Saves the doctor time in getting patients to remove layers and
layers of clothes

In what other areas of the purchasing of professional services do you get to
make the rules? Your plumber? Your auto technician? Your electrician? You
get to tell them how to do their job? Maybe you get to tell the kid that
mows your lawn how to do it, but I think you're pretty far off base when you
think you can dictate the details of how a trained professional accomplishes
a complicated job about which you don't even have the faintest clue. Even if
you're the one paying.

Now, having said that, I'll grant you that there is a lot of latitude in
those kinds of doctor-patient issues, and whether or not the patient will
wear a paper gown is WAY down the list of issues that are important to the
doctor. To your question, I doubt that the doctor would refuse to see you
just because you refused to wear a paper gown than made you uncomfortable.
In my own practice, I see that all the time. We do the gown thing as a
convenience-issue (to me), but if the patient refuses and it doesn't
compromise my ability to do my job, then it's no big deal and we just work
around it. I can't speak for your doctor, however. There are hundreds of
thousands of doctors in this country, and your question seems to imply that
posters here on the internet can speak for every single one of them. Every
doctor runs their practice differently and there can be HUGE variations from
doctor to doctor.

I'm very cognizant of the fact that the patient is paying me to do a job for
him/her and we try to accomodate them as best we can, but when a patient's
demands start impinging significantly on my ability to do that job
accurately, that's the point where that patient and I may part company. This
is, and should be, a very rare event. Paper gown problems by themselves
don't fall into this category. One of the key aspects of being a successful
doctor is good communication, and effective use of that tool will eliminate
the *vast* majority of such issues, especially minor ones such as you
describe above.

HMc

Gee, you must have an idyllic life, if something like this rises to
such importance.

Why not mention it to the nurse, in good humor; see what s/he says.

Howard's answer was great.

bob

If you prefer being buck naked, then I foresee no major objections as long
as you don't go parading into the waiting room.  

But if you're saying you object to a competent medical exam, which
necessarily requires actually seeing and touching your body rather than just
guessing what's under your fashion choices, then I'd say you should find a
doctor who doesn't mind if you substitute your judgment for his.

Or, if you think the visit really doesn't require a physical exam, then why
don't you just ask the staff if it's really necessary?   How hard is that?

Gowns, whether paper or fabric, are designed to facilitate physicial
examination, which is what you're paying your doctor to do. If you have
personal hangups, I suggest you discuss them with your physician so you
can work something out to your mutual benefit.