“She then proceeded to tell me about the menopause clinics that they run and that is three back-to-back appointments at a cost of $300. And the math just didn’t math to me … because each appointment is $70, so 70 times three is not $300, so I didn’t really understand how any of it made any sense.”
Carla told Checkpoint she knew of others prescribed HRT under much simpler circumstances.
“When I said I couldn’t afford that, I was told that I would then need to make three to four separate appointments to be prescribed HRT,” she said.
“It was just the fact that everyone else I know had been prescribed HRT with just a single appointment. I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.”
Carla said a friend of hers had been prescribed by the same doctor late last year and had a single consultation.
She said the experience left her feeling “really diminished”.
Carla had considered finding a new GP but said leaving her practice of more than 30 years would be daunting.
She accepted if a doctor had concerns that would warrant a couple of appointments, but she said a single appointment should be standard practice.
“That’s not a problem at all, if it’s necessary. But I just don’t like this … it just feels money hungry to me,” she said.
Carla said she felt taken advantage of.
“Just the math not mathing with needing three back-to-back appointments and the costs being elevated because it’s a menopause appointment,” she said.
“I thought in a normal 15-minute consultation with a $70 fee, you got the doctor’s expertise. That’s what you were buying for that.”
Royal NZ College of GPs medical director Luke Bradford said an in-depth menopause assessment does take longer than the standard 15-minute appointment and many patients benefit from spending extra time discussing their options with their GP.
He said the cost for non-standard appointments like this varies across practices.
“There are dedicated menopause clinics around NZ that typically charge $290 for an initial 45-minute appointment and $120 [for a] follow-up,” he said.
Checkpoint has asked Carla’s medical practice and Health NZ for comment.
– RNZ
