so the fact that a physician was consulted at all is strange to me. But I'm fairly young and from Illinois so maybe it was different in another time and/or place. Any insight on the thought processes involved there would be interesting for sure.

My former PCP told me he had never found a single prostate cancer with a DRE and discontinued them. Current doc skips it also. I wonder how many digital exams on females ever diagnose an issue. Seems as though ultrasound provides much more information.

@Grizzly_Paladin

I am still confused how nearsightedness went unnoticed for that long. When I was in school we had mandatory vision and hearing tests every year with letters sent home about any concerns about needing glasses or hearing aids. An optometrist is the first logical step for vision problems, so the fact that a physician was consulted at all is strange to me. But I'm fairly young and from Illinois so maybe it was different in another time and/or place. Any insight on the thought processes involved there would be interesting for sure.

No problem, it’s a discussion. I’ve had doctors just like the ones you described. I am WAY more picky about picking my doctors now.

The 50’s and 60’s were a different time. Yes I had vision and hearing tests along with scoliosis screening in elementary school. At my GP’s office they used the same eye chart that most optometrists start with. The doctor though didn’t know that a small difference in vision between the left and right eye can lead to depth perception problems. So the medical doctors - including the ophthalmologist - just told them my vision was near normal. Doctors back then were only interested in the health of your eyes. My parents were medically naive and trusted the doc exclusively. But back then it was almost all the art of medicine and very little science of medicine.

Yeah, my current doctor orders a whole slew of labs to cover almost all the possibilities. When I had the possible heart problems the cardiologist did the same thing. I think the younger doctors are simply better trained.

Older doctors clearly need better refresher courses and training to stay current with advances. That’s just my opinion.

@Srgfgahs You were ripped off by that doctor. I just viewed my insurance statements and of the doctors I’ve seen in the past 3 years the highest one got paid was $143.59 (he billed $349). Most 15 minute follow up visits were reimbursed around $75 to the specialist. I have great insurance but I also self pay where I like to spend more time with doctors. My endo is $90 cash for 30 minute follow ups ($180 new patient visit). PCP is $80/month unlimited same day or next day visits (as medically necessary) 30-60 minutes each. I have his cell number and email address and he’s available when needed. He does not accept any insurance.

Never pay the first rate given. Everything in medicine is negotiable. MRI? $450. CT? $225. X-ray? $50. All those prices are pre-negotiated and include the radiologist interpretation. Insurance has negotiated rates but even then the doctor waits weeks for payment and only then finds out what he’s actually reimbursed. Your cash doesn’t require coding or waiting and is guaranteed. Use it to get the true cost. My bloodwork every 6 months has a billed rate of over $1k. labs always accept around $100-$150 as payment from insurance. My doctor likes to order lots of labs, not just that basic shit that’s useless imo.

My doctor has a pharmacy in his office. He took me inside one day and told me he stocked the place for only $200k. He said each bottle of most generics cost $2-$4 wholesale then pharmacies mark the price up 100x and patients get screwed. Insurance companies are ruining healthcare. Its a well kept secret that most services are actually cheaper when negotiated for cash than using insurance and dealing with inflated copays or deductible.

Being German I can tell that in Germany they still are.