Dr. did drug screen on ds15 without his/my knowledge or consent.

L

lil_c200516101

New member
My son went for his annual physical recently - we were also talking with the dr. about him taking Lexapro for anxiety/depression. I'm on Lexapro for GAD and I see the very same symptoms/mannerisms in my son that I experienced before I was on it. Dr. had agreed to try him on it and he had already started it a week before the visit.

A few weeks after his physical I got a bill for lab services - called the Dr. office to see what tests had been done since everything should be covered for a physical. Dr. called back and said he had done a drug screen... He said he didn't want to alarm ds and/or accuse him of drug use - but WHY couldn't he have told me?

Would you feel violated/betrayed if this was you/your son and is this legal???
 
I can see why the doctor wanted the drug screening since some drug use can trigger depression and anxiety. But, the doctor really should have requested your consent before doing the test. After all, you are responsible for paying for it! It seems like a violation of privacy to sneak in a test like that. Whatever happened to getting consent? I think he was wrong.
 
In NJ, I believe if the child is under age 18, the parent has to sign for a drug test. If it were me, I would be both pissed and happy that it was done, if you know what I mean.
 
what that doc did was very very wrong. no actual testing should be done without someones consent,in this case he should have at least told his patient and asked for your consent. i do believe this is not a legal practice. i would check up on it in your state. i HAVE to sign for and be told everytime i have my annual UA for my pain clinic. it is always a suprise UA but i have to consent to it. for some stupid reason the UAs i have thru my pian clinic are not covered thru our ins either. i would really wonder about a doc who does something like this as far as any real trust? FB
 
I've been second guessing myself about this... Am I wrong to think that his office should pay for the test that went to my deductible because all lab services go to the deductible first? He's basically saying that it's not his fault that I have little coverage with my plan ( I have ppo with a $300 deductible per person - it's not "little" coverage).

What do I do now? My gut is saying just switch out of there. We've been there since both kids were babies - never had a problem other than rude receptionists!

I suppose it's a good time to switch anyway - I will need to find a new dr. soon when my dr. retires - I'll probably look for a General Practitioner for all of us.
 
Of course, I was happy as well - that the drug screen was clean - but I didn't think he was on anything anyway. I'm more upset that the Dr. didn't tell at least me about the screen. It was like he was being sneaky about it!
 
your very last sentence says alot abut how you feel and what this doc did that was just plain wrong(this WAS sneaky). this also affected what you have to pay as far as billing too,so this was a really huge issue(there IS an actual consent form that should have been signed prior to this particular type of test). i would most certainly seek out a doc you all can trust. once you lose trust in any doc,that relationship that should just be there(with your best interest at heart,always?) is simply gone. i am sure you can find a much better primary. ask your friends who they see and how they like their docs,then check out your ins to see if you can go there. word of mouth from other patients really is a great way to find the best docs. good luck. FB
 
Back
Top