"I'd like a flu shot please. I want one of those big dose shots."
"I have the high dose in stock," I say. "But you don't look age 65." I say that because I don't want to directly ask the question about people's age.
"I'll be 65 years old on Monday. It's only two days away."
"I'm sorry," I tell her. I say I'm sorry a lot every day. "The shot is for age 65 and up."
"But I'll be 65 on Monday. It's only two days away." When people say stuff like that, I wonder if they think I'm incapable of figuring that out on my own. Apparently I'm trusted with dispensing dangerous medications but date evaluation takes an advanced degree I don't have.
"I understand that, and if it was up to me, I'd give you the shot. But it won't process on the computer. The computer will see that you're not 65 years old and it will not let me bill it."
"Well, you're just stupid," she says, and trots off.
And by taking that kind of abuse and not saying anything, I guess I really am stupid.
2 comments:
You try not to tell a pt NO... you tell them HOW MUCH... Would you have given her the shot if she paid CASH ? You let the pt decide NOT TO DO IT. When they have to pay out of pocket because of their WANTS... typically their "needs" will change
"I'll be 21 on Monday. Bartender, can't I have a beer?" Same thing, though it's not the law, it's the recommendation from the CDC, so that's what I'm going with. Got to draw the line somewhere.
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