Paying for a Dr to write an rx! ?

Our pediatrician's office does not charge for this. Although, I can see why one might as it does take time for the doctor to write the prescriptions.

Doctors who treat adults are very different from pediatric doctors--it was a brutal awakening when DS1 turned 18. Neurologists for adults...not fun at all. And the waiting rooms are downright boring.

Our doctor's office is all automated. All charts are on the computer. He charts, sends in prescriptions (except controlled substances), etc., via the web/computer. When I want a refill, I just send him a message online, he sends the prescription in online, and we are good to go. Never a charge. My daughter does have a controlled substance prescrip but again, I request online, he writes it, and I run by and pick it up. No charge. This is a family practitioner's office. If I have questions, he always answers my e-mails in the evening or early in the morning or on the weekends from home. Again, no charge thankfully!

Never heard of this.

Never have I been charged for the doc writing a script and if I did, I would change offices.

The doctor does more than sign-confirm the drug, the dosage, that there are no med interactions, no changes in health history, still appropriate for the diagnosis, etc.  

And even if the nurse is the one printing out the drug and emailing it, she's still getting paid for her time.  That money has to come from somewhere.  I know health care costs are ridiculously high and out of control, but the solution isn't to expect health care workers to volunteer their time.  I'm in New England and we've always had access to excellent health care services but in the past decade or so, we are losing primary care providers.  We are asking PCPs to provide more and more services for less and less money.  Their overhead is going up (paying their office staff, continuing education costs, malpractice, supplies) but their profits are going down.  I work in long term care and rehab.  The MOST money I can get reimbursed for a visit with a patient is $65.  If that visit takes me two hours, if I adjust 15 meds, if I order and review labs, assess ten different chronic conditions, doesn't matter, all I get is $65 (actually, the facility gets it, they pay me an hourly wage and then they collect the money from insurance for my patient visits).  A regular visit is more like $40.  Our patients are sicker, with more involved treatments, and instead of going up, our reimbursements are going down.  15 years ago, for a patient in a facility, we didn't need paper scrips-doctor would tell nurse his order, she'd tell the pharmacy, drugs would be delivered. Now we need a paper scrip signed by me or one of the MDs, and there are no refills allowed on many of the narcs, so every month I spend at least two hours writing and faxing scrips, time my employer still pays me for but cannot get reimbursed for.  The hour I spent last week explaining things to a family member? Again, I still get paid, my employer is not getting reimbursed for that hour.   Answering phone calls and consulting with specialists? It has to be over a certain time per patient to charge.  So if it's 20 minutes for one patient, 10 for three others and five for another, that's time we don't get paid for.  And I, and every other provider I know, want to spend time answering questions and explaining things to patients, but when the reimbursement's not there, those good docs who are spending that uncompensated time find they are either working all the time or losing money.  

Doctors in Australia often charge for a script. 

It does take their time, they have to check your records etc.
It helps to prevent people from doctor shopping just to get scripts without a consultation.
It assists in people not getting prescriptions to sell on the drugs.

I certainly don't have an issue with it. 

There is a sign in my doctor's office that states that prescriptions without a visit will incur a charge (though I think it's 20 bucks). This also goes for doctor's notes and a couple other services.

Makes sense to me.

My doctor's office has a sign saying that they charge to fill out forms. I don't know if they charge for controlled substance prescriptions, but I do know that we aren't allowed to call for refills of maintenance meds. If your prescription runs out, the pharmacy has to request the refill.

Do they even write them anymore unless a controlled substance? I haven't gotten a paper rx in many years.