Avvo attorney thought I was suggesting doctor committed medical misconduct but was worried about billing

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bitethepillow

New Member
Jurisdiction
Illinois
I go every year for my good buddy check. Although the specialist says Everytime they found polyps but didn't prep well so then isn't considered a cancer screening for the colon. I just don't think it's worth going anymore if my prep isn't working out. I already have a couple other health issues already. So can't prevent everything. I also haven't been billed before as a non cancer screening. But it's just very stressful. Besides someone told me since I'm under 50 should only have to go every 5 years I don't smoke or around second hand smoke. Have been eating lighter meals too

I asked the doctor if there were cancer prevention pills or alternatives to this procedure. He said no.
 
The question would be. Would a complaint to the doctors state board or insurance be a legal alternative to take against the doctor.? Although I like the doctor I don't like the prepping for such a procedure. The AVVO attorney I asked a similar question had made it seem it was all my fault for not prepping better for procedure. I'm not a thin guy either
 
Having had many colonoscopies, this is what I know.

1 - Prep - Nobody likes it, everybody hates it. But you have to drink it all, at the prescribed intervals, to clear the colon of any waste. Basically, you have to get to the point where the only thing coming out of your anus is a clear fluid. If any waste remains in the colon, it may affect the results of the test by impeding the scope or concealing issues. Prep has nothing to do with the doctor, it's all on the patient to get it right. Thin, fat, doesn't make a difference. Prep properly and the test works.

2 - Intervals. See recommendations from the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.

gastro.org

Follow-up after colonoscopy and polypectomy

Guidelines for follow-up after normal colonoscopy among individuals age-eligible for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, and post-polypectomy.
gastro.org

Those suggested intervals are based on averages. Review them with your doctor and plan your next one based on you own medical history.

3 - Billing - Insurance often pays in full for a preventive screening. Find a polyp and now it's diagnostic and you pay for part of it. That's how it works. I got stung with a big part of the bill for my first colonoscopy because of a couple of polyps. I also didn't understand the difference. It's not the doctor's fault. He has to code the procedure the way the insurance tells him to.
 
Having been diagnosed with colon cancer, early enough to have lived a healthy life after the surgical resection of 1/3 of my colon, I'm grateful for the diagnostician's discovery, and the skillful surgeons successful resection. This occurred back in 1999. Now, 25 years later, I'm humbled and grateful. I hated each preparation for the colonoscopy, but I'm forever grateful. In fact, because my age and 25 years of remission, I'll happily tread water until the Good Lord calls me home.

Tip: use at your discretion, sodium citrate or magnesium citrate might be a much more pleasant, tolerable cleansing agents, in my opinion. I'm a graduate of one of the colleges of Oseopathy, as well as a graduate of a ABA accredited law school, licensed to practice in both areas.

HOWEVER, I'm not dispensing medical or legal advice, simply sharing my personal experiences. I'm also suggesting you discuss using sodium citrate as a purging/cleansing agent with YOUR PHYSICIAN, before you engage in or endure your next colonoscopy.

my.clevelandclinic.org

Preparing for Your Colonoscopy: Types of Kits & Instructions

Preparing for your colonoscopy means cleansing your bowels with a laxative formula. There are several types of bowel prep kits available.
my.clevelandclinic.org my.clevelandclinic.org

www.health.harvard.edu

How you can make colonoscopy prep easier - Harvard Health

Colonoscopy saves lives, and adequate prep is essential for a successful colonoscopy. New laxative preps are making the process easier to tolerate. ...
www.health.harvard.edu www.health.harvard.edu

 
Once you are in the risk category the cologuard (poop on the paper) test is really not indicated for you. You'll have to go in for the scoping with its incumbent prep work. Actually, I find it harder not eating (my wife takes me out for a meal right after they spring me). At least now I've moved from the 3-year to 5-year periods on these things.

Anyhow, the doctor is not responsible for your prep. If you cheat on the prep and he can't fully screen you, you wasted the effort. Had an extensive talk with the nurse on this. She did give me one big hint:

Mix up the Suprep (or GoLitely) as COLD as you can possibly make it. It makes it a lot more palatable when you're chugging it down.
 

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