[Irishman]

Office visit recorded by stenographer

by Irishman on Mon Oct 05, 2015 7:51 pm

Went to my oncologist appointment today, and much to my surprise, it was the nurse practitioner with a stenographer, and then the oncologist came in and kinda ignored the stenographer.

They claimed that the purpose of the stenographer was to accurately record their conversation. Has anyone else had that happen? Totally weird.

This is a first for Florida Cancer Specialists. Thoughts? Maybe it was me they were worried about.

[JPC]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by JPC on Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:13 pm

Good day, Irish:

Quick comment to you. Trust is a two way street. You need to be able to trust your myeloma specialist. If you get to the understanding that they are not acting in a trustworthy manner, that would be a good reason to change your doctor very quickly. You do not want to overreact to a simple misunderstanding, so maybe you need to flush that out, but if it's a question of basic human trust, you need to be dealing with someone you trust.

Good luck

[Rneb]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by Rneb on Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:52 pm

Methinks it is related to a dispute with an Ins Carrier / Group Plan Administrator.

I don't think it has a single thing to do with you.

ie. " What is said during an intermediate visit, for $300 ? ", Alex Trebek.

Good luck.

[Melanie]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by Melanie on Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:57 pm

Not too sure if I would be bothered by it. When my husband and I see his myeloma specialist, he records our discussion as well as his own remarks on my husband's test results. The only reason I find it annoying is because when he records his own remarks, I feel it kind of detracts from the conversation. However, this is his way of putting the visit in the records.

[rumnting]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by rumnting on Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:14 am

Physicians are now fined by Medicare if they do not have electronic records (computer patient charts vs paper charts). Many physicians use a "scribe" because it would slow the physician down too much to try to type all the visit into the computer while trying to examine the patient. My internists' office uses them, as does the ER at our hospital. One more layer of expense for medical providers that the government added (my two cents!)

Last edited by rumnting on Wed Oct 07, 2015 9:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Irishman]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by Irishman on Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:56 pm

Thanks everyone for the comments. I found all to be very enlightening and reassuring. Since I just became eligible for Medicare, that might have something to do with it as well as the note taking etc.

As for the trust issue, I have been to several myeloma specialists over the years, and all appeared to be overwhelmed with patients. My current oncologist also appears to be really rushed and only spends quality time with me when he sees my numbers get worse. He is also the only game in town so I have no other options even if I did not trust him at all. My only other choice is to drive over 200 miles for care at the VA hospital.

Thanks again everyone.

[Sailor Mike]

Re: Office visit recorded by stenographer

by Sailor Mike on Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:42 pm

Was he there on the oncologist's request?

As a patient, I have often thought about asking if I could record the conversations I have with my oncologist. I am afraid I will forget something or get it wrong. That was particularly true when I was living through the fog of my initial chemo and radiation treatments.

Mike V.