Does this seem weird to you??

[Essieluv]

I called my GI office to request a fecal calprotectin...and the receptionist said she had NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE. I know she's just the receptionist, but she is the only one for the whole office, don't you think she would have heard of calprotectin? I had to tell her how to spell it! :ybatty:I'm supposed to be getting a call back form the GI office on whether or not my doc is going to order the test soon. But it just seemed a little odd to me????

 

[PsychoJane]

She is the receptionist.. is she new? I would not be surprise that she would not have heard of it if she has not been there for a long time. She might not be super aware of the world she works in, I've encountered a few (rare) that looked like it was their first day everyday. Maybe she knows it under FC, or maybe there is another little name that they use out there would it be Calpro, or Elisa or who knows what else.

 

[Essieluv]

She's not new, I think she's been there for a long time. She generally knows a lot about GI stuff and is knowledgeable, so that's why it seemed odd to me. I still haven't heard back from the office yet, so we'll see what happens.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I too have encountered receptionists/assistants who don't know everything. For example my GI is a great GI, but there are times when I am talking to his assistant who has been there forever and have to explain to her what I am needing and what the doctor wants from me.

Sometimes there are just too many office management responsibilities going on and too many patients and medical records to keep up with to know the details regarding treatment plans and whatnot. Because she does not know what mercaptopurine does does not mean that my doctor does not know. I don't expect her to. She is not the treating physician.

Maybe this is the case for your receptionist as well. The doctor is keeping her too busy running the office to pay too much specialized attention to how a doctor is actually treating patient. They make the appointments, fax the papers and fill out the forms, and keep everything running smoothly while the doctor sees patients but don't have time to figure out what it ALL means, especially if not to many patients come into the office that need a specific test (although fecal calprotectin testing is not all that rare). That's what the doctors and insurance companies are for

 

[Essieluv]

I just got I call back from the GI today. She said that the fecal calprotectin would be "meaningless" because I just had a colonoscopy done in the beginning of September. She wouldn't even order it! I'm very frustrated, because even if she thought it wouldn't show anything, she still should have given it a try since I am so unwell right now. Doesn't she understand that things can change a lot in a couple month's time? So I called up my colorectal and left a message at her office. I'm pretty sure she will order it for me, because she knows my case can be very mysterious.

 

[nitty]

It's a running joke here that many GP receptionists think they know more than the doctors!

I phoned up recently to book a blood test. She asked me what it was for and who had requested it. When I explained that it was because I was on azathioprine and so needed monitoring more frequently as my dose had just been increased she bluntly said "Oh, we don't do that here". When I said "But you've been doing it for the last 18 months" she had a total strop and said "Oh well, that's me told. I'd better just shut up hadn't I!". Yes!

I think she was the same receptionist who reluctantly accepted a stool sample from me (in a dark blue pot, sealed in a specimen bag) at arms length, with an expression that looked like I had just scraped it off the pavement and dropped it on the desk!! It's bad enough having to do these things in the first place without cows like that making you feel worse

Service with a smile:ybiggrin: