We changed health insurance companies this year, and part of that whole drill was finding a new primary care physician. We shopped around and found a guy nearby who got decent reviews on Angie's List. The first appointment included a barrage of paperwork and a questionnaire about your health.
It was a series of statements. The typical check yes or no if you have experienced any of the following. Pretty routine, except the last statement was, "I wish I were dead." I checked no.
My husband's appointment was a couple of weeks before mine, and he had mentioned the question to me and how weird it was. We decided it was actually a pretty clever way to smoke out people who are depressed or suicidal. Part of the paperwork, right next to latex allergies and chest pains. You might forget you're supposed to keep your problem a secret.
So, I turn in my paperwork and a few minutes later I get called into the office. The doctor introduces himself and starts asking me a bunch of questions I already spent 20 minutes answering on the form. He says, "Oh! Right! Let's look at your paperwork!"
Where is your paperwork?
I gave it to the receptionist.
It's not here.
I'm sure she has it.
Oh, never mind! We don't need it.
The rest of the visit went fine. I like the guy all right, although we're going to shop around for someone else. My husband didn't like that the doctor thinks flu shots are worthless and wore his shirt unbuttoned low enough so that you could see a few chest hairs. I'm not bothered by that. All I can think about is what if I had checked yes?
