I hear this now and then when a guest learns my fee,
more often in the form of a hint (“I’ll talk to my husband and call you
back…”).
My routine when hotels call is to listen to a patient’s
symptoms, deliver an opinion and advice, and discuss options (only half my
callers require a housecall). Once a guest agrees to a visit, I reveal the
cost.
Hearing a reluctance to pay, I mention local walk-in
clinics. Their basic charge is less than mine, although that difference
disappears if the doctor does anything (i.e. orders a test, gives a shot,
writes a prescription, applies a dressing).
I feel uncomfortable suggesting leaving the hotel room
if it’s a struggle – for example if someone is vomiting or dizzy. This guest
had been dizzy all day. In these cases, I insist on coming, telling them they
can pay whatever they feel is fair. Many guests end up paying the usual, but
I’ve taken as little as $5.00.
Since she had already protested the fee, my expectations
were low. They dropped to zero when I approached the hotel and saw paramedics
loading her into an ambulance.
The guest’s symptoms were not life-threatening, but paramedics
lean over backwards to take patients to the hospital, having been burned in the
past when they didn’t.
I wondered if she had called them because of worries
about my fee. She may not have realized that paramedics will send a whopper of
a bill.
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